You're a new freelancer. What are the most common mistakes you should avoid?

As an expert in freelancing, one of the most common mistakes new freelancers should avoid is not having a contract in place. Contracts are essential for clarifying expectations, protecting both parties' interests, and outlining important details such as project scope, deadlines, payment terms, and intellectual property rights. Without a contract, freelancers may encounter disputes or misunderstandings with clients, leading to potential financial losses or damage to their reputation. Therefore, it's crucial for new freelancers to prioritize creating comprehensive contracts for each project to ensure clarity, professionalism, and legal protection throughout their freelance career.

Avoir un contrat pour un freelance est crucial pour plusieurs raisons importantes, tant pour le freelance que pour le client. Voici les principales raisons pour lesquelles un contrat est essentiel : Clarté des attentes : Un contrat définit clairement les attentes des deux parties, incluant le travail à effectuer, les délais, et les résultats attendus. Cela aide à prévenir les malentendus et les conflits potentiels et les retours intempestifs. Sécurité financière : Le contrat détaille les modalités de paiement, y compris les montants, les échéances, et les méthodes de paiement. Cela assure que le freelance sera payé pour son travail et que le client comprend ses obligations financières.

As a new freelancer, avoid common contract mistakes by prioritizing a written agreement detailing project specifics, payment terms, and deadlines to prevent misunderstandings. Ensure clarity in scope, revisions, and legal aspects to protect both parties. Maintain open communication with clients to address concerns promptly. Protect intellectual property rights and include termination clauses. Establish a clear payment schedule and dispute resolution mechanisms to mitigate conflicts. Take time to review and negotiate contracts for fairness.

Si bien es cierto, los Freelancers no son trabajadores fijos de una empresa, por lo cual es necesario crear un contrato específico que destaque las actividades a realizar, plazos de entrega, condiciones de pago y otras especificaciones que se consideren necesarias. También se sugiere que este respaldado por la normativa vigente para evitar violar las condiciones del contrato.

It's a big one! A contract protects both you and the client. It outlines the work that needs to be done, due dates, payment terms, and rules for making changes. Without one, you could lose your pay, have to do work you weren't supposed to, or get in trouble with the law. My first freelancing writing job didn't come with a contract, and the client kept asking for changes that weren't in our original agreement. It took much longer than I thought, and I didn't want to push back because we hadn't made a clear deal. From now on, I know always to have a contract!

Understanding your service is crucial for effective freelancing. It involves comprehensively grasping what you offer, including your skills, expertise, and unique value proposition. Clear understanding enables you to communicate your services accurately to clients, manage expectations, and deliver high-quality work consistently. It also helps in pricing your services competitively and targeting the right clients. Regularly reassessing and refining your service offerings ensures alignment with market demands and personal growth, enhancing your freelancing success.

Al principio es tentador, y una estrategia bastante habitual: si mi precio es bajo, venderé más y lograré posicionarme. Luego, podré incrementar mis tarifas. Este planteamiento hace aguas por todos lados. Un precio más bajo no garantiza más ventas. Un precio más bajo de lo que corresponda hace que tus servicios parezcan de peor calidad. Y sobre todo, y esto seguramente es lo que más te convenza: No es fácil subir los precios en un periodo corto. Tu comunidad no lo aceptará fácilmente si no consigues que asuma los motivos. Y si construiste tu comunidad alrededor de los precios bajos, no los asumirá nunca. Te toca crear comunidad nueva ... Tú eliges.

When you are just starting out, taking whatever you can get is tempting, but it is detrimental to your career to undervalue your skills in the long term. You should research the usual rates in your industry and consider your experience and competence. When I was working on my first graphic design assignment, I deliberately charged a far lower rate than I should have since I believed that it would assist me in developing my portfolio. Not only did it result in the acquisition of a client, but it also established a pattern of lower rates with subsequent consumers.

You might be undercharging for your services! How do you go about it? The answer is research. - Analyze your competitors' rates, especially those with substantial platform experience. - Understand their pricing strategies to determine your competitive pricing. - Consider your unique skills, expertise, and value proposition when setting your rates. - Continuously reassess and adjust your rates based on market trends and your evolving skills and experience.

One of the reasons many new freelancers are overcommitting is due to low rates, set your rates correctly so you don't need to take on too much work to make ends meet.

As a new freelancer, you might be tempted to outdo yourself. And that's understandable. Because you're new in the industry and you're eager to showcase your expertise. However, here's what I recommend: ??Make a list of your services and set your boundaries. Make your clients aware of the services you render and the ones you don't. It shows professionalism. ??Don't be a jack of all trades. It may be quite beneficial in the beginning of your career. But it's not sustainable.

Overcommitting yourself as a freelancer can lead to various challenges and negative outcomes. It often results in missed deadlines, compromised quality of work, and increased stress levels. Overcommitment may also strain client relationships and damage your reputation in the long run. To avoid this, it's essential to realistically assess your capacity and workload before accepting new projects. Prioritize tasks effectively, learn to say no when necessary, and set realistic timelines for completion. Maintaining open communication with clients about your availability and workload can also help manage expectations and prevent overcommitment. Remember, quality always trumps quantity in the freelancing world.

Desesperarse por ser contratado. Hay quienes en su propuesta de servicios avanzan contenidos de productos, pensando que ello les garantiza más el contrato, y en ocasiones resulta lo contrario (ya no se ocupa el servicio o ya no lo valora igual, si el cliente logra el producto desde la propuesta).

Doubting yourself. There’s a myth that you have to be well established and have years of experience under your belt to be a freelancer. That’s not true. Figure out your strengths and lead with them. Editors, publishers, professionals, etc., they want to give you a chance (for the most part). You just have to do the incredibly vulnerable act of putting yourself out there and allowing opportunities to come your way.

This is not just about dealing with feedback (what kind of feedback was given, why, can you understand this assessment yourself, etc.). Another significant point is to look at your own professional personality. It is knowing your strengths, weaknesses, and working methods. Only then can you deal constructively with feedback, from which you can learn and continue to grow.

Feedback, especially critical feedback, is an extremely useful tool when making improvements. Pay close attention to customer input and use it to improve your abilities and approach future tasks. According to the comments I received from a client early on, my writing was lacking in intensity. Initially, I was defensive, but as time passed, I realized they were correct. I adjusted my approach for the subsequent project, and the client was quite pleased with the results. Now, to continue developing, I actively seek input.

Ignorer les feedbacks en tant que freelance n'est pas une bonne idée pour plusieurs raisons. Sans feedback, il est difficile d'améliorer la qualité de votre travail et de répondre précisément aux attentes du client. Cela peut mener à une insatisfaction client, nuire à votre réputation professionnelle et diminuer vos chances de recevoir de futurs projets ou recommandations. De plus, le manque de communication peut entra?ner des malentendus et des erreurs dans le projet, augmentant le risque de conflits et de résultats insatisfaisants.

Feedback is one of the crucial part of growing as a freelancer. Always try to take negative feedback as a chance to improve yourself, nobody is perfect and everybody makes mistakes, learning from those mistakes is what makes you improve yourself.

Don't rely solely on word-of-mouth or referrals to find clients. Invest time and effort into marketing yourself and your services through various channels such as social media, a professional website, networking events, and online freelancing platforms to attract new clients and opportunities.

Ne pas se marketer en tant que freelance est une stratégie qui peut s'avérer co?teuse pour plusieurs raisons. Premièrement, dans un marché concurrentiel, la visibilité est cruciale. Sans une présence active sur les plateformes professionnelles ou les réseaux sociaux, un freelance risque de passer inaper?u auprès des clients potentiels. Deuxièmement, le marketing personnel permet de construire et de renforcer sa marque personnelle, ce qui est essentiel pour se démarquer et attirer des clients de qualité. Troisièmement, sans effort de marketing, il est difficile de communiquer son expertise et la valeur ajoutée que l'on peut apporter à un projet. Cela limite les opportunités de travail

You shouldn't expect customers to find you by some miracle. You should create a website or portfolio to showcase your experience and professional abilities. Develop relationships with other freelancers and possible customers. It is possible to connect with others and promote oneself through social media. When I first started putting myself out there, I was reluctant. Still, after establishing a professional internet presence, I acquired several new clients in only a few short months.

Un Freelancer debe esforzarse en adquirir nuevas habilidades y capacitarse constantemente, nunca debe dar por sentado el conocimiento que tiene porque a diario hay cambios y nuevas herramientas. Si quieres tener éxito y ser competitivo en el mercado, no dejes de crecer en conocimiento y habilidades.

there are tons of learning opportunities on the internet so keep learning new skills that closely matches with the one you already have; you might get the new perspective on how to do the same thing a different way.

As a freelancer, you are your "employer" -- as you receive payments, remember to set aside funds for taxes and any other expenses that are typically covered by a traditional employer (health insurance, retirement savings, etc.)

Prioritize professionalism in all your interactions with clients, from communication to deliverables. Set clear boundaries to maintain a healthy work-life balance, and consider seeking mentorship or joining a community of freelancers for support and guidance as you navigate your freelance journey.

To add some more points: As a new freelancer also avoid common mistakes such as failing to set boundaries with clients, neglecting finances, not investing in professional development, and not planning for downtime. Delineate project scope and additional work, manage finances with an accountant or software, stay updated on industry trends, and have a plan for finding new clients during slow periods.

5 errores clásicos de un freelancer 1.- No tener un propósito 2.- Tener clientes sin objetivos claros 3.- Trabajar gratis 4.- No saber cuánto cobrar 5.- Decir si a todo cliente Bonus track: Estar desactualizado.

Being a freelancer is like being an employee and employer all at once. You're not just responsible for completing the work, but also finding it and managing it. Finding the balance where you can spend time on the business as well as the work helps massively with growing your business and do not forget to include this time when working out your day rate.