One valuable advice I learned from my freelancing journey is to embrace failure and learn from it. Freelancing involves taking risks, and not every project or business endeavor will be successful. Rather than fearing failure, I view it as an opportunity for growth. For example, in one project I underestimated the time required and ended up missing the deadline. Instead of dwelling on the mistake, I analyzed what went wrong, improved my time management skills, and communicated better with clients to set realistic expectations. By embracing failure and learning from it, I have been able to continuously refine my approach and deliver better results to my clients.
Just start. You don't have to have a business name or website. You don't need years of experience. You don't need an office or have all of your pricing and services figured out. Just start. The only thing you need to start a successful freelance career is a client. Turn that client into a portfolio. Gain experience. Set up systems and processes as you go. Make business investments with their deposit. Turn that client into a second client, and so on. Don't let the details bog you down. Once you get one client and see it's possible, the second one comes a lot more easily.
One often overlooked aspect of freelancing success is self-discipline. Setting clear boundaries, avoiding distractions, and maintaining focus on work are crucial. For example, I learned the importance of time-blocking my schedule to allocate specific hours for client work, personal projects, and breaks. This helped me maintain a consistent workflow and avoid procrastination. Additionally, I established a dedicated workspace free from distractions, ensuring a productive environment. Emphasizing self-discipline allows freelancers to effectively manage their time, meet deadlines, and deliver high-quality work.
You control how much you grow. If you do not have writing samples with clients, you can write articles on a personal blog that reflect what your potential clients want. If you want more clients, you can always do more cold outreach and optimize your marketing. There are variables we cannot control, such as whether a prospect says yes or no. However, we can control our effort and how often we reach out to prospects. Focusing on controllable variables makes it possible to increase conversion rates, average pay per word, and the number of clients we serve.
Failure is an essential part of the freelancing journey. Embrace it as an opportunity to grow and learn. Reflect on past failures, analyze what went wrong, and make necessary adjustments to improve. For example, I once missed a critical deadline due to poor time management. Instead of dwelling on the mistake, I took it as a lesson to prioritize tasks more effectively and created a schedule that allowed for buffer time. By learning from failure, freelancers can refine their skills, enhance their work processes, and ultimately become more successful.
Carefully budget your time, but don't forget to add wiggle room for when life happens! I manage my work capacity by how many working days there are in a month, but I make sure not to fill them all up. I need this extra time to market my business and give myself some space for days when I'm not as productive as I thought I would be. Throughout my three years as a full-time freelancer, I've discovered how closely time and money are connected. Account for this extra time in your pricing, too.
One of the most important things I've learned as a freelancer is to be selective about the projects I choose to work on. Early on, I tended to apply for any opportunities where I thought, "I can do that." Over time, I realized that another equally important question was whether I actually 'wanted' to do it. For example, as a former investment professional, I have the knowledge to write about finance topics, but I don't really have an interest in that area any longer. It can be hard to turn down opportunities, but I've been much happier using the 'can-I AND do-I-want-to' approach.
My advice for freelancers is not to be afraid of reaching out. Even if a company doesn't have a posting looking for writers, don't hesitate to introduce yourself anyway and link to your portfolio. You never know when they may need writers down the line. And you want to be the first person they think of when that time comes.
For most of us, freelancing conjures up images of happy people doing activities they love, perhaps writing the Great American Novel while sitting on a beach. In real life, many solopreneurs (myself included), started out doing something they loved but quickly learned that doing something different was more sustainable and, in the end, enjoyable. And that is fine. Passion is not necessary for a job well done. If you don't feel personally fulfilled by your job or business, it doesn't mean you're incapable of performing it well. And it doesn't mean you can't live a happy life. Sometimes, you stumble into a business opportunity through unanticipated employment transitions, family connections, or unexpected opportunities. Sometimes, it just becomes clear that your strengths lie elsewhere. While it may not have been your initial plan, you may find success and fulfillment on these unplanned paths. Be open to all opportunities that come your way while also pursuing your passions.
Most freelancers fail to develop a business strategy that revolves around who their ideal client is and how they can best solve their ideal clients' pain points. Once you do this, your earning potential skyrockets as a freelancer -- but until you develop a real, effective strategy, you'll be on the road to burnout and low earnings.
In my journey as a Freelancer I’ve learned to vet and research any potential client. Although information is only a click away, the writer has to be confident in the subject matter before moving forward. If these steps are utilized each time, I’ve found the experience to be smooth. Keep in mind if you are uncertain, pause and gather the information needed to ensure the best outcome. In all honesty, if the offer seems to good to be true trust that feeling. And finally, avoid over promising, be realistic with your timeline to create a seamless process for both the client and writer.
Before you do anything, create an ideal customer persona for your dream client. What industry are they in? What's their budget? What are they hiring you to do? From there, focus on getting those types of clients on your roster — even if it means turning down work that isn't a good fit. Too many freelancers start out thinking they should take any and all projects that come their way, but that can leave you with an overly generalized portfolio, low rates, and short-term contracts. If you really want to succeed in the freelance space, you're going to need a specialized skillset, a robust and specific portfolio, solid samples from like companies, and a network of strong connections within a targeted niche. It can be hard to turn down money. And you might not always be able to. But the most successful freelancers know exactly who they do — and don't — want to work with early on. And they use that to steer their career in the right direction.
You have to believe in yourself. I know, that's probably the corniest advice anyone could give, but it's a significant key to success and something I find so many freelancers fail to do. If you don't have confidence in your work or believe that you can succeed as a freelancer, then you will be your own downfall. There is such a thing as being overconfident, though, and it can turn away prospective clients just as much as timidness. You have to find a balance between showing pride in your work and understanding that everyone (and I do mean everyone) has room to grow.
Freelancing is a career path that comes with a certain degree of pressure. Income insecurity, challenging clients, the need to always perform at your best. Everyone says that as a freelancer, you are your own boss. Try to be a good boss then! Give yourself some time off. Limit your availability at odd hours. Take regular breaks. Understand that from time to time you’ll fail, and that’s perfectly fine. Don’t be too hard on yourself, or your mental health will pay the consequences. Domenico Trimboli, six figure freelancer and business owner, Domenicotrimboli.com