Top 5 Mistakes Made By Freelancers

Freelancing can be a fantastic career move. You get to be your own boss, live the way you want, and forge a work-life balance you can’t get as an employee. But, you have to get it right.

There are many mistakes made by newbie freelancers that can cause significant issues. You will find they stop you from getting clients. You might find you aren’t earning enough money. And, you could end up feeling like packing it all in and finding a proper job.

Before you do, though, read on. We’ve pulled together five of the most common mistakes made by inexperienced freelancers.

Take a read and find out if you see anything familiar.

You don’t believe in yourself

Self-belief is vital when you are a freelancer. If you don’t have any, how can you expect your customers to think differently? We aren’t condoning arrogance, of course, which can be equally as off-putting for prospective clients. But, you need to find a way to say things with strength and start to influence people. There are plenty of books and resources out there that can help you build up your confidence. Take a look around and find one that fits your needs.

You work from home

There’s nothing wrong with working from home – especially these days. But, if you want to be taken seriously by a larger number of clients, it’s best to keep it hidden when they first encounter you and your business. Don’t lie – of course. But, there are solutions. You can try looking at virtual business address pricing, for example. The idea is to choose a service that will give you a more prestigious address than your mom’s spare room.

You settle for bad money

When you are struggling to get enough clients to pay the bills, you often end up settling for lower wages just to get some money. Try to avoid it if possible. You’ll get trapped in a situation where you waste time on earning low pay when you could be out getting better, higher paying clients. Sadly, there are many businesses out there that take advantage of freelancers. They can suck you into an endless cycle of exploitation.

You take on too many clients

The idea behind freelancing is to free up your time to do great work for people. And, when a lot of individuals start banging on your door, it can be tempting to take on as much work as possible. The trouble is, once you take on too much, you will find your quality starts to slip. Instead of having two or three delighted customers, you end up with six or seven angry ones. And your reputation gets destroyed in an instant.

You don’t have the discipline

Freelancing takes control – more than you know when you’re an employee. Many temptations can distract you from working – and you will fall behind. You have to be prepared to claw back those lost hours, or you will end up in quite a fix in just a few weeks.

OK, so there you have it – five of the most common problems of working as a freelancer. Can you think of any more? Let us know about them and join in on the conversation!