Yes, You Can Be a Successful Freelance Introvert
Pave your own path in a way that empowers you — without feeling overwhelmed
Introverts are often thought of as quiet, reserved, and thoughtful individuals. Some may be shy while others are not. Most prefer to work alone to process information and work more effectively. In meetings, they prefer to step back and let others lead the conversation.
“Quiet people have the loudest minds.” — Stephen Hawking
According to EduAdvisor, there are four kinds of introverts.
- Social introvert: Where you prefer to keep social activities to small groups
- Thinking introvert: You reflect more on your inner thoughts (introspective)
- Anxious introvert: Feeling awkward and self-conscious around people. confidence can be an issue.
- Restrained introvert: When you shy away from spontaneous situations and are very careful when making decisions
If any of these sounds like you then you may well be an introvert.
Problems at work
In many workplaces, demands are made that better suit an extrovert. As an introvert, you may be put into situations that you find difficult. You may be asked to contribute to a meeting or asked to go away on a team-building exercise. You may have to make a conversation with someone you feel uncomfortable around to maintain a happy ship. Over a period of time, this can grind away at your happiness and morale and makes your job unbearable even though you like the hands-on tasks.
Taking away the social aspects of your job, you may find that most of your day to day tasks are conducted on your own anyway. The main barrier is working the way you want to as opposed to working the way management wants you to. This stalemate doesn’t have to be forever. There is another way.
Become a freelancer
Now that you better understand what an introvert is, it’s important to realize that there are other options. One option is to become a freelancer in your field of speciality. Freelancers generally work remotely on their own, but depending on what you do may have to collaborate with others. One example would be web development where a web developer may have to work with a web designer to complete a project. In other industries, it may be just you. You can control the projects you take on and how you work on them.
The caveat to this is that all successes and failures rest on your shoulders as you are the boss, the marketer as well as the specialist who completes the work. Chasing up clients, payments, and finding work may challenge you as an introvert as it will bring you out of your comfort zone. You may take on too much work which adds pressure. If it gets to that point it means that you are getting more successful and can consider outsourcing smaller tasks.
It can still work out for you as an introvert if you carefully map out your working strategy. It can certainly be done.
Setting up shop
Before you can go out hunting for clients you must understand what you want from your freelancing business. This includes equipment, the number of hours you want to put in every week, and the financial targets you need to reach to pay the bills. Some other things you will need to consider are:
- Finding a quiet place to work (home office)
- Invest in the right equipment to run your business (computer etc)
- look after your mental and physical health (exercise and take breaks)
- Outsource if you can’t complete the work on your own to reduce pressure
- Make sure the family knows when to leave you alone to work (set hours)
On the subject of time, it’s important to be very careful about how you use it. With freelancing, you won’t be there all day just happily working away on all the things you love. A lot of time will be spent on mundane admin work such as following up with emails, talking to clients. You must give yourself enough time to get everything done. If you can outsource some of those tasks then all the better, but planning is essential.
Dealing with clients
When looking for clients you must price yourself accordingly. If you charge too little the quality clients won’t take you seriously. If you charge too much you won’t get any clients. On freelancing platforms such as Upwork, this is obvious to see. Clients who pay the lowest will never be satisfied and will ask for revisions galore. A high-paying client will pay you the right money to ensure a good job done the first time. They have probably been burnt in the past by hiring bad freelancers so have learned their lesson.
When you first start getting clients, be sure to over-deliver on what you offer. Charge a fair price and make them come back for more. Any clients that try to low-ball you and become difficult, just walk away. It’s about quality, not quantity. Always keep in mind the value you are bringing to the client with the product you are providing them and its earning potential. If you are a developer creating a business in a box website package then you should be paid accordingly by value. With experience, you will be able to gauge value-based pricing better.
As an introvert, picking up the phone to speak to clients may seem like a mountain to climb, but after a few calls, you will find it easier. In times of covid-19, a lot of communication is done via Zoom or Teams calls. You may find this beneficial as an introvert because you are still working remotely and have more control over the call. Often enough, communication may just be email-based, so things can work to your advantage.
Promoting your business
Marketing can prove to be tricky when it comes to being introverted. Putting yourself out there will not come naturally. However, you must do this, or else no one will know you exist. The first thing you need is a website for your business. This is where clients can view your services, portfolio, and be able to contact you. A simple WordPress site can be enough. Just make it look professional and get your branding across to potential clients. If you don’t want to build one yourself, there are places like Upwork where you can get one made.
Social media is another way to promote yourself. The best network for business is LinkedIn. Set up a professional-looking profile and connect with others. Share thoughts with posts and build your brand. Once you have networked for a while, you can potentially find clients there of all sizes. Some clients may contact you. A Facebook business page and a Twitter account would also be worth having.
Confidence is everything
Now regardless of how good you are at what you do, the ultimate stumbling block for introverts will be a lack of confidence. This is not the case for all introverts but is for many. Confidence (or lack of) can stop you from being the freelancer you want to be. Confidence matters in business.
If you do suffer from low confidence then it is important to build it up. You need to believe in your skills and that you can provide top services. In many industries, imposter syndrome can be a confidence killer as you never truly believe in your own abilities and thus feel like a fraud. Don’t let this get into your head and damage your freelancing business. It’s just a state of mind.
The trick to building confidence is to do it in tiny steps and build it gradually. Make the decision that you are going to step out of your comfort zone, make your plan, and work on those confidence skills. Reach out slowly.
You may feel like you are lower down on the food chain of freelancers in your local area because they have awesome websites and testimonials. That only means that they have been doing it longer than you. You will find that there is plenty of work to go around so don’t be put off by the competition. Just put yourself out there, find good clients, understand pricing, and build good relationships. Before you know it your confidence will go through the roof. Slow and steady wins the race.
Conclusion
So yes, you can be a successful freelance introvert. Being an introvert empowers you because it allows you to look within and find the best version of yourself. According to Lifehack, introverts have these great qualities:
- Are good listeners
- Super focused
- Very observant
- Committed to their goals
- Self-sufficient
So, don’t look at being an introvert as a disadvantage. Look at it as a superpower. Not being used to dealing with other people and/or confidence problems are probably the main issues. With small steps and practice, you will soon be the freelancer you want to be.
Are you an introvert looking to become a freelancer?
Have you succeeded in becoming a freelancing introvert?
