The Unvarnished Truth About Succeeding as a Freelancer
There is a big difference between freelancers who constantly have problems and those who seem to be able to get high-paying clients without any trouble. Today, I'm going to talk about the hard facts of freelancing, but not from the point of view of esoteric secrets. Instead, I'm starting from simple ideas. These lessons have helped me build a successful creative business. They may be upsetting to some, but it's important to know that the way to success is based on simple, habits.
Some freelancers may seem stuck, while others are doing really well. It might look like the successful ones know secret tricks or methods that everyone else doesn't. The truth, though, is much easier. Freelancing success isn't about finding secret tricks; it's about getting good at the basics and using them all the time. This is the main point I want to make: everyone can understand the basics. There isn't a real secret there; you can read about them in business books, workshops, and courses. The hard part is making sure that these rules are always followed.
A common theme comes to mind as I think about my journey and the professionals I've met, especially those I've met through social media: many of them are looking for that "magic bullet" that will make them successful right away. But what I've learned and what I try to teach others is that nothing beats hard work, persistence, and keeping your eye on the basics. It's about being there every day, even if you don't see effects right away.
This brings me to how important it is to keep going. A lot of freelancers fail not because they aren't good enough or don't have enough promise, but because they give up too soon. When you first start freelancing, it can be very hard. You might send thousands of emails or make a million pitches and get little to no feedback. I've been there, putting out proposals and getting in touch with possible clients only to be turned down over and over again. Still, these efforts, added up over time, are what make a successful freelance job possible.
Another important thing to remember is not to compare your beginning to someone else's middle or end. When you see great freelancers, it's easy to wonder why you're not one of them. Your skills or services may seem similar. But what most people don't see is the huge amount of work that went into their success—the early starts, late nights, and strategies that were made by trying things out and seeing what worked and what didn't.
As I've learned how to build a freelance business, three main steps have become clear to me: making your offer better, getting more of your target audience to see it, and turning prospects into paid clients. Every one of these things needs work and care. Your offer needs to stand out, whether it's photos, videography, or design work. It should be so interesting that possible customers can't just ignore it.
To get more people to see your services, you need to actively promote them on social media, through emails, and maybe even through ads. It's not enough to just get a lot of people to know about your services; you need to target the people who are most likely to use them. And to convert, you need to improve your sales skills, know what your clients want, and explain how your services can meet those needs clearly.
If you're having trouble as a freelancer, I have easy but hard advice for you: keep showing up. Keep getting better at what you do and what you offer. Take what you've learned from every loss and build on every small win. Remember that the road to success is often long and full of failures, but it is possible if you keep going and focus on the basics.
Finally, the promise of quick success and simple solutions is appealing, but the truth about freelancing is that it's hard, boring work that needs constant effort and resilience. If you want to take your independent business to the next level or are just starting out, remember that the basics—well-thought-out and carefully put into practice—are your most powerful tools for success.
