6 Lessons From a Baby Freelancer

Working as a freelance writer for the past two years has had its ups and downs, some months I’ve earned a lot more than I hoped, and occasionally there’s a bad month where nothing comes in at all. All of this is to be expected, though, when starting out and the insight these past 24 months have given into starting an online business, making money from home and becoming self-employed have become invaluable resources for my continuing freelance business.  I have decided to share this knowledge so that anybody looking to get started or make the leap into self-employment can learn from my mistakes – and occasional successes – to go in prepared, not only for the worst-case scenario, but also for the best possible situation – earning tonnes of money from the comfort of your own home or office.

All That Talk About Networking is True  

You might think that you’re in island who can operate without any support, but being self-employed does not have to mean self-reliant at all times. Your support network and client pool are valuable assets which need to be nurtured to stay healthy and enable them to give back to you and your business.  Depending on your business, you may need a number of contacts to help you to produce top-quality work. In my case, I have learned a lot from my contacts about SEO, keyword ranking and website building. These are skills that I now use for my own clients to add value to the services I offer.   

You are a Person, not a Machine   

This is a reminder that you should take care of yourself whilst working from home. You cannot work 24-hours a day and expect to be producing good quality work – less so, get paid for the output created on no sleep and no food.  When starting out, I thought that more jobs = more money = more happiness. Boy, was I wrong! Without putting aside time to eat, sleep and enjoy life occasionally, my work quality declined and so did the relationship with my clients. Budgeting time for yourself is important to keep you on top form during working hours.   

Friendly People Make the Best Contacts

The way someone communicates is different from person to person, region to region and industry to industry. But, I have found in the freelance writing world that the clients I have been able to make actual, personal connections with have become the most valuable – they come back for more content because they like me as a person, as well as valuing my work, and I find myself happier to reduce rates over time or work late to get their projects finished because they treat me like a person, rather than a servant.   

There’s a Cultural Barrier No-one Talks About

It is important to remember that many clients looking for freelancers may be communicating with you in their second language, and this can make them sound more abrupt or demanding than they intend to. Prepare yourself to take a step back when you feel that you are being taken advantage of, or treated less than fairly. Take a moment to analyse whether the person intends to make you feel that way, or is just struggling with a communication barrier.  

It’s Okay to Say No

When you first start finding freelance jobs, it is hard to decline offers for work. But you must find your limit – many businesses will try to take advantage of new freelancers by offering low rates, but promising things like “great exposure” or “positive feedback”. The point they miss is that great work will garner exposure and great feedback by itself, without businesses ripping us off under the guise of ‘promotion’ or, worse ‘helping us to get off the ground’.  Do research to find out what your services are worth – it may not be much to start with, but with time, your rates can increase, but please - never, ever work for free, or for ‘exposure’ – it’s a trap.   

Find a Reputable Platform

The idea of earning money from home is one which has been touted by many, many scam websites and groups looking to rip you off. Make sure you do your research, find reviews and make sure that any freelancing site you sign up for is legit and beneficial to you.    

Hopefully, these tips have helped to point any prospective freelancer in the right direction. Current freelancers, what would you add to this list? What’s the number one tip you have for freelancers getting started on their own business?