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If you are sick of doing jobs/service and you wanted to be your own boss then this one is for you. I’m not going to grease you up with inspirational quotes about taking up risk or perseverance. Instead, I am going assume that you’re in a similar position to the one I was in my past. With that being said, let me share five mistakes that freelancers make:
1. Taking any work that comes your way
This is absolutely one of the most general problems that every freelancer makes, in general, it’s due to the fact that they are desperate for cash. They have no money to pay their bills. Most freelancers do the same thing. They cast a wide network in hopes that they will get tons of great projects. The bigger the net the larger the income will be.
If you want to be passionate then you should have a goal or purpose because it is not just about money it is about success. These days you need more to differentiate yourself. You need to be intentional about your situation and know what makes you valuable.
2. Not using proper deals and contracts
In my past, I remember how happy I was when I completed my first task. I couldn’t wait to get home and tell everyone about it. Everything seemed good. Until I didn’t get my salary a month after finish the job. If you started freelancing without an agreement, I bet it wasn’t long before you thought that you should have one. Maybe a client breaks a promise on their payment or asked you to change your work so many times that you wished you had an agreement with a part that charged for revisions.
3. They are just afraid of saying ‘’no’’
As most freelancers know, it’s easy to get sucked into adding a little thing here and there, that clients assure you won’t take too long or aren’t too hard. As we all know, nothing in this line of work ever takes 5 minutes. Most definitely, one of the biggest faults I made was not being firm enough and telling clients no. In the beginning, I did whatever I could to keep clients happy, because I figured that was the right thing to do. If anything is not in your contract, or if your client is committing scope creep, just say no.
4. Trying to do the whole thing yourself
It is not easy to do all the work yourself. Finding clients, organizing meetings, preparing documents, answering emails, developing websites, project management, graphic design, troubleshooting issues, and so on. If you’re a one-man crew, there are fewer chances that you’re doing all of these things, but if you are, I bet you’re crawling into bed feeling completely tired. Why not outsource some of the things that are causing you stress? Virtual Assistants are great at this!
5. Finding more clients
Offer matching services to clients you already have. Without a doubt, one of the biggest frustrations for most freelancers is finding clients. Constantly reaching out on social media and promoting your website everywhere. It’s enough to do your head in. Offering a discount on the purchase of two or more balancing products can also help you and your customers. For instance, if you’re a website designer, offer content creation, and marketing.
Try to avoid these 5 mistakes and you will find your freelancing career much more fulfilling! What are some mistakes you’ve made and how did you learn from them? Let me know in the comments below or come join the Making It Pay Lifestyle Facebook group and we’ll chat!
