November 14th, 2016 will always be an important day in my business journey.
Six years ago today, I took the plunge head first and went public with my freelancing business. Here are six observations from my time freelancing thus far:
Patience is a Virtue
People I meet tell me they envy of me because I appear to be “living the life” and got success quickly. My perceived success, however, is years in the making—not something that came overnight.
I quietly started carving my path in July 2016. After taking a job that nearly derailed my career, I had to regroup and map out a game plan. I took pro bono and low-paying gigs in the beginning. I had to re-introduce myself to people as a freelancer and not an employee of a notable organization. It took some time to establish my new identity, but I gradually garnered people’s trust and began securing clients. Around the three-year mark of my one-person business, I no longer wrestled with rollercoaster income. I charged full-speed ahead. If your business survives three years, it’s considered a success. Six years later I have steady stream of income (and growing), wonderful clients, and supplemental contract work that allows me to write and do political commentary.
You won’t make millions of dollars freelancing immediately—or ever. But if you’re patient, land good clients, and hustle hard your freelance business will take off. And you’ll be fulfilled and happy.
Patience guided me across this journey and is a virtue in freelancing.
Rejection Makes You Stronger
When building up your clientele or making pitches for contract work, don’t expect people to hire you and retain your services. In fact, you should accept rejection as natural and expected—especially early in your career.
The rejection emails will sting. A cool proposal will fail to materialize. And the people who get your hopes up but don’t deliver on prospects will make you question freelancing altogether.
But in my case, I argue rejection makes you stronger. I have had proposals outright rejected because the prospective client got cold feet and jilted me at the offer. I’ve rejected contracts I didn’t feel comfortable with because the pay didn’t match the work output.
Adversity makes you stronger, and rejections bring you closer to acceptances.
Don’t Settle
Alternatively, rejections aren’t simple at the mercy of clients. You — the independent contractor — are in control of work to accept or deny. It takes two to tango. You’re your own best negotiator, and you have every right to walk away from a bad deal. It’ll suck to not have some income, but your sanity is worth more than making a quick buck.
Early in my freelance journey, I said “Yes” to projects or clients I came to regret or not get fulfillment from. As my credibility grew, I’ve grown into a position to reject contracts I don’t feel comfortable with. Strangely, it’s a freeing feeling. And there aren’t sour grapes.
Why? 1) The pay didn’t match the work output. 2) I got bad vibes from the potential client. 3) I wasn’t a good fit ideologically or lacked proximity to the industry. 4) I evolved from doing mostly social media work to media consulting/public relations.
The moral of the story is this: don’t settle for subpar freelance contracts as your career advances. It’s okay to say “No” and wait for good clients.
Diversify Your Clientele List
If you’re able to work with clients spanning different industries, do it. It’s worked well for me. It could work well for you.
Having largely worked in politics, I knew I couldn’t be wholly dependent on one industry. Campaigns pay peanuts for long work hours and candidates who don’t know how to fundraise easily gip you for money. I’m also not just defined by politics but also have cross-over in the outdoor industry.
That led me to seek out clients who are like-minded and/or share similar goals. When prioritizing this above all, I found I attract more quality clients.
Today, I maintain several long-term clients and other longstanding contracts. Diversify your clientele list as you do your portfolio.
Stay Humble
No matter how successful you become as a freelancer, it’s important to stay humble. People assume if you get more notice and kudos, you automatically must change and change yourself. That’s patently false.
I’ve tried to stay true to my roots, to remember my humble beginnings, and to always speak to people as your equals.
Never get cocky. Never tear down others. Share in others’–especially your clients’–success. Freelancers are hard-working people who largely come from humble beginnings. This workforce is appealing because it’s merit-based and pro-worker.
Be true to your self and see your one-person business blossom.
Fight for Your Livelihood
It’s not enough to be a freelancer; you must ensure opportunities to freelance exist for our peers.
Freelancers shouldn’t take their unique standing for granted because it could slip from our fingertips. What am I referring to? Look at California Assembly Bill 5. This legislation has decimated many freelancer livelihoods. And then there’s proposed federal rule making aimed at making it harder for workers to identify as independent contractors and not employees. That’s scary.
I’ve gotten involved and written about threats to independent contracting. Get involved as best as you can and join the fight for freelancers.