Freelancing: An Honest Insight of the Freelance Industry

There is comfort in knowing that a 9–5 job is a stable income, especially if you are in well-established, long-term companies. Freelancing — well, that’s a little different; you could have a client for the next few months or none at all. You could be working on multiple projects in a year or just one.

One of the things I wish to debunk in this article is that freelancers do not have it easy. We don’t just sell a product, we sell ourselves. It doesn’t stop at knowing how to do your job but there are also things that we have to consider such as sales, marketing, and advertising, brand presence, and even customer service.

Many of us believe that a person’s freelancing journey starts at a point where we get frustrated with our 9–5 jobs and in most cases that might be true but if we look deeper and search within ourselves, it is actually the freedom that comes with it. It’s the realization of working hard to make yourself financially capable and not make your boss a millionaire — to not rely on someone else’s risk but your own. Hey, if you could burn the midnight oil for them, why not do that for yourself?

And so, here you are, battling the tidal waves, rowing against the current, letting the terrain hit you every chance it gets, and worst of all; no one’s teaching you how to do it all. You’re just figuring things out on your own.

The basics of freelancing, as it happens is not creating a website but it is one of the vital beginnings where you can establish yourself. It’s a platform to show you, what you do, and where you can be contacted.

Now, as you have no clue of what to do, you’ll probably buy courses — which has no end because you don’t really know what you need to know. But don’t fret, there are a lot of freelancing gurus who are successful in their field and would even teach you the basics for free and in detail like how Chris Do does it. I learned a lot from this awesome dude and I can guarantee that he gave me more confidence in terms of execution. Other commendable gurus are Tom Hirst, The Mizko, Daniel Walter Scott. They have played a huge role in my freelancing career and I certainly hope they would be a part of yours, too.

Do not fall pit into hogging courses which are probably accessible for free. Do your research and then be your own judge of weighing your knowledge and whether you think you need more coaching/mentoring. The best thing is to look for people who are already successful in the field you want to tackle and shamelessly follow their methods, learn from them, and use that as your foundation.

One of the things I cannot stress enough is to niche down. Sure, if you can manage to do web development and design, go ahead but remember all parts of your freelance life are done by you. You are not just a worker bee anymore, you are an independent company. Plus, focusing on one niche gives you the upper hand of not giving up the quality of your work. If you can perform the same quality as any other corporate, your clients will come knocking at your door in no time.

Hey, one more final rant and tip, do not dive into the ocean blindly, set a financial goal to reach for your freelance journey, and never go into the waters without a life vest. Have a safety net of savings to lean on while figuring things out, ideally for a good 6–12 months.

And never stop learning. It will never be enough to know what you just know now. Be open to feedback, learn from the best, keep reading and investing in yourself.

If you feel like giving up, remind yourself of your goal. Take a rest, have a to-do list for the year, and list them back down to months, weeks, and days. No one is successful on the first try, if there is, everyone would have done it and we’ll all be successful.

But you’re one of the people who risked it and made it work. Be proud of yourself.