--- title: "Baiba Lauva: “Learn to say no early”" date: 2026-11-09T13:14:48Z modified: 2026-11-09T13:14:48Z permalink: "https://abill.io/en/blog/baiba-lauva-recruitment-specialist/" type: post status: publish excerpt: Recruitment specialist and headhunter Baiba Lauva explains why referrals work better than cold outreach, how to raise prices without losing clients, and what to do during quiet periods. wpid: 4551 categories: - For freelancers - Frīlanceriem translation_priority: - Optional featured_image: "https://abill.io/app/uploads/2026/11/freelancer-story-baiba-lauva.png" featured_image_alt: "Freelancer story: Baiba Lauva, recruitment specialist and headhunter" author: Anna Macko --- Baiba Lauva is a freelance recruiter and headhunter, and she uses [Abillio](https://abill.io/en/blog/how-does-abillio-work/) to invoice her clients in Latvia and abroad. She also offers career consultations and helps people build their personal brand on LinkedIn. We asked Baiba how she finds clients, sets her prices and handles the everyday challenges of freelancing. ### What do you do, and how did you become a freelance recruiter? I work as an independent recruitment specialist and headhunter. I also offer career consultations and help people build their personal brand on LinkedIn. Before going independent, I gained experience at several recruitment agencies. Over time I realised I wanted to keep the human side of recruitment, make my own decisions and work to my own professional standards. So I decided to build my own freelance practice and work for myself. ### How do you find new clients? What has worked best, and what hasn’t worked at all? New clients find me through LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter) and Threads, and through referrals from people and clients I have worked with successfully before. I have tried cold outreach, contacting people I haven’t worked with before, but it hasn’t given me the results I wanted. Referrals work best, because they build trust from the start and often lead to successful, long-term relationships with clients. ### You work with clients in Latvia and abroad. What changed when you started working with international clients? I enjoy working with clients, in Latvia and abroad, who understand that quality work takes time, attention to detail and a professional approach to get the best possible result. The biggest change for me, once I started working with international clients, was realising that my knowledge and experience can be useful not only in Latvia but also [internationally](https://abill.io/en/blog/the-freelancer-guide-to-cross-border-vat-invoicing/). I understood that I can help people and companies outside Latvia too, wherever they are. That opened up wider opportunities for collaboration and made me value my professional experience even more. ### How do you set your prices? Have you ever raised them, and how did clients react? When I started out, I researched the market and calculated my costs to set my initial [service prices](https://abill.io/en/blog/freelance-rates-2025/). My long-term clients understand that prices go up not only because of external factors, but also because my experience and expertise keep growing. So far I haven’t lost a single long-term recruitment client because of a price increase. My prices for one-to-one career consultations are also at the higher end of the market. One reason is my experience on the employer side, which helps me understand what companies need and give clients practical advice grounded in the job market. ### How has your field changed in recent years, and what do you do to keep up? My field has changed a lot in recent years, and many new digital and AI tools have appeared. It’s impossible to try them all, so I assess which ones can genuinely improve my daily work. I test different tools myself, including AI solutions, and look at where they can help me work more efficiently. At the same time, it’s important to me to keep my professional responsibility and a critical approach to technology. For example, I don’t use AI tools to assess CVs. ### What is the hardest part of freelancing, and how do you deal with it? One of the hardest things is irregular income and the quiet periods when new projects don’t come in as fast as you’d like. The other is people not replying at all, not even with a simple “No, thank you!”. The way I deal with it is to use that time to try new tools, develop ideas, create useful materials for clients and work on other projects that aren’t always related to my main work. ### One piece of advice for someone just starting out as a freelancer > Learn to say “No” early on, because you don’t have to take every opportunity, not every client is right for you, and not every collaboration works out. > > Baiba Lauva Get in touch with Baiba: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/baibalauva/) · [Linktree](https://linktr.ee/baibalion) ### Read also - [How to Transition from Full-Time Employment to Freelancing](https://abill.io/en/blog/how-to-transition-from-full-time-employment-to-freelancing/) - [Where Can I Find Clients?](https://abill.io/en/blog/where-can-i-find-clients/) - [Freelance Rates 2026: How To Set Yours](https://abill.io/en/blog/freelance-rates-2025/) - [Five Ways to Stay In Demand and Competitive as a Freelancer](https://abill.io/en/blog/five-ways-to-stay-in-demand-and-competitive-as-a-freelancer/)