Things I wished I knew before starting to freelance.
Five years of freelancing
So I stumbled into freelancing when I quit my first full-time job at Uniqlo. Ever since I have been freelancing as a software developer and language translator. Here are things I wish I knew.
First, not all jobs are created equal.
One of the benefits of freelancing is that you get to try many things. Unusual jobs as well. However, just because it pays, it doesn’t mean that you should do it.
For example, because when I was doing Japanese and Chinese translations, I got some requests for translating Japanese porn. Although it pays and I could do it, I didn’t want to explain to my roommate that it was for work.
Also, not all jobs pay equally. Some jobs require more skill than others.
And some jobs could even feel like a waste of time better spent working on other skills. As machines become increasingly better at translation, the need for human translators has fallen.
Even when I was doing translation, one hour of work couldn’t even pay for a decent lunch. On the other hand, software development lets me pay for three meals with one hour of work.
Establish your personal brand as soon as possible
I used to think having a good resume or portfolio was good enough.
Whether you pursue freelancing through platforms or referrals, reputation matters.
Besides letting your hard work speak for itself, how do new clients find you?
For me, I started writing on Medium, because I wanted to offer useful information to those on the same path as I was.
Because I am a software developer, I often shared how I built something or how I struggled to build something. It turns out some people who were reading my articles wanted to hire me.
Of course, producing content online is always scary and extra hard work, but if your motivation is to help people, good things will happen to you.
If you don’t have time to write an article, at least have a LinkedIn profile with a decent photo and descriptive tagline.
The people that you work with are important
There’s a saying in Chinese that
one rat poop spoils a whole pot of porridge.
In freelancing, you will have to work with people no matter what.
Great teammates will bring you glory and win a championship.
Great teammates will make you feel that you want to work with them again.
Sometimes you get to choose your teammates. Sometimes you have to work with people you don’t know.
I had the honor of working with some of the best bosses, project managers, software developers, and designers. If I can choose, I will choose them anytime if they’re available.
For the times that you can’t choose, you really have to dig deep into your EQ and find the courage to draw the line.
Clients are people too
Clients are people who understand getting professional help not only frees up their time, but it will lead to a better result than doing it themselves.
That being said, they make mistakes too.
Maybe you don’t understand what you do.
Maybe they forget the request that they made.
Maybe they forget to pay you.
Although we all want a client who pays on time and has reasonable demands, we will run into less desirable clients from time to time.
That’s why project management is so important to make both sides happy.
Relationship over contract
Although it’s expected to have a contract for a large project, you can’t rely on a contract for building a relationship with your client.
Most of my clients have become friends even after the project. Even if they don’t have new projects for me, they always recommend me if someone they know has a new project.
Always be improving
Because freelancing is highly competitive, especially if you are working with a large freelancing platform, don’t forget to learn a new skill or improve on your current skills. If you make it this far into the article, at least you’re good at staying focused.
Freelancing is baby steps toward entrepreneurship
If starting a company sounds scary to you, freelancing is a good way to practice your way into it. You’re selling your time and service instead of a product, but once you get your first client, you will actually profit more than most of the startups out there in their first year.
You need to know a little bit of everything
Legal, accounting, management, marketing, and sales are just some of the many things that you will have to learn. Of course, I never knew any of these before I started. But that’s why freelancing is also a good way to learn.
It’s a great way to experience different industries
Compared to a full-time job, freelancing will offer you more opportunities to experience different industries. Ever since I started freelancing, I worked in the sports industry, luxury industry, automotive industry, retail industry, etc. Also, they come in different sizes and shapes. This is great because I can learn about the different struggles of people. Some businesses I don’t think could exist, but there’s a need for it. For example, I wouldn’t think I would pay a thousand dollars for earphones, yet people do it.
You don’t need to quit your job
Unless if your employment contract says that you can’t have a second job, then you might have to. I did quit my job to start a business, but I got my first software development freelancing gig from a person I used to work within my previous job.
My point is that if you do a good job in your full-time job, you can also get freelancing work from ex-coworkers.
Conclusion
Freelancing is not all sunshine and rainbows, but you do get to be in control of your time and money.
This is why project management is such an important part of being a successful freelancer. If you’re interested in learning more, check out my free Project Manager’s Checklist.
