What’s on the iPod: God Only Knows by The Beach Boys
I couldn’t tell you where I first met Samar (pronounced “Summer”) Owais. I remember her interviewing me for a podcast, and I remember interacting with her quite a bit on a blog or two. Then there were the personal emails, which are always fun. But which came first? Who knows?
All I know is Samar has made a name for herself in the freelancing world. Her wisdom and insight (and her BS meter, which can sniff out a rotten deal in an instant) are impeccable. I’m happy to call her a friend.
Today, Samar shares those tips that she says are essential to being a successful freelancer. I love her take, and I bet you will, too.
freelancing … not so much.
out of it after a few seconds or you go numb and accept the status quo.
Unfortunately for you, both scenarios spell disaster.
she jumped in? Or to stay in ice cold water indefinitely? Certainly not me.
other side. You swim to save your life.
life.
of life you’re fighting for, I’ll just get down to business. Below are the
seven freelancing lessons I’ve learned in my six year freelancing career.
They’re hard lessons but they’ve helped set my freelance business on the right
track.
I believe in this truth so much, I have an entire blog dedicated it.
2. Freelancing is worse than a 9-5 job
You know how freelancing enthusiasts tell you how it’s all about being your own boss? That’s utter and complete hogwash.
Freelancing is worse than a 9-5 job. You don’t have any timings (especially when you’re starting out), you don’t get to hide behind a boss or HR when irate customers come calling, and you certainly don’t get medical insurance or paid vacations.
So before you buy into the “freelancing is awesome” school of thought, take a moment before you make a decision.
3. You’re your own cheerleader
When it comes to freelancing, nobody is going to sing your praises. Clients will but only when you’re working for them. Once the project wraps up, they’ll move on.
It’s your job to remember your awesomeness and remind people of it.
So don’t forget to ask clients for testimonials, referrals, and/or permission to use the praise they conveyed in your marketing materials.
4. If you think marketing is a dirty word, think again.
If you’re anything like me (a nice, unassuming freelancer who believes your work should speak for yourself), it’s probably safe to assume that the thought of marketing your freelance business makes you shudder.
Now here’s the shocker. You and I are wrong.
Marketing is not a dirty word. Nor is it the underhanded tactic of slimy salesmen. It’s the bread and butter of honest freelancers like us.
Think of marketing as helping your prospective clients. Instead of telling them how awesome you are and what your words can help them achieve – show them.
5. It’s okay to work for low pay when starting out.
When I was starting out, everywhere I’d look, I’d hear the “Don’t work for low pay!” advice. And yes, it was good advice but it wasn’t particularly helpful.
Because if I didn’t work for low pay then I didn’t get any pay. As a new freelancer with no experience or clients, low pay was all I could find.
And because everyone kept telling me not to work for low pay, I resented the low paying work I was doing. Which is not good when you’ve just started out.
So if you’re just starting out, consider this permission to work for low pay – as long as you don’t keep working for low pay.
6. It’s NOT okay to get stuck working for low pay.
If it feels like I’m repeating the previous point, it’s because I am.
As okay as it is to work for low pay when you’re starting out, it’s absolutely not okay to keep working for those rates indefinitely.
Give yourself a time frame after which you’ll charge more. Three months is enough time when you’re starting out. It’s long enough to get the experience, clients, and samples you need to charge more.
7. Other freelancers are not your target market.
This is a common mistake. New freelancers tend to hang out with other freelancers hoping to find work. They aren’t your target market – they’re your competition.
They comb through the same job postings, apply for the same jobs, and hound the same clients.
Don’t expect them to know where to look for client work. If they did, they’d have a roaster full of clients. They wouldn’t be in the same boat as you.
So instead of hanging out where hundreds of other freelancers are too, distance yourself a little and focus on the kind of client you want to write for. Do you want to write for online publications, small businesses, or Fortune 500 companies? What kind of writing do you want to do?
Answer these questions and you’ll have a sketch of your ideal client. Once you do, finding prospective clients will be a piece of cake.
As Cathy said in her post, freelancing lessons keep changing. These are my lessons of today. Make the most of them and get your freelance business on the right track. Good luck!
About the author: Samar (pronounced “summer”) is a freelance writer and blogger. She loves road trips, lava cakes, and convincing other writers to treat their freelancing as a business (and not a hobby) through her blog, Freelance Flyer.
We've been at this freelancing thing about the same amount of time, Samar. No wonder I relate so well to you. 🙂
I love your tell it like it is advice. Freelancing is hard work but when you get on track, you may find it's the only way to travel. 😉 At least it is for me.
I hear you Cathy. Took me a long time to realize that freelancing is a business and that I would never succeed unless I treated it as such.
Yes, freelancing gives me the freedom to pick work I find interesting. Move things around to only work with two clients at a time if I want, take 6 week vacations – but all of this didn't happen overnight.
It took years to get to this point. Even then it wasn't until I actively started investing in my business and education that things kicked off – which is when I had my epiphany: Reading and talking about running a successful freelance business is not enough. You have to take action.
That's when I turned into a tell-it-like-it-is person who is often mistaken for being cranky 😀
Lori – Thank you so much for the kind words and for inviting me to guest post here. Ever since we've met, I've always been able to count on your help and advice and you and Anne have never disappointed 🙂
Great list, Samar. #7 is absolutely key. I always recommend hanging out with freelance graphic designers or web designers–they're still creative freelancers, and therefore have a similar worldview, but they can be a source of work AND a way to upsell your own services. (When a client comes to you needing a website or brochure, you have a ready-made resource.)
I also appreciate your caveat on low pay–it's better than nothing when starting out, but don't make a habit of it. Securing those higher-paying jobs takes effort and strategy, and, per your #4, it's not just about having a huge pile of clips.
Not sure if my last comment posted – silly iPhone. If so feel free to delete this.
You have a way of writing posts for exactly my situation!!! You've validated my current goal of breaking away from freelancers. I've missed other paying target markets by sticking with the crowd. NOT GOOD!
Samar, thank you. I'm pleased to have your words grace my pages. 🙂
Hard work and then some, right Cathy?
Jake, agreed on all points. The low-paying rut is easy to step out of if you don't stay too long.
TayKat, happy to have you here! Break away not from the freelancers, but from lousy situations and bad advice. Not all freelancers are part of that crowd!
Excellent advice, Samar! I like your point about working for low pay only to launch.
Also totally agree on not hanging out with other freelancers. It's pointless, I think, to compete with masses, especially since it almost always comes down to money–which brings us back to your point about low-paying jobs. And that's NOT a coincidence, methinks.
Thanks again.
Jake – Great point about hanging out around freelancers who offer services that complement your own.
The worst part about working for low pay was the resentment I felt – which was not fair to my clients or my business. So yeah, once you accept that it's okay to start off small, it becomes a lot easier.
Tay – I'm so glad my posts help. And yes, break free from the crowd. There's nothing wrong with hanging out with freelancers to talk shop. But that's all it should be. I love the 5 buck forum (even though I'm no longer as active) because of the agenda-free crowd it has 🙂
Gabriella – Thank you for the kind words and you're spot on. It is a cycle that keeps repeating. It's also why I feel so many clients get away with paying abysmal rates.
Great points. Your point about not hanging out with other freelancers reminds me of BNI – business networking international, where they don't allow two people in the same business to join their groups. I got most of my work as a translator by hanging out with Civil Engineers. Although some of them could have done the technical translation job better, they just didn't have the time or where not interested in doing translations so they just passed the work on to me. As Jake mentioned, it could also be a matter of just hanging out with the right kind of freelancers, i.e. those after a different kind of client or work.
Gabriella, great point. I get a LOT of people asking me for my overflow work. The times I'm that busy aren't often, but when I do I have my go-to writers. It's a little unnerving to have someone say "I'd love to take on whatever you don't have time for!" when we all want that. 🙂
Churchill, welcome! Love that you've found this blog, and I love your insights.
Great advice on hanging out in the right crowd. I like your network — sounds like they're quite smart in how the set up the networks.
[…] Marketing Timeline: From Pre-launch to Post-launch 7 Things Every New Freelancer Needs to Know Cutting Through the Writing Advice Noise 10 Tips for New Freelance Bloggers Bending Without […]