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Top 6 Common Mistakes That Freelancers Make
Top 6 Common Mistakes That Freelancers Make
Common mistakes every freelancer make are what we are going to discuss in this article. If you are new to freelancing this article would help you learn from the mistakes other freelancers made. It would be wise to learn from others’ mistakes. Those who are not new to freelancing but are still struggling to succeed would also learn a thing or two from this article, it could be that the drawback to their success might just be one of these common mistakes freelancers make. I call them common mistakes because every freelancer is prone to them, mostly at the beginning of their freelance career. But before we continue let’s discuss freelancing.
Freelancing is a form of self-employment whereby a person works for multiple clients. Freelancing has become popular recently as a lot of people are starting to see its benefits. What are the benefits of freelancing? Freelancing gives you that extra income. You know how they say it is important to have multiple streams of income, meaning you should have a side hustle in addition to your day job. However this has not been easy for some, having to work two jobs mostly when they both require your physical presence in different locations can be draining, but freelancing is a job you can do anywhere. If your day job is not so demanding, you can even sneak out time within your office hours to handle your freelance projects. It is done online and you get paid online, easy peasy. You also get to work for clients outside your location and get all the benefits of international business transactions. So you see why everyone wants to become a freelancer. Despite these amazing benefits of freelancing, some people still find it hard to succeed, and find it difficult to get clients, why some are thriving and cashing out big in freelancing, some are failing and thinking of throwing in the towel. What could be wrong? What mistakes could they be making?
1. Putting Money First
You might be saying; what other reason could there be for working other than money? Yes, you are probably right, money is important, but having another motivating factor other than money can help you build and sustain your freelance career. Freelancing like any other business would require time to grow. You have to develop a passion for it, you must have a passion for what you do if you want to succeed in it. It is that passion that would bring you success. If you are not passionate about freelancing it is best not to venture into it. In freelancing there are times that business may be slow, it is that passion that would keep you going.
2. Not Skilled Enough
Another mistake freelancers make is not having extensive knowledge about their chosen field, if you want to succeed you must study your chosen field. Most people believe that freelancing is not worth studying for, but that’s not true. If you want to get high-paying clients then you would have to step out of your comfort to improve your skills. Are you wondering why you didn’t land that high-paying project you bidded on, it’s probably because the client needs someone who is a professional in the field. Clients are willing to pay a lot of money and they are looking for freelancers who can give them great value for money. If you want to be that freelancer you should improve your skill. Read about how to best bid on projects, read how to write a good proposal, study a course in your field, read books and become a professional.
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3. Negative Review
Having too many negative reviews can damage your freelance career. A few would not hurt so much but when most of your reviews are negative then there’s something you are doing wrong. A review is what a client thinks of your work, at the end of a collaboration, clients are usually allowed to give feedback on their experience with you, they are also asked to rate you by giving you stars. This feedback is usually made public for other potential clients to see and that is where the problem is, if these reviews are negative it may deter other clients from hiring you. Aim to satisfy your clients.
4. Choosing The Wrong Career
When choosing a freelance career, ensure you choose the right one. There are a lot of freelance careers you could choose from, there as freelance writing, data analysis, programming, developer, etc, any skill you have can earn you money online if it is the right one for you. You should choose a career that you are passionate about, and that you are skilled in. It should be something you love doing.
5. Biting More Than You Can Chew
When it comes to freelancing, one can easily be tempted to bid on a lot more projects than they can accomplish. This would be a mistake for a whole lot of reasons, firstly you wouldn’t have enough time to work on the project and you wouldn’t give it your best, secondly, you would be put under pressure and you may not deliver the best result, you may end up not being able to deliver the project, thereby disappointing your client and getting a negative review.
6. Joining The Wrong Market Place
Lastly, another mistake most freelancers make is joining the wrong marketplace. A marketplace is a freelance platform where clients can hire freelances and freelancers can find jobs. Joining a freelance marketplace can help you succeed, but joining the wrong marketplace can hinder your career growth. How do you know if a marketplace is right for you? One way to know if you are in the right marketplace is if you get hired. If you find jobs and get hired by clients then it is the right marketplace for you. Another way you can know is if you get the type of clients you are looking for. You should also look out for a genuine website so you won’t get defrauded. An example of a genuine freelance website is upmychain.com.
There you have it guys, these common mistakes in freelancing can be avoided if you take the right steps. These freelancing mistakes can mar your freelancing career. I hope you found this article helpful, I hope you can now take the appropriate steps to avoid making these common mistakes.
Easy Answers:
1. Putting Money First
2. Not Skilled Enough
3. Negative Review
4. Choosing The Wrong Career
5. Biting more than you can chew
6. Joining The Wrong Market Place
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