BLOGS
From Full Time Employee to Freelancer: 7 Important Lessons I Learned on My Way to Success
As one of the most common paths to success, becoming a freelancer means heading down a twisted road lined with uncertainties and challenges. It is not an easy road to travel, but if you are determined to succeed, it is well worth it.
As anyone who has ever worked as a freelancer will tell you, there’s no such thing as a standard routine or 9 to 5 schedule. Your days (and nights) are filled with sudden deadlines, unexpected client demands, and a dizzying array of tasks.
As a full-time employee, you’re accustomed to regular work hours and a fixed distance between your desk and the exit. As a freelancer, you have to learn how to juggle the demands of your clients and manage your time in order to stay productive. The good news is, that you already know how to prioritize, manage your time, and make the most of your limited resources.
Here are 7 key lessons I learned on my way to success as a freelancer.
Embrace the uncertainty
Like anything new, freelancing is an exciting venture. But it is also filled with uncertainties. You may face rejections, delays, or unanticipated challenges.
Freelancing is not a nine-to-five job. You are more likely to be hit with unexpected deadlines and must be prepared to work odd hours. This may occasionally turn into a bit of a struggle with work-related anxieties or feelings of insecurity. You may be worried about making enough money to support yourself or failing as a freelancer. This is normal. It will pass once you’ve been freelancing for a while. The best way to get used to unpredictability and insecurity is to embrace them.
Freelancing is a risky business. You may find that you are consistently under or overperforming expectations. There is no way to predict this, so you have to accept that things will not always go as planned.
If you have an unreasonable fear of failing, this may make you anxious and stressed out.
But if you act like you are already a successful freelancer, you will be much more confident.
Be honest with yourself
As a freelancer, you are your own boss. This means that you will experience greater fluctuations in your income and be more likely to suffer from burnout.
The best way to manage these risks is, to be honest with yourself. This may sound obvious, but it is easy to fall into the trap of overstating your success as a freelancer. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt when things aren’t going well. Overstating your success can make you feel incompetent when you actually have a long way to go.
Over time, though, you will gain more experience, build more contacts, and get better at predicting your future income as a freelancer. In the beginning, though, you will often make less money than you expect, and you may feel confused and anxious at times.
You have to be honest with yourself and accept that you may not know exactly what you are doing.
Know your market
Freelancing is a two-way street. You have to be aware of your clients’ needs, and they have to know what you can do for them. You can’t expect to freelance without knowing at least the basics of your market. What are their needs? What can you offer them?
Once you have an idea of what your ideal clients are, you can start to look for opportunities in your local market.
This is a great way to get your foot in the door of the freelance business world. You may be surprised at the variety of clients who are searching for freelancers on websites such as Upwork, Onlinejobs.ph, and Fiverr.
As you start to build relationships with clients, you will be able to offer more and more specific services. This is a great way to stay focused and on track as a freelancer.
Build solid habits
Once you are freelancing, you will quickly learn that the more successful you are as a freelancer, the more work there is to stay successful.
As a freelancer, you are your own worst enemy. You will struggle whether you want to or not. All freelancers feel this, but the difference is that successful freelancers feel the need to solve their challenges. You will likely find that you feel more motivated when you are stretched, stretched, stretched. This may mean that you have to accept a constant state of uncertainty and low income that is less than you had as a full-time employee. But it will also mean that you have to work harder than most people to stay on track with your freelancing goals.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Freelancers are a brotherhood. You will find that you make more friends in the freelance world than in any other career path. If you need help, you can always turn to your fellow freelancers. They are a generous, supportive group, and they will often jump to help each other out.
Even if you don’t know any of them personally, you can still find online forums and message boards where freelancers will offer their support.
Stay motivated
Freelancing is a marathon, not a sprint. You may feel discouraged when you are just starting out and making little money. But if you stay motivated, you will eventually succeed.
I remember reading that Winston Churchill said he never did anything until he was 10% done. This is a great way for a freelancer to stay motivated. It means you always have a small piece of the pie, and you have to work just a little bit harder to get on track.
Freelancing will teach you a lot about what it takes to be successful as a freelancer. You will struggle, you will make mistakes, and you will get rejected often. You will also learn what it takes to succeed.
The key is to embrace the uncertainties and be honest with yourself when you don’t know what you are doing.