Freelancing is no easy task. It takes time to perfect your craft, pick a niche, excel in that niche, and then try to sell your skills to clients. Not only do you need to be a salesman, but you need some actual skill in order to complete the work the client gives you.
So here are 6 lessons I wished I learned 12 months when I first started my freelancing journey. Hopefully, you can take them to heart and skip some of the painful learning experiences I had to go through :)
1. Learn the right way
I’ve introduced the idea of being paid to learn. But at some point, you actually need to have some form of skill to be able to take on the client’s work.
If you’re building a website in Squarespace, you should at least know how to navigate their platform and how to add simple things. More advanced solutions or features the client wants can be looked up at a later date.
I had a client when I first got started that wanted me to do a WordPress website. If you have any experience in WP, it can be a nightmare to figure out, navigate through, and deal with.
Not knowing what it took to build a WP website, I took on the client.
Which led me to be massively stressed out because I had to learn everything from scratch. How plugins worked, how to install templates, how to navigate pages, Elementor, etc.
It was such a bad way to learn.
I was able to deliver the website by the end but I was almost a month over the client’s timeline and the website had “issues”.
Don’t take on work without knowing the full extent of what you need to do to be able to deliver on the project. It’ll save you time and headaches.
2. Charge more for each new project.
This one has a lot to do with self-worth and charging for the experience you have. The more projects you take on, the more experience you now have. Which means you need to charge the client more. Every single new project should be more expensive than your last.
That’s how I eventually got to a $30,000 project when I only started at $400. I got there eventually, but not as quickly as I could've.
Other pricing lessons:Never go backward in pricing.
Don’t offer discounts.
Know your worth from Day 1.
“Fudge” your experience if need be.
Another thing,
Always charge some amount of the project upfront.
I always charge 50% upfront.
It helps with follow-through and it tells me the client is legit.
3. Referrals are gold.
Not only are referrals the most effective form of marketing, but for a freelancer, they are gold. Real gold. I mean, seriously. Figure out referrals and offer incentives for your clients referring you to other clients.
Here’s how I did it:
If John refers me to Daniel, I pay John 10%. If Daniel refers me to Jacob, I pay Daniel 10%, and then John 5%. If Jacob refers me to Jessica, I pay Jacob 10%, Daniel 5%, and John 0%.
Not only do referrals cost nothing (as far as marketing or spending on ads), they don’t require you to create or maintain a website. Which for me, was fantastic. Usually, most referred clients are roped in with a simple intro email and are sold by the first phone call with me.
No website is needed. Don’t waste your time.
4. Discover your niche sooner than later.
I wrote about how I found my niche. Definitely read that when you get around to it. Are you going to be the freelancer that does everything under the sun but is only “okay” at overall design or being a freelancer?
Do you offer just “okay” work to clients or do you offer exceptional services and products because you specialize?
I have pretty much banned myself from working on WP websites. Not enough money in it for me, and I honestly hate building websites with a passion. I am really good at Squarespace, but It’s not my favorite sector of freelancing.
Choose a niche that you truly like doing so you have the energy to get up in the morning with a fire to work.
For me, that was UI/UX design for mobile and web app products. I love how apps work, there’s a ton of money in it, and I get to work on a new project every 2 to 4 weeks.
Which I love because I get distracted easily.
To discover your niche sooner than later so you can specialize in your craft and raise your prices quickly.
5. Don’t worry about being “good enough”.
One of the biggest traps that I use to get myself into was: What If I didn’t compare? What if I couldn't compete with these amazing UI/UX designers that create amazing designs?
Guess what, who f*cking gives a sh*t.
If you know your value, and at least know how to do some things kinda well, you can compete with them.
If you offer amazing services and give fantastic customer support, you can compete. Many freelancers don’t deliver on thier promises. If you deliver, you’re already better than 40% of freelancers out there. Remember that.
6. Deliver on sh*t
You have to deliver on sh*t.
You have to.
If you don’t know you can, don’t take the client!
I always felt that I had to deliver. Always.
It was against my entire character not to deliver on the work I promised to complete. It may not be the best work I’ve ever done in my life, but it was done and I made the client very happy.
Happy clients are returning clients. The happier you make a client, the more money you can make after a project from the same client, over and over again.
I once had a client that originally paid me $12,000 to do a project.
Then, because I did such a great job and made him happy (through customer service, NOT design), he came back and paid me another $14,000.
And again…paid me another $3,600.
And again…another $4,600.
I think we got up to $36,000?
He’s still a client, too.
Make your clients happy. Deliver on sh*t :)
Closing thoughts
Interested in becoming a freelancer? Well, you have a long road of learning on your horizon. But…at least now you have 6 new lessons to take to heart while you pursue your freelancing journey.
None of these lessons are facts. They are a sum of my experiences over the last 12 months. Take them, practice them, make them yours.
My hope is they will save you time & money in your coming pursuits.
Happy hunting!
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