Five Mistakes Freelancers Make

I have spent the majority of my time on the Internet working as a freelancer. Just a few years ago, I was a freelance writer and editor primarily, but I also worked in the fields of freelance web design and graphic design occasionally. It took time to build up my portfolio, get a steady stream of jobs, and prove myself as a freelancer, but in time those things became a reality. This also made sure that I was successful monetarily. If you get the jobs, you’re going to make the money. It’s as simple as that.

Starting out as a freelancer isn’t easy. You won’t see instant results. You won’t be making a lot of money to start. Many have to keep traditional jobs until they start making an active, productive living by freelancing. This is difficult merely because freelancing is time consuming. In those early months, you’ll need to be doing all you can to build up your portfolio and that sometimes means making sacrifices monetarily.

I’ve worked with and competed for jobs with a wide variety of freelancers. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t work for them. I also know what has worked and hasn’t worked in my own situation. From there, I’ve compiled a list of five mistakes I’ve seen many freelancers make.

1. Not Taking Low Pay/No Pay Jobs to start

If you’ve never written or designed anything for anyone other than yourself, you’re going to need to start getting a portfolio ready. One of the easiest ways for you to start out your business and bulk up your portfolio is to accept jobs. There are a variety of freelance websites, where you can bid on jobs and make money if you’re chosen for said job. This is the ideal type of place for a new freelancer to start out. However, you won’t be able to charge excessive amounts of money for your work. In fact, you might even have to take low paying jobs, in an attempt to stuff you portfolio. Of course, the positive thing about this is that you can almost always get a recommendation/testimonial from the clients you work with on these jobs.

I don’t often recommend taking no pay jobs. I do believe that, on rare occasions, no pay jobs have benefits. In these situations, they really aren’t no pay jobs. You can work with clients and even other freelancers. If you’re a writer, for your writing services, you can get links back to your website, credit for your work, or other services to promote yourself and your own freelance services. If you work with another freelancer, such as a website designer, consider having them design your website, in exchange for writing their web copy. There are many creative ways to get your name out there and fill your portfolio at the same time.

That being said, once you’ve become successful, you should raise your rates to reflect your experience. It doesn’t help anyone out if you’re offering services for less than they’re worth. While some companies choose to go with lower paying services, no matter what you charge, if your work is good then you’re going to find clients. I often had those same clients come back to me, having wasted money on a freelancer working for a nickel. Those freelancers did a poor job. I had to fix their mistakes and these clients were more than willing to pay my rates. Essentially, it just goes to show that you get what you pay for when hiring a freelancer.

2. Not Having a Website

I don’t care if you have a free, hosted portfolio, a free website on geocities, a freelancer’s myspace/facebook or a free blog. You need your own website. With your own website, you’re in control of what prospective clients know about you. You can send these clients to see your portfolio, which you can set up in any way you like, give them access to email you privately, offer them the chance to read your about you page, which can include information on your experience and a list of who you’ve worked for, and send them to a place filled with testimonials from other clients who you’ve worked for in the past.

For more information on why you need a website, please check out my article on Why Freelancers Need Websites. This article is much more comprehensive and I don’t want to repeat myself completely.

3. Taking On Too Much

Freelancing is hard work. I’ve found that anything worth doing takes work. When you’re starting out, you may be compelled to take as many jobs as you can. You need to get samples for your portfolio. You won’t be making as much as you will once you’re seen as a successful web designer/writer/etc. Taking more jobs means more money. It also means a bigger headache, all of your time devoted to working and you will get burnt out. Start out slow and only take on what you can handle.

4. Using the Wrong Samples

Freelance web designers need to show off the websites they design. Graphic designers should post professional looking graphics. Writers need to show their writing samples. The key is to make sure that the best samples you have are placed on your samples page. This means that the web designer shouldn’t proudly display his Myspace background design, his geocities designed website or any other less than stellar designs. Graphic designers won’t want to feature shoddily done animation or anything they did as a beginner when their work was filled with flaws,

The same could be said for writers. If you’re writing articles, you aren’t going to want to put your poetry samples up (unless, by some rare chance you write poetry for a living). There is a little more leeway for writers though because it is possible to list both creative and technical writing samples on the same website, if you offer both services. Either way, try to make sure your samples look/sound professional, show off your best work, and make sure your samples are relevant to what you can offer.

5. Expecting to Get Instant Results

This is, by far, the biggest misconception freelancers have. I’ve heard so many unsuccessful freelancers say something to the effect of, “I quit my job to work on the Internet. I was prepared to spend all day in my pajamas, sipping lattes and working for clients of my choosing. When I was not seeing results within a month, I had no choice but to return to the 9 to 5. Freelancing really doesn’t work.”

I can be the first to tell you this isn’t true. I once had a job writing for one of the top real estate sites on the web, making a lot of money. I wrote for the company on an on-again, off-again basis. I have made money freelancing and if you’re excellent in your field, you can, too! This isn’t any type of get rich quick job. Freelancing will reward you, but you have to plug away at it to be successful. What you put into it will be what you get out of it.

I’m going to be honest. Freelancing isn’t for everyone. I don’t know how many times I’ve told people what I do for a living and they say back to me, “Oh! I could do that!”

I usually just politely nod and think to myself, no you couldn’t. While I know that perhaps some of them could, the vast majority of them won’t have the patience to stick with it, until they become successful. I also do not believe every person is capable of having a freelancing job. You have to be creative enough to write creative works or design websites and graphics aesthetically. You have to have practical knowledge of applications and coding to be a programmer or developer. Without these skills (and I’ll be the first to admit I am no developer/heavy programmer - too much code gives me a headache!) you won’t succeed in these freelancing fields.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you cannot find another way to work online or for yourself. You can start your own business with your own skills and talents at the forefront.

Being a freelancer is hard work. It is time consuming, but it is also very rewarding. If you avoid making these mistakes you will find that your freelancing career will have a better chance of succeeding.

Technorati Tags: freelancer, mistakes, freelancing, writing, work from home, graphics design, web design, samples, website

Like this article? Buy me a Latte!

Written by Dominick - Visit Website
------------------------
Don't hate me for wanting to be your own personal God!