10 Common Freelancing Mistakes Beginners Make But Don’t Have to

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In large part, freelancers get to decide when, where, and how they work. It’s a flexible career path that can have unlimited growth. As a freelancer, you’re in charge of your career, which gives you more control but also means more responsibility. Many new freelancers don’t realize that working as an independent professional is running your own small business.

Successful independent professionals understand the business side of freelancing. You need to create a solid foundation from the beginning so that you can scale and grow. Along with your skills, you’ll also need to manage your business, market your services, and consistently deliver high-quality work to clients.

You can start your freelance career off strong by avoiding these common freelance mistakes that beginners often make.

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1. Not understanding your market

Before jumping into freelancing, you’ll want to research first. Many freelancers decide to be specialists rather than generalists, focusing on a niche and building their expertise in that skill or industry.

Check the demand to help you decide what skills and services you want to offer clients. Some skills, like AI, are in higher demand than others, which means you can find more available jobs and charge more.

Niching makes it easier to market your services as an independent professional. Your profile, portfolio, and cover letters should closely align with the types of jobs you’re submitting proposals to. When you’re a “jack of all trades,” clients may not know what to hire you for, especially if they’re looking for a specialist.

Think about it from the client’s point of view. If you needed a logo for your business, would you want to hire someone who works in marketing and can do graphic design or a graphic designer who primarily focuses on logos?

Once you have an idea of what services you want to offer as a freelancer, you can think about who your ideal clients are and how to reach them.

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2. Poor time management

Independent professionals get to work from home and create their own schedules based on the projects they take on. This allows you to decide what your working hours are and establish with clients when you’re available. Some freelancers choose to work from 9 am to 5 pm, while others prefer a less traditional schedule.

As a freelancer, you have to set and manage client expectations from the very beginning. Some jobs may be hourly and require time tracking and logging, while others may be fixed-price, and it’s up to you when you complete the work as long as you meet the deadline. Depending on the client and type of work, you may need to set boundaries around when you’re available.

Try to commit to working when you’re at the computer during your core hours and then schedule breaks to walk away and let your mind wander. Stay organized to help make sure that you don’t miss any deadlines or client messages. Decide what you’re going to work on and when by time blocking and fully dedicating yourself to one task at a time to maximize productivity.

Ineffective time management, like procrastination or overfilling your schedule, can lead to not meeting client expectations and negative reviews. Positive feedback and reviews help grow your business and attract clients. Consistent negative feedback can hurt you.

When you’re just starting off as a freelancer, saying yes to any and every project that comes your way can be tempting. This can lead to burnout and poor work-life balance. Being careful about what you accept and making sure that you have the bandwidth and skills necessary helps to set you up for success.

Every client and project deserves the same commitment and dedication; taking on too many new projects can cause quality to drop as you struggle to avoid missing deadlines. Freelancers have to be organized, especially when working with multiple clients at once.

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3. Lacking a professional workspace

Whether you have a spare bedroom to turn into an office or are working from a multi-use space in your apartment, you’ll need to set up a professional workspace. This area should be comfortable and free of distractions, if possible.

Think about where you’ll take video calls and what your background looks like. While you can usually add a blurred background, the space should be quiet, clean, and well-lit. You can test what your video call would look like on Zoom or Google Meet to make sure it looks professional.

Shop for the right work-from-home accessories, so you have what you need to get started. Calls will sound better with headphones compared to using the one built into your computer. You’ll also need fast and reliable internet.

A dedicated workspace can help you get in the right mindset for productivity. Working from home can be distracting if you’re not used to being remote. You’ll need to create a schedule and figure out what tools you need to be productive. You can set up your space at the start of the day and then clean it up to log off both mentally and physically. Commit to working when you’re in your work area and then take breaks elsewhere when you need them.

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4. Underpricing your services

Part of running your own freelancing business is deciding how much you will charge your clients. Pricing is strategic. You want to make sure that your rates are competitive and fair to both you and the clients.

Before accepting a contract, you’ll need to negotiate your rate, whether it’s hourly or fixed-price. Initially, you may be tempted to set a lower rate than your competitors to attract clients and win contracts. Having a rate that is too low can indicate poor work quality to clients and be a red flag. Your rate should be competitive and within the market range.

Research how much other freelancers are charging to get an idea of the low and high-end—this Hourly Rates Guide is a great place to start. Average hourly rates are based on the skill’s demand and your personal level of experience.

You can charge at the lower end in the beginning, but keep it within the general range. Clients may not view your proposals or interview you if you charge significantly less than other freelancers with the same skills and experience.

If you want to set an initial rate lower than your target rate to attract customers and gain reviews, you can explain this in your proposal. Let clients know you’re temporarily charging less to build your reputation.

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5. Neglecting your portfolio

Many new freelancers overlook their portfolios, especially when the skills they’re marketing are more technical. Clients want to see samples of your work. Build a portfolio of work samples that show your skills in action. Clients will feel more confident hiring you if they see that you’ve worked on projects similar to theirs.

If you’re just starting out in your career, you can even use mockups to create the exact samples that you need. Your work samples don’t have to be from paid clients as long as you make this obvious in your portfolio. Build a portfolio while fine-tuning your skills with mockups.

You may not be sure exactly what type of samples you need to add to your portfolio. Start by taking a look at freelancers who offer skills similar to yours and see what types of samples they use in their portfolios.

Your portfolio should be current and include your most recent and impressive projects. Regularly update your portfolio as you take on new clients and complete projects. Make your portfolio your best work so it impresses potential clients.

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6. Overlooking the power of networking

Just like with any other business, networking can help you grow and find new customers. Beginner freelancers often overlook the power of networking. Once you’re ready to start taking on clients, let everyone in your professional and personal network know.

Posting on your social media accounts, especially LinkedIn, can help you find new clients. You can use online channels like social media, run ads, and attend virtual networking events to meet potential clients and even other freelancers.

Networking with other freelancers who have skills that are complementary to yours can be beneficial. You can refer clients back and forth without being in direct competition with one another. These freelancers can become part of your professional support system, taking the place of traditional coworkers.

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7. Failing to communicate effectively

All freelancers have client-facing roles. This can be an adjustment at first if you were working more behind the scenes in your last position. In a client-facing role, you have to be an effective communicator to build and maintain these relationships.

When freelancing, you have to actively find clients, submit proposals, interview, give status updates, and hand over deliverables making sure you’ve met the client’s expectations. Instead of meeting face-to-face, most freelancers work remotely and use virtual communication tools like Zoom, Slack, email, and text to connect with their clients.

Client communication is a skill you’ll want to develop. Being able to effectively communicate with your clients before, during, and after accepting a contract can help avoid any misunderstandings. Client dissatisfaction can lead to negative reviews and feedback, hurting your business.

Maintaining clear and professional communication during client interactions is an essential practice for freelance business owners. Before accepting a contract, you want to go over the scope of work and project timeline to make sure that you understand exactly what the client wants and that it’s the right fit.

Send updates as you work to check that you’re on the right track. When you’ve finished a project, check and see that your client is satisfied. Going the extra mile to make changes and edits before closing a contract can make a difference and lead to more positive feedback.

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8. Mismanaging finances

While freelancing can increase your earning potential, it can also have less stability. What you earn can vary from week to week, depending on the contracts and clients you have. If you’re used to working a salaried position with a steady paycheck, you’ll need to make sure that you’re financially prepared to freelance.

Growing your freelance business can take time. You may not be working a full 40 hours a week when you start out. You’ll need to have some savings and a budget to make sure that you can pay your bills even if a contract ends or you have a slower month.

Many independent professionals start out freelancing part-time outside of their jobs to build their client base, then transition into full-time. The Freelance Rate Calculator can help you get an idea of how much you’d need to make per hour freelancing to cover your monthly expenses.

Freelancers often forget about financial planning. Creating a realistic budget for yourself and putting money into an emergency fund can help you feel more financially stable. Know how much you can spend each month and what percentage of earnings you should put away for taxes.

You can work with a freelance Financial Planner to help get your finances in order and keep them on track. They can set you up with budgeting tools and give you a better idea of your financial health.

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9. Stopping learning and skill development

As a freelancer, your goal should be to become an expert in your skill and industry. Keep up-to-date with changes and trends so you can stay competitive and offer the most in-demand and relevant services to your clients.

For instance, you may want to start learning about Generative AI to see how it can make you more productive or incorporate it into your business model.

When working as an independent professional, one of the ways you can grow your business and earn more is by upskilling. Learning new skills that are in high demand and expanding the services you offer within your niche can help increase your income.

  

Freelancing is a skill-based career. You can learn a new skill by taking an online course or teaching yourself and then immediately gain experience by taking on relevant projects.

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10. Not using freelancing platforms effectively

Instead of hiring a freelancer directly, many companies choose to use freelancing platforms to find the talent they need. On these platforms, clients can post freelance jobs, evaluate talent, set up contracts, and pay talent all in one place.

Working on a freelancing platform can make it easier for you to find work and manage projects. Instead of having to pitch clients who may need your services, you can submit proposals to open projects.

Make the most out of the platforms that you’re working on. Spend time creating a complete profile that clearly explains your skills and the services you want to offer. Demonstrate your skills by showing off your best work with a compelling portfolio.

Once you have your foundation, you can start submitting proposals. Your proposal should explain why you’re the best freelancer for the project. Speak to your client’s pain points and present your services as the solution to their problems.

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Key takeaways

As an independent professional, you may not initially think of freelancing as running your own business. While you are offering your skills and services to clients, you’re self-employed and have to manage the business and administrative side of freelancing. Instead of being assigned work by a manager, you have to actively market and pitch yourself to clients.

You want to start by building your business model and figuring out what services you’ll offer to clients and the platforms you’ll use to find work. Once you have this sorted, you can start building your foundation, like creating a profile and portfolio and learning how to write proposals.

Freelancing relies heavily on clients and building relationships. Experienced freelancers understand the importance of developing and maintaining a positive reputation.

You can fast-track your own freelancing success by doing research and learning from other freelancers to help you avoid these most common mistakes.

This article originally appeared on Upwork.com Resource Center (Upwork is a company that helps businesses find talent and people find work) and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

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