Five Things No One Tells You About Being A Freelancer
Changing environments of work, including remote working or work-from-anywhere models, have always been enticing to the average 9–5 employee. The idea that you can get your work done while sitting on a beach, sipping on a cocktail, and having the perfect work-cation seems like an unachievable, utopian dream for many. Further, being your own boss and not having anyone to report to might nudge you to start your career as a freelancer or a side-hustler. While freelancing is a highly fetching profession where you get to choose your own career path and goals, the process isn’t without hardships of its own.
If you’re currently working a full-time role and want to start a side-hustle, or want to be a full-time freelancer, here are few practical things you need to ensure to have a smooth and successful ride.
1. Don’t Over-Promise and Under-Deliver
As a freelancer, you’re out there in the world to make a mark for yourself, build your own brand through all the projects you get. In this process, it is critical that you build a reputation of dependability and trust with your clients. As an enthusiastic amateur freelancer, it seems like over-promising to your clients would be the only thing to get you a job. That couldn’t be further from the truth, especially if you’re unable to fulfill your promises. Have a clear vision of your timelines and bandwidth before you can commit to your clients. A good practice is to always promise what’s achievable for you, and throw in a little extra work for your clients when you have the bandwidth for it. This way, you’re over-delivering on your promise, which always builds a good reputation in the long run.
2. Be Meticulous With Paperwork and Agreements
Ask any freelancer about what the most taxing part of their job is — you’d commonly hear stories of clients missing on their payment dates, fall-outs because of misinterpretation or miscommunication of expectations, or something seemingly small which blows up later, during the course of the assignment. To avoid all mishaps during your projects, have written documents or agreements ready to share with your clients. Clearly mention the Scope of Work, Terms of Payment, and any other clauses you may like to add during the project. Only commence work once both you and your client go over the details and agree upon them. If you’re looking to build a steady and strong career in freelancing, due diligence like basic paperwork is extremely important.
3. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For What You Deserve
When you work in a traditional office setup, the industry standards for how much you get paid are defined to a certain extent. While these standards are defined for freelancers as well, it completely depends on your expertise as a professional, how well you do your job and the trust your clients have in you. Oftentimes, freelancers under-sell themselves in order to bag a project and keep the finances rolling in. However, it is wise to take calculated risks at times and ask for what you truly deserve. We don’t mean you should be delusional about your abilities and over-charge your clients. An ideal way of going about pricing is to calculate the effort and time that goes into completing the entire project including research and edits.
We can’t stress this enough: being a freelancer, you have to be okay with not knowing where your next pay check is coming from. This could be a deal-breaker for many freelancers. This is why we advise having a steady source of income that can take care of your needs while you go out there and start your side hustle. Try to save and reinvest your profits back into your business if your financial situation allows for it. We highly recommend saving up even a little amount if possible, more consistently. This will especially come in handy when you don’t have enough projects lined up.
5. Network, But Be Self-Motivated
The best part about working a full-time job is that you have your colleagues and peers to support you when you need it. While a freelancing career may seem like it lacks peer support, you can definitely make a community for yourself within your industry with like-minded individuals. Facebook groups, Meet-ups, and conclaves are excellent places where you can go to meet new individuals in the same boat as you. However, do remember that starting a side-hustle is a demanding and often solitary journey. Not having a boss to look over whatever you do can work both ways, since you need to motivate yourself to do your work . Work this to your advantage and set goals that both excite and motivate you to work harder.
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Originally published at https://blog.okrshub.com on April 12, 2021.
