10 Lessons I Learned from 10 Years of Full-Time Freelancing

This week marks 10 years that I’ve been a full-time freelancer.

I was a side hustle freelancer from 2006 through 2013, always taking classes about how to freelance, reading books, and honing my skills before and after my full-time editorial jobs.

I did it for extra money but also because I had some fears about the publishing industry and keeping my writing skills sharp while covering a variety of topics for different editors gave me a small sense of peace.

It was a good thing I did because when I got let go from my full-time job at Prevention magazine in 2013, I wondered if I should really give this “freelancing thing” a shot. I’m so glad I did.

If any of you reading this have recently been laid off from a full-time position, I understand how it feels. I hope you’re able to find another opportunity soon that brings you joy and a sense of fulfillment.

Over 10 years, I learned a lot and made plenty of mistakes in my freelance business. Here are 10 lessons I learned about running a freelance business that will hopefully save you some of the trouble.

10 Things to Think about If You’re Considering Being a Full-Time Freelancer

1. Don’t try to do this without savings in your bank account.?

If you are considering taking the plunge and leaving your full-time job to embark on a full-time freelance career, have a savings safety net. Although I didn’t think I was truly “financially” ready to live on my own in Manhattan on a freelance salary, I had about three months of living expenses in my savings that gave me the confidence to give this career path a try.

2. Know your finances.?

Yes, I’m piggybacking on the first tip but in order to run a successful business, you have to know what your expenses are, how much you need to earn each month to pay those, how much you need to put away for taxes, if you can afford to save for retirement, and what you need to have stashed away for slow months and seasons. Having these details will help you set freelance rates and decide which projects are a good fit for your business.?

3. Create some structure around your day and week.?

Even though I’ve been pulling in a full-time salary freelancing since 2013, I worked a part-time job in an office for four of those years. Having somewhere I had to be on certain days of the week ensured that I was organized and efficient with my time when I worked on freelance assignments from home. Having somewhere to go (even a remote office or a standing working session with a friend) can help combat the loneliness of working from home and by yourself. Creating some structure around your days will help you work smarter, not harder.

4.?Find a community and friend you can bounce ideas off of.

I love the growth of online freelance communities that have emerged in the past 10 years. I’m on several free Slack channels and participate in or simply read some Facebook group posts in order to feel connected to others. That being said, I think it’s helpful to have a trusted freelance friend you can reach out to when you need to run a freelance rate by them, get a vote of confidence or just rant about a tough client.

5. Get comfortable promoting yourself.?

Although it’s said many writers and creatives tend to be introverted, in order to build your freelance business (or any business), you have to get comfortable with promoting yourself, your skills, your work, and letting others know how you can help them. This is part of “marketing” and if you don’t do this; you won’t last long in this business.

6. Keep reading, learning, and sharpening your skills.?

One of the hardest parts of working for yourself is that you still need to keep up with the latest tools, programs, apps, systems, and trends that your clients are going to want you to know. If you were a traditional employee, you might have a training session on a new platform or a colleague would show you the ropes. Freelance business owners who are able to stay relevant for a decade or longer need to constantly brush up on new tech as well as know the trends and news in their industry. Carve out time for this in your business.

7. Learn how to up-sell your services.

While it’s good to be known for certain skills and have experience in specific freelance niches that clients come to you for, make sure they know about other services you offer. Perhaps you’re helping a new client with their blog posts and content strategy but also have experience writing social media ad copy, newsletters, or editing website copy. Letting your client know about these additional services is how you can earn more money without needing to go through the hassle of finding another client.

8. Create different streams of income.?

One of the reasons I thought I didn’t want to be a full-time freelance writer is that I didn’t want to write for eight hours a day, five days a week. In 10 years, I don’t think I ever spent more than six hours “writing” in a day. In order to diversify my freelance business, I work on editing and consulting projects as well as sell e-books, digital products, run courses and offer coaching services. It keeps things interesting for me and prevents writing burnout. Think of ways to sell your knowledge and experiences in order to earn more money that isn’t dependent on a client’s budget.

9. Don’t dwell on mistakes.

Athletes are trained to move past a bad play or a mistake very quickly. They need to focus on the next few seconds and minutes in order to turn things around and move forward in their sport. As a freelancer and small business owner, you need to do that as well. Know that as a creative professional, people are going to occasionally have negative comments about your work and you’re going to be edited and need to work on revisions. It’s part of the job. Some days it’ll feel more personal than others. Take a breath, go on a walk, move on. Don’t bring previous client baggage into your next assignment. (What I wish I knew about freelancing five years ago.)

10. Build relationships.?

One of the ways I’ve been able to keep my freelance business running for a decade is that I stay in touch. I use LinkedIn to stay in touch with previous colleagues and clients. I check in with editors and writers to see how they’re doing. If a client is looking for a freelancer with a specific skill that I don’t have, I try to refer them to someone in my network. Building and maintaining relationships is crucial in order to have a long career as a freelancer.

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Need some help with your freelance career? Get in touch!

I also have an opening for two new clients this spring. Reach out if you need some content help.