It is now July and I am going into my 6th month of freelancing. I am still eating, I am still paying my bills, and I am still on a cash only diet. It has been an invigorating, humbling, and fascinating process of learning what I am capable of doing.
June was an interesting month in that I was really chilled out. In fact, my mom asked me if I had enough work? And then Carrie from Careful Cents posted this question on Facebook asking about our summer plans and the question had the following phrasing “Are you coasting, ramping up, taking a bit of a break?” I realized that I had been coasting the whole month of June and that it was time to start hustling hard again.
Coasting Is Ok-But, Not Forever!
As a freelancer you should never get too comfortable. Clients come and go and also you should WANT to get out there and show off your skillz (using slang!) As I switch back to bada@@ mode I am thinking about some of the things that I did that helped me pick up clients quickly.
So, here is another addition to my freelance series. I have a few more things that you should think about if you are moving towards a freelancing career (short-term or long-term)
10 Things You Need To Know
- Pitch Your ASS Off-You need to intelligently and consistently be pitching to find new clients. As your portfolio grows you will grow your “word of mouth” referrals-but before then, you should be pitching well researched leads that match your skills-but will allow you to push past what you already know. Or, if you’ve been coasting, when you DO pitch-you pitch your a@@ off. Commit to the process. It’s not rocket science.
- Scale Your New Clients-Slowly-It may be very tempting to scale your clients quickly. Don’t. Just like bricks and mortar businesses if you scale up too quickly you risk leaving your clients unhappy if you haven’t figured out a process to absorb and manage that new business as it comes in. ALL clients think that they are your only client.
- Re-read All Your Emails-I am working on Inbox Zero. I’ve found that the cleaner my email inboxes are (yes plural) the easier it is for me to manage my work load. I am able to take actionable steps on everything much more quickly because I can find requests for information/collaboration/updates from my clients/friends/family. Also, you should re-read your emails to before working on action items to make sure you understand what is being requested of you.
- Prioritize Social Interactions-I will say that I am a lot more social than I used to be when I was working in an office and commuting. Please note: I am actually super busy. But, I’ve made a point of prioritizing connecting with real life human beings. I go to coffee shops to work 2 or 3 times a week. I go to Meetups at least twice a week, and I meet with friends or my mom each week. Please understand that I now consider socializing an action item and I schedule it in my planner. Like exercise-there is no choice. I also signed up for online dating again, there is no choice and it is a priority.
- Set Up Protocols-And be willing to tweak them. I am continuously tweaking my process. If I am finding that something isn’t working smoothly, then I rework it until it does. I am talking both work related and lifestyle related protocols that affect work. I am currently tweaking my Miracle Morning and a couple of other things that have been helpful but need to be reworked.
- Don’t BURN BRIDGES!! This should be obvious. You should always try to avoid burning bridges when you leave a former place of employment. I worked very hard not to do that and I am so thankful for that because I am still good friends with my former colleagues and friends (we’re going to Magic Mike XXL the night before this goes live). AND, I needed references for some of my freelance jobs and my colleagues were more than happy to provide glowing references. Also, you will need to highlight skills/work/etc. from your previous jobs when you’re pitching as freelancer. Even if you feel you’re not being treated fairly at your current job-it doesn’t matter. Leave in the nicest, classiest way that you can. You might need some of the people from your old job later.
- You Will Wake Up Earlier Than You Think-Or, at least you should be. Because freelancing is still work. I wake up early and then I rock: projects/personal blogging/pitching/exercising/socializing, etc. You should be filling that extra time with projects/priorities that move you forward.
- Learn to “Read” Your Clients-Your clients are all different. Just like when you work in an office you need to learn how to read you “boss/supervisor.” Once you understand what is motivating your colleagues, you will be able to better address their needs. Also, you’re in a better position to be proactive when addressing client concerns/needs.
- Mistakes Are Great! You don’t want to make a ton of mistakes. But, mistakes are great because they are a learning tool. You will learn what bothers clients, what clients love, etc. When you make a mistake. Because you’re offsite, this enables you to “cool off” before getting involved in any conversation that is work related. You have the time to figure out an answer to your client’s concern. You are better positioned to respond to client needs than in an office where you can be caught off guard and might answer a question or concern without having enough time to think through a resolution.
- Consider “What’s Next”-I will be honest and say that I have a long-term business goal that freelancing enables me to move towards. My goal is not to freelance for the long run, but to freelance and work towards my “What’s Next.” I knew what my “What’s next” was before I started freelancing. So, you may want to spend some time thinking about an answer to that question. Your “What’s Next” could be freelancing for the longterm, starting a bricks and mortar business, applying for jobs in a year, and the list goes on. Knowing what your “What’s next” is enables you to plan on how to move towards that goal.
How did I get into freelancing for myself? I started a blog, I changed my life, and imagined more for myself. It hasn’t been easy but I’m making it happen. If you’re interested in starting a blog check out my post on How To Start A Blog, Change Your Life, and Find Your Tribes. I use Bluehost and if you click on my affiliate link you can host your blog for $3.49 a month. See How You Can Set Up a WordPress Blog in 15 Minutes Please note: I may receive some compensation if you use purchase a package through this link.
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Inbox Zero?! I wish!!! At the moment I have 183 UNREAD messages in my Inbox. Time to do another purge, me thinks.
Thanks for the tips. Freelancing is now on the horizon for me whereas before, it was a pipe dream because I had so many other things going on. I’m glad to hear it’s been going so well for you!
It’s a lofty goal but I just feel like it can be done! Do the purge LOL! It has gone well-not perfectly, but pretty well.
I get up way earlier than I did when I was working full time. I think it’s the thing of knowing I don’t HAVE to get “ready” which is nice. I’m hoping to not have a slow month, but a chill month. I think it’s important as freelancers that you do take some kind of break and re-charge! Best of luck for the next six months!
I definitely had a “chill” month in June. I think I just worked with such a high level of intensity when I got back that I subconsciously knew I needed a break-and so I took one! Now, I’m gearing up and will be working hard to ramp up business. I agree about the HAVE to get up to get ready! Sending you good vibes too!
We’ve “talked” about this before – freelancing really shouldn’t be an end goal for someone who is doing it to quit the rat race. Freelancing is still working for bosses (ok, “clients”). You strive to keep them happy in order to make the money. I’m so glad you reminded your readers to have a bigger end goal in mind!
Exactly, freelancing is still working with/for other people. And your clients may “forget” that you are working with other people. Because I was working with 400+ people on average with several hundred in the same building with me-making a shift to freelancing has been pretty great in terms of client management. But, it DEFINITELY is not my endgame.
Theses are great tips! And most of them are things that do not initially come to mind when you think about freelancing. I’m not a night person at all so I wake up at 5am to work on assignments. It was a struggle at first, but now I’m adjusting and it’s really paying off.
I’m a night person so it is hard for me to get up so early-but I’ve heard learned the hard way that if I wake up late the whole day is a mess.
It’s nice to know that you are doing online dating. Hope it turns out really good and you keep us updates on this interesting stuff. Good luck Michelle!
Well, we’ll so how that goes LOL! My preference is still meeting someone a little more naturally. But, I think it’s best to be open to all possibilities.
Such a great useful tips, I absolutely agree that everyone should have a bigger end goal in mind.
Thanks! I think for me it had to be clear that this is not my long-term plan. But that freelancing will help me get to the goal that I have in mind for myself.