5 Freelancing Myths Holding You Back

There are many myths surrounding freelancing, and these five can slow your career progress—or stop you before you even get started. So let’s take a look a five common myths vs. reality.

Myth #1: Freelancing is easier than a 9-to-5 job.

Many people get the mistaken idea that freelancers have no accountability, and unlimited freedom. There is a myth that freelancing is somehow less stressful and less demanding than regular employment. This could not be further from the truth!

Freelancers have to hold themselves to a higher level of accountability because of their lack of supervision. It requires more individual discipline to direct yourself each day, rather than simply perform tasks that are assigned to you.

Being a freelancer means setting your own priority of work, managing operational tasks and still delivering for your clients. You’re not just doing the actual work, you’re also handling all the administrative tasks, plus sales and marketing.

Balancing these duties can be rather stressful, since they are all equally important. If you don’t spend enough time on sales and marketing you won’t have a consistent stream of clients to provide you with work and income.

If you overburden yourself with client work, you’ll never have time to find new clients. Managing your time efficiently as a freelancer is very challenging. 

Typical full-time jobs usually provide more structure and support, and take these issues out of the equation.

Myth #2: You get to work in your pajamas as a freelancer.

This particular myth may or may not in fact be true. While it obviously depends on the individual freelancer, most people find that they can be more productive by maintaining professional work habits and a professional appearance.

Additionally many freelancers have to meet on a regular basis face-to-face with their local clients as well as their vendors.

Many freelancers tend to prefer to work away from home to avoid distractions and also to increase networking opportunities. By working from coffee shops or co-op spaces freelancers can get a chance to interact with potential clients as well as get much-needed social contact.

This can also be essential to the creative process. The ability to change your scenery at a moment’s notice can provide creative inspiration.

Myth #3: Freelancers are always broke.

While the primary concern of freelancers will in fact be cash flow and consistency this doesn’t necessarily mean that freelancers are broke or hurting for money by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, because freelancers typically have multiple clients and thus multiple streams of revenue, it is possible as a freelancer to be more financially secure than someone with a traditional job.

This can vary from person to person as no two freelancers are exactly alike. However, effective freelancers tend to manage their cash flow very well and understand the importance of having multiple streams of revenue, and accumulating savings for slow periods.

Myth #4: Full-time employment is more stable than freelancing.

This is a prevailing myth and one that won’t fade anytime soon. Traditional employment may seem consistent due to its predictability, however due to the lack of control over multiple variables, “stable” is probably not the best word to describe it.

A full-time employee has lees direct control over how much money they make than a freelancer. And, in most cases they have little control over the hours they work or the means by which they accomplish their tasks. All of the decisions and outcomes are at the discretion of their company or their boss.

Through no fault or actions of their own; full-time employees may find their department or position eliminated at any time.

By comparison, freelancers can set their own rates and determine their own profitability in proportion to their planning, their efforts, and their abilities. Freelancers control the means of production as well as the message they choose to employ in their work.

This is the freedom and the autonomy that people fantasize about when leaving their job in favor of freelancing. Being a freelancer also means having some control over the type of work you will do as well as the conditions under which you will be working.

When you consider these factors, a freelancer has the ability to create as much stability as their situation allows for.

Myth #5: Freelancers can’t compete with companies.

This is an interesting myth that seems to ignore the very idea of a free market. Customers and clients choose who to do business with for variety of reasons. While it’s true that a freelancer may not always be able to compete in terms of quality or sheer manpower, the advantage they have comes in the form of price and mobility. 

Because of the overhead that companies have to absorb in order to stay in business they have to charge considerably higher rates than individual. Even if the quality of work is comparable it will be more expensive to acquire services from a larger company then individual or a small firm.

There’s also the matter of red tape. A company might have internal processes that make seemingly simple decisions take a very long time to make. A freelancer has the ability to operate as the ultimate decision-maker. This could move things along considerably faster, especially in a creative process.

There’s also the customer relationship to consider. A company may not be able to give the dedicated attention that a particular client may feel entitled to, or that they need in order to be comfortable moving forward.

However, in working directly with a freelancer the client has the opportunity to build a deeper relationship, and this in turn builds loyalty and reduces anxiety.

Freelancing Realities

There are a lot of reasons to become a freelancer. You may want to take more control over your life and career. You may be looking for a better overall work/life balance. You may be looking for the ability to determine your own career ceiling. Whatever your reasons, be sure that you understand the realities that accompany the freelancing lifestyle and that you’re prepared for them.

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.
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