10 Lessons Learned After 10 Months of Freelancing
#9 has kept me sane!
I must have been either brave or stupid for jumping into full-time freelancing without saving at least 6 months’ worth of expenses.
Yet here I am 10 months later.
While I am struggling right now due to the COVID-19 situation, I was actually thriving.
My income was higher than I had ever gotten when working 9–5.
And despite my current struggles, I’ve never been happier.
The trick for me has been to secure recurring clients.
I usually have one recurring client at a time while supplementing with one-off clients on the side. This has kept me afloat while ensuring that I don’t stretch myself too thinly with an unrealistic workload.
Right now, I’m in the midst of securing more clients with the intention of increasing my monthly income.
Here’s what I’ve learned from my 10 months of freelancing.
1. Have A Firm Grasp On Your Why
While most people would fall off the freelance wagon once they meet an obstacle, I’m doubling down on my efforts.
How am I still so driven and keen to make this work?
I have set a strong reason from the start.
And I hold on to it.
My main why is to own my time.
Sure, I’d like to taste financial freedom and travel like a digital nomad.
But for me, time is the biggest asset and the most important currency. I don’t want to lose it in the hands of someone or some company that doesn’t really care about me, my welfare or my mental health.
2. Plan Ahead to Prevent Anxiety
I struggled with this.
I’m a very intuitive person and I often go by feel.
But you can’t have that luxury when you’re just starting out on being your own boss.
So I had to learn to plan ahead.
I’d list down all the things I need to do and I schedule them. It did take me a while to get used to it but it has made me better organised and able to focus on what matters.
The old adage is true:
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
And you’d only make yourself unnecessarily anxious when you could’ve used the time to create content or pitch to prospective clients.
3. Know Your Worth
This is a tough one.
When I was working at a digital agency, my monthly income was pretty much set by the company and I didn’t have to think how much a social media caption or a blog post would cost.
As a freelancer, you need to determine the services that a client may need and figure out a reasonable rate.
Too high and you’ll lose the client. Too low and you’ll drag down not just your worth but also other freelancers’.
This is where you need to really be firm on what you can deliver and be confident in the quality of your work.
You may be flexible with your rates but make sure it’s within a certain range that you’ve decided. This is so that you could adapt to companies who are multinationals or just a small local business.
But never stoop too low.
And once you feel you’re getting more and more work in with a strong portfolio to show, you can then increase your rate.
And remember…
Don’t be afraid to say no.
Some clients may not appreciate the work that you do and would bargain for a much lower price. That’s why I tend to avoid marketplaces as it’s a race to the bottom where clients seek out the cheapest in the market.
You don’t want to be a cheap product.
So know your worth and work with clients who appreciate your work.
4. Create Systems And Habits
Motivation will only get you so far.
Systems and habits are what will sustain you in the long run.
I find that dedicating writing or creation time in the morning, research in the afternoon, and ideation in the evening have worked for me.
You need to find what works for you.
The important thing is that you schedule your work and keep to your habits.
I’ve been following Darius Foroux newsletters for a couple of years now and his tips on forming habits as well as mental toughness have helped me on my freelance journey.
5. Networking Is Essential
How does one network when working from home?
Thankfully, we are ever more connected in this online world.
It’s easier than before to meet new people and find new clients.
My go-to platforms are Instagram and LinkedIn. When I’m not in need of more clients, I’d just keep being present on the platform. It’s important to not just look to connect for work opportunities but also for genuine connection so that you may learn from each other.
You need to make the effort to maintain all kinds of relationships, be it online or offline.
When I’m in need of clients, I’d scout the relevant companies on those platforms and either send in an application or a cold email.
Remember to always be courteous and honest in every conversation. People can smell dishonesty even a screen away.
6. Join A Community
Freelancing can be lonely.
That’s why it’s important to have your freelance tribe with you to keep you going.
Most of my friends are not freelancers so they don’t really understand the pain and joy that I go through.
That’s why I love to connect with freelancers on Instagram.
I learn a lot from them and they keep me motivated on my own journey.
Though I may only see them online, I value their genuine support. I get to virtually meet so many different people all over the world!
Who knows, one day, I might see them in real life once I’m financially stable enough to travel like a digital nomad.
7. Look Beyond Marketplaces
Before I started freelancing full-time, I tried a few marketplaces.
Suffice to say, I’ve not landed any jobs there. Not even when I paid for a membership on freelancer.com — the shitty marketplace.
I wondered then if those marketplaces are rigged and people actually pretend to be clients and hire their own work to get the ratings.
Marketplaces are indeed a race to the bottom.
Clients mostly seek out the lowest bidder while squeezing the most out of them.
But I can’t deny that some people do succeed in these marketplaces. I have a feeling that most of them are web or graphic designers.
Copywriters are so undervalued.
So where have I found my clients?
LinkedIn, Google, and Instagram.
I know what kind of industry I’d like to write for, I search for relevant companies and I send them a well-curated message.
And I find that this works well for me.
8. Keep Updating Your Portfolio
As you finish your projects, make sure to update your portfolio.
Don’t wait 3 months to do so.
At the very least, make a spreadsheet of all the work that you’ve done so that you can refer to it quickly and add it into your nicely designed portfolio.
Your future self will thank you.
9. Make Time For Self Care
This is so important when you’re a freelancer.
It’s easy to just fall into the workflow and keep grinding to meet deadlines. But you’re doing yourself a disservice if you continue to burn the midnight oil.
You won’t be at your best to serve your client and you’re compromising the quality of your work.
So set aside time to:
+ meditate
+ journal
+ do yoga
+ make coffee
+ whatever pleases you
I make sure that the first hour of my morning is spent in peace and reflection so that I could be in the right mindset to tackle the day.
In the afternoon, I make sure to put in at least half an hour of exercise. And I’d end the day by checking in with myself and winding down to some chill music.
10. Show Gratitude Each Day
I’ve made the habit of listing out 3 things I’m grateful for each day.
If it’s a generally bad day, I’d still force myself to think of something that I’m grateful for, even if it’s just my ten fingers.
The reason for showing gratitude is to put yourself in a different perspective.
We’d get too caught up in the moment, be it joyful or otherwise, and we forget to anchor ourselves back down so that we don’t get too carried away by the currents.
Showing gratitude, feeling thankful or the act of meditation will help to ground you.
You can also show gratitude by thanking your mentors (like Az Samad, Tom Kuegler, and Niklas Göke) for guiding you and your friends or followers for supporting you.
Without the people and the environment around you, you wouldn’t be where you are now.
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