Aah, that freelancer dream! Who doesn’t love the idea of working remotely on your own schedule, making a lot more income than a typical nine-to-five job, and being inundated with projects and clients you can choose from? Some would tell you this is easier said than done. Freelancer mentor Jasmine Williams advises you to be wary of the common freelancer mistakes and to work hard to realize your dream.
An award-winning writer, entrepreneur, speaker, and content marketing expert, Jasmine was a highly-loved workshop facilitator at our Diversity in Digital – All Brands on Deck career summit (in April 2021).
“Three years ago, when I first tried to freelance, I just completely fell flat on my face. I was just not able to make enough money to even cover my rent. I found myself back in a nine-to-five job within a few months. But I really wanted to give freelancing a shot, so I tried again the next year and it went a lot differently. I now run a freelance consultancy,” says Jasmine, whose clientele includes the likes of Patreon, Amy Porterfield, and Shopify.
Before we dive into freelancer mistakes, figure out where you stand:
- You are starting out as a freelancer; maybe doing some freelance work on the side in the evenings or on weekends
- You’re a full-time freelancer who has a few clients but you’re working way too many hours and not making nearly as much money as you thought you would
- You’ve never freelanced before; you don’t know where to start and you want to learn the ropes, hoping that you’ll soon be ready to dive in
It’s something to understand where you’re at to be able to strategically plan your journey ahead. Irrespective of the category you fall into, Jasmine’s advice will help you.
Top freelancer mistakes to avoid and the shifts you need to make to get better results
Mistake #1: You think your skills alone are what make you valuable
Second-guessing your skillset and what you must charge for your service is a common mindset mistake that a lot of freelancers make. Remember, it isn’t just your skills but your passion and knowledge, too, that you’re bringing to the table. And you’ll be probably solving a lot of problems for your clients.
Shift you need to make: “Find your real value. Ask yourself, what is it that you provide that other people can’t. It is essential to position yourself as a high-value service provider,” says Jasmine.
Mistake #2: You base your pricing only on your time
Charge what you’re worth and not just according to the number of hours it takes you to finish the task. On her website, Jasmine offers a free rate calculator tool for freelance creatives and consultants. If you’re faster than others or provide better service, you should be rewarded for that.
Shift you need to make: “Know your numbers. Consider your experience, talent, market value, and sales goals, and how all of those things can factor into your pricing,” says Jasmine.
Mistake #3: You’re worried because you put yourself out there and there’s no response
Not everyone is comfortable promoting themselves and connecting with people or attending networking events one after the other. If you’re introverted, it’s especially difficult to push past the awkwardness. What if you tried and it isn’t taking you anywhere? Feeling overwhelmed at not getting any responses is one of the most common freelancer mistakes.
Shift you need to make: “Think quality over quantity. Approach the right people at the right time than reaching out to a greater number of people,” says Jasmine. For some, connecting with others or posting links about their service in a targeted Facebook group might bring more results than a networking event.
Mistake #4: Every sale works a little bit differently
If you’ve tried freelancing, you would know that some people DM you on social media, others email you, text you or call you. Managing and keeping track of all these conversations in separate channels can be frustrating and make you feel like you don’t have any boundaries.
Shift you need to make: “Streamline and standardize the process. You need to figure out an intake process that you can repeat and potentially even automate or delegate to somebody down the line. Next, when responding to those who have reached out to you, scripts and email templates will save you time,” says Jasmine.
Mistake #5: You’re doing a lot but you’re not making a lot of progress
A custom design website, multiple Instagram reels, email newsletters, TikTok videos, … Sure, you can do it all, but do you need to? You’re likely to feel like you’re doing a lot but not getting the desired results.
Shift you need to make: “Get out of the busy trap. Really make sure you’re only focusing the majority of your time and energy on the actions that are actually driving results in getting you to know clients and attract more opportunities,” says Jasmine.
Mistake #6: You’re exhausted with all of the outreach
How will I get more work if I don’t reach out to people and tell them about me? Does that sound like you? That’s right, but you’re probably focusing more on how you can chase clients down all the time than making them come to you. And that’s the freelancer mistake to avoid!
Shift you need to make: “Start focusing on building credibility and authority! Anytime you work with somebody, ask them to give you a testimonial or review. When people see others saying good things about you, they’ll be more much more likely to refer you,” says Jasmine.
We hope that with an understanding of these common freelancer mistakes and the easy-to-implement shifts that Jasmine has advised, you’ll approach your freelancer journey differently.
At our Diversity in Digital – All Brands on Deck career summit, we also had digital curator and food culturalist Ryan Hinkson as a workshop facilitator. Check out what he shared on the top digital skills and the mindset you need as an entrepreneur.