Dos and Don’ts of a Newbie Freelancer

Today more and more young people chose to work from home as freelance designers, writers, programmers not as a side hustle but as their full-time job.

Freelancing has many benefits: flexible schedule, more vacation time, time and money saving (no daily commute, nor compulsory business attire), ability to choose projects based on your own preferences – the list goes on and on. However, shifting your modus vivendi and evolving into Homo Freelancis takes some effort. Whether you used to freelance before to gain some experience as a student or considering this option for the first time, entering the world of freelance can be tough if you do not have any guidelines.

Below you will find some rules I developed based on my own experience (and many mistakes) as a freelancer.

DOs:

Value your time and talent

Do not work for free, it’s a deathtrap for creative freelancers. Nowadays, the main drive for many young people is passion they feel towards their work. If doing whatever you do gives you the feeling of satisfaction, why bother paying you at all, right? Believe it or not, that is the mindset many of your potential clients will have.

You can be a waiter by day and an aspiring digital artist by night, working free of charge for your reputation and portfolio, but it cannot go on forever. Eventually, you must realize that your talent, your skills and your time have value. Work with people who understand that and ready to pay for your service. After all, you wanted to make a living out of it. Make it!

Invest in your tools

Forced to work on the glitching and lagging old laptop or being unable to open files from your clients because your software is outdated is not going to improve your productivity. You may think that you are saving, but instead, you will be losing your earnings in the long run. Opt for the best tools (laptop, software, monitor) that your budget allows.

Keep them up to date, and provide the necessary maintenance. Get some tips on how to make your Mac run faster, so it could cope with the additional tools (such as time-tracking software your marketplace requires) without losing its productivity. Of course, for everyone, there are things they can save on, but the list varies depending on your specialization. An obvious example: if you are a freelance writer, you probably do not need a monitor as good as that a graphic designer needs – here is where you can save. Invest in an ergonomic and responsive keyboard instead.

Apply, apply, apply

What you should not be afraid of is applying to more jobs that you can accept because you won’t probably get every even a half of them. If you get one in ten – you are in luck! Because one in thirty is the average result, so do not just wait for jobs to fall in your lap.

Apart from applying, you should also network actively. Good clients turn to you again in the future and send their acquaintance to you. The majority of quality contracts I got by recommendation. Also, you should ask your friends to spread the word. If someone of their circle needs a professional with your skillset for their next project, they will probably remember that you are just the guy/gal.

Make up your pricing policy

To negotiate your salary you must have a system that is adjustable and scalable. You must know how much you charge for an hour, your rates per word, per page and per 1000 characters (if you are a copywriter or a translator), your rate per project (if you are a designer), etc. Be firm. Don’t be afraid to scare clients off with such policy – you will be amazed at how responsive good clients are to the set of clear guidelines as for the rates.

By the way, an hourly rate is a good way to take off as a freelancer, but later into your career, you might want to shift from an hourly rate to project-based rate. Here is why: as you gain experience and excel in what you do, you can produce high-quality results within a minimum timeframe. You clients will be thrilled, yet you will be doing yourself injustice charging hourly.

In addition, you will soon find out that clients generally care very little about how many hours you spend working on their project. Instead, they appreciate the value of what you deliver. Therefore, the best option for you might be to charge per project.

DON’Ts:

Don’t neglect to have an agreement

Get a contract for every deal. You must have obligations and responsibility, so must your client. “Verbal contract” leaves the room for maneuvers and there always be people who will go an extra mile in order to get out of paying you.

To avoid such situations, try to engage with trustworthy clients. Do research on someone you are going to work with, read feedbacks (they are usually available on the freelance marketplaces), look at their Facebook page.

Don’t abuse your power over time

Being your own boss and managing your own time is a privilege. Do not abuse it. If you opt for hourly rates, you’d better be working on the client’s project for all of the time you are going to put on the invoice. Your client has no obligation to pay for your long lunch breaks, Facebook messaging and funny YouTube video marathons.

However, do not run to another extreme: you should charge for the time you spent working on the project, even if it is something auxiliary as doing research, writing emails or making phone calls about business matters.

Don’t forget about deadlines

Delayed deadline is a big no-no. You should always deliver the work on time. This way you will establish yourself as a trustworthy and reliable freelancer. There are situations when the scope of work turns out to be bigger than you first estimated, or the work creeps up as your client keeps making adjustments and revisions. In this case, you may postpone the deadline, but always keep your client on top of every change in the timeframe. Do not let them down with a sudden: “It’s not quite ready yet”. Asking for a deadline extension is always better when you do it before the actual deadline.

Don’t accept all you can get

Accept only what you can do on time. Newbie freelancers are so scared to miss an opportunity that they take any job there is. As result, they are constantly under pressure, sleep-deprived, and there is no way they can deliver a high-quality work on time under such regrettable circumstances. They often end up procrastinating, which makes the looming deadlines even more menacing.

Moreover, being desperate for a big order, you may miss the red flags and end up performing voluminous tasks free as a “test”. Whatever the task, your clients must be upfront about the price – they may ask for a sample and indeed, a test, but it mustn’t before they are ready to negotiate your rates.

Hope this little set of rules will help you to your prosperous career as a freelancer! Good luck! If you have any questions, fire away in the comments, I will be happy to answer!