7 Freelancing Traits Inspired by Warren Buffett
I am a big fan of Warren Buffett's method of investing and keep sharing them from time to time the same on my investment blog. His views and quotes are geared on how to value a business.
We will use some of his best quotes on investments and apply them to freelancing and get inspiring thoughts as a freelancer.
So here are 7 of his quotes I find really inspiring to be a freelancer.
1. Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.
As a freelancer put yourself in the shoes of your client and visualize how much value you bring to the table for your clients.
If you aren’t valuable to clients, it means you have to get the act together and add more value to your services. Bringing the price down won’t help.
Be an asset and not an expense to your clients.
Read: Why I Get Paid Good Hourly Rate On Upwork & How You Can Too?
2. Risk is a part of God’s game, alike for men and nations
Freelancers like entrepreneurs take a calculated risk and there is no denying fact about it. They don’t live from paycheque to paycheque but to make an impact and willingness to make it happen.
Read: The Risk-Taking Ability Every Freelancer Must Have.
3. Always Invest in the Long-term
Freelancing is not any getting rich quick scheme. You have to be in it for the long-term.
I have been freelancing for more than a decade now. A lot has changed but a lot more is changing. I am up for it and still trying to learn many new ways to be a better freelancer.
Read 4 Freelancing Barriers I Faced Decade Ago But Not To Anyone Starting Now
4. You don’t have to swing at everything
If you aren’t an SEO guy, it is ok to accept it. You can do well without doing SEO for clients.
I shared the example of SEO because I don’t do the SEO stuff for clients. If a client insists, I only do the consultation.
The reason I avoid SEO clients is, the amount of work done is often difficult to justify to clients because results are expected a few months down the line.
Focus on what you can do the best.
Read: How to Say NO to Clients.
5. In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield
What has been done is known to work. If you are trying to define your own niche, it will not be as clear as something that has already been done.
The riches are in the niches and you have to find your own niche as a freelancer.
Read: How to Start Freelancing — The Steps I Followed
6. An investor needs to do very few things right as long as he or she avoids big mistakes
You have to get very few things right as a freelancer so long as you aren’t committing disasters.
An approved Upwork profile with little knowledge about how to write good proposals can be enough for you to get your first few clients from Upwork and get you started as a freelancer.
7. If at first, you succeed, quit trying on investing
If you have your first few clients, it is more about rinse and repeat than to keep trying something new and more exciting.
Yes, it is important for you to keep upgrading but that is in the long run.
I still work on vBulletin for my clients. I may not have enough vBulletin clients because it is taking a nosedive in popularity. I have moved on to XenForo but when it was working for me, there was no point in trying to be a Freelancer in PHP or Wordpress.
Final thoughts
What are your inspirations to be a freelancer?