5 Freelancing Mistakes to Avoid

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Freelancing can be a source of freedom or overwhelming anxiety depending on situation. It becomes the latter when you have not taken the time to manage your freelancing effectively with good habits that will create ideal circumstances. You want to gain a steady flow of clients, get all of your work done and be able to maintain both your lifestyle and your business.

There are some key mistakes that many freelancers make that can result in an unnecessary amount of stress and anxiety. Changing these habits can yield a better and more sustainable freelance experience and help you avoid disaster.

  1. Not having a client acquisition strategy
  2. Not having daily, weekly, and monthly tasks outlined
  3. Not having a consistent process for your work
  4. Relying only on clients for your income
  5. Not having a long term plan or goal

Not having a client acquisition strategy

Popular social media personality Gary Vaynerchuck, once said: “Cash is Oxygen”. For a freelancer this is quite literal. Without consistent clients, your freelance business will not be able to survive. Too often freelancers leave this to chance and settle for standard issue marketing methods, instead of building a strategy that leverages their strengths and fits the context of their situation.

Jumping into social media and writing a blog is not a client acquisition strategy. You need to know who your clients will be, what your value proposition is for them, and how you intend to attract them to you, as well as build a connection with them.

Many freelancers miss unique opportunities by focusing only on digital marketing and networking. There can be tremendous value in attending local networking events and handing out business cards. Engage with local small business groups or even host a small business event yourself.

Not having daily, weekly and monthly task outlined

You may not be able to adhere to a strict schedule and maintain the flexibility your work demands. You still need some kind of structure to help you be consistent. Have an outline for tasks that need to be done everyday, week, and month. This will help you stay on track and keep things from slipping past you. A daily task may be following up on all active projects with clients. A weekly task may be backing up your website or downloading new stock resources. A monthly task might be your accounting or paying your business expenses.

Not having a process for your work

While each project is unique, you should have a standard in terms of the steps you take to get the work done. This might include your client briefs, contracts, or an organized file structure. You should also have an overall process you use for your design work itself. This will help you duplicate success and minimize mistakes. It also tends to allow designers to get their work done faster and with less anxiety about their deadlines.

When you don’t have an established process, you’re likely to waste time, rather than just executing.

Relying only on clients for your income

There will be times when it s difficult to get an influx of new clients, or where previous clients don’t have more work to offer you. It is during these lean months that freelancers get desperate and long for they days of a steady paycheck. To avoid this you need to create revenue streams outside your clients.

This goes beyond offering services outside of design. You may want to consider creating template products you can sell as assets in an online marketplace, or even monetize a blog or some other online content such as a YouTube channel or podcast. Content can be an effective strategy to attract new clients, but it can also create passive income when clients are scarce. If you only rely on your clients to support your income, you are leaving a lot to chance, and your freelance freedom is at stake.

Not having a long term plan or goal

A lack of long term plan or goal is probably the single biggest mistake that most people make in their careers, freelance or otherwise. You should begin with the endgame in mind and let the outcome you are working towards guide your decisions and strategies.

If you don’t know what you really want, then all the work you are doing is not being directed by a purpose. This can easily cause focus issues or lead to taking on jobs that don’t really create value for you beyond a payday. While this may be fine at the start while you’re finding your footing, it is not sustainable. You have to consider what is in store for your future. Will you continue to work as a freelancer indefinitely? Will you start a company and hire on others? Will you leverage your freelance career to eventually get your dream job? Are you working towards attracting a dream client? It’s important to consider what you are working towards.

Is freelancing just about your freedom, or is it building towards a legacy?

Some Final Thoughts

These freelancing mistakes are typical but are by no means the only ones you have to look out for. Insurance is something freelancers commonly overlook, as are taxes and accounting in general. Many freelancers never develop a strategy for outsourcing in the event they are sick or overwhelmed.

What are some mistakes you (or others you know) have made as a freelancer?

We’d love to hear your stories in the comments section.

Roberto Blake is a graphic designer helping entrepreneurs and small businesses improve their branding and presentations. He also teaches graphic design and Adobe tutorials through his YouTube channel and community. See robertoblake.com for more details.
  • Job at home says:

    On behalf of the first tip, I’d agree that proper marketing and targeting are one of the most important things when it comes to running a freelancing or any other business. Many beginner freelancers get stuck in a low paying market and fail with their business exactly because they havent’ learned all the marketing tips early on.

  • Dan Neamtu says:

    Hey Roberto,
    Freelancing it’s more than your skills needed to do your work. It’s a business and should be treaty like that. We are humans and by default we make mistakes, what’s really important it is what we can learn from this.
    Cheers!

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