3 Harsh Truths To Become a Successful Freelancer

I worked hard on my side hustle, and here is what I learned.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Being a full-time designer who started writing as a side hustle and transformed it into a major income stream, I know how hard it is to work on your side hustle. Only 4% of people get celebrity endorsements. Today when I know more or less how to work as a productive writer, I follow the advice of established freelancers to improve my work.

While most of the advice I watch on YouTube is relevant, I often find YouTubers in my niche who say that it’s easy to succeed on any side hustle. They say they almost don’t work and are successful. It sounds like you can take any hobby and develop it into a huge monthly income.

“The process is easy; it only takes a few hours to set up your own small business.”

— Jeff Haden in Inc.

Setting your side hustle as a business is the easiest part. But everything changes when you start to work. While there might be some lucky ones, I disagree that you can become a successful freelancer by not working hard.

My writing hobby took over one and a half years until I finally could get an income from it. And this wasn’t a one-time lucky shot. It was my dedication, learning, and restless nights. After my writing journey, here are three truths you need to learn to become a successful freelancer. My advice will help you to select established mentors for your freelance journey correctly.

It takes time to become successful

Work and success are connected. When you’re a recent graduate, it takes a long time to find your first job. You have no experience and many competitors. Sometimes you need to go over a boot camp or take a course to polish your skills.

“The importance of self-improvement often goes unnoticed. We are either conveniently brushing our shortcomings under the carpet, refusing to face them or are just happy being ignorant.”

— Adela Belin in Lifehack