image credit: Yanalya
Starting a career as a freelancer whether part time or full time is not an easy task. You might have had to quit your "office" job to pursue your passion. At one point or the other, you are bound to experience some form of failure. It is important that you expect these failures and not be feel discouraged or depressed because things are not working out. Failures are opportunities for improvement. Being afraid of failure relates to playing safe and not taking sufficient risks with your clients and jobs.
Failure doesn't necessarily mean going from where you are to zero. It simply means that things didn't go according to your plan. I will outline some instances I discovered where you might feel that you are failing in your journey as a freelancer and how to approach them and turn them into positive experiences.
1. Choosing Your Jobs
As a freelancer just starting out, you tend to take on any available job without estimating the time, skill and resources needed to complete it. Such can lead to not meeting up with deadlines and even worse not being able to deliver at the end of the day. Normally this will cause you to refrain from leaving your comfort zone. You should not skip opportunities just because they are challenging. Push yourself a little more with every new job, you will learn more and with time get stronger.
2. Not Getting Paid After Working
Putting effort and time into a job and not getting paid at the end of the day is very frustrating . I have experienced this so I know how it feels. One major cause of this disagreement between you and the client. Here are some things to keep in mind
- Maintain clear communication. Always state your terms and price from the onset.
- Communicate changes to the project that deviate from the original agreement and ensure you and the client are on the same page before investing resources into the project.
- If the cost starts get higher than expected, talk with your client once you notice this.
- You can decide to give them some few days to pay and send a friendly reminder if the agreed date has passed. They will appreciate your professionalism.
3. Charging Low
When starting out, you might be tempted to charge low rates in order to attract prospective clients in a competitive market. This is not always a smart move. You will find it difficult to increase your fee later in future. Researching and asking fellow freelancers can help you in determining the worth of your service. If your clients agrees quickly it probably means your rate is low. Also factor in other miscellaneous expenses to avoid running in loss at the end of the day.
4. Playing it safe
Never play it safe. You can never improve without taking little risks every now and them. Take on more difficult jobs. Spend to advertising so that you can be seen. Invest in better equipment. Engaging in anything that can improve your experience, and contacts. Having lots of contacts increases your chances of getting clients and referrals. Make your self seen and known.
Failure is not the end of life. No matter how many times you fail always pick yourself up, learn from the experience and move forward. You will be glad you did.
image credit: VintageVectorStudio
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