5 things I've learned from a year of freelancing.

It was a year ago when I left my job at 亚马逊 and started working as a freelancer using Mylance platform as a first stop to build my profile and reach out to clients.

In short: it was tougher than I thought, with numerous ups and downs but definitely with more downs. I probably made all of the rookie mistakes of somebody starting this type of a journey: I was way too optimistic, I was spending too much money on non-essential things and was not entirely prepared for the hardships the journey might bring.

On the other hand it was a year of learning (real on-the-job learning), networking and evaluating some of the assumptions I had. There are some things that I consider assets for the next steps on that journey:

1. I've started two companies, and at the moment starting the third one
2. I've started this newsletter which has almost 700 (!!!) subscribers
3. I've forged some great partnerships which I'm taking with me

Five lessons that I've learned the hard way freelancing the past year

1. The optimists die first - hope for the best but be ready to face the reality as it is
2. For most of the people you encounter down the road you're worth literally the amount they can get from you, and they're determined to get it - don't spend easily
3. Network relentlessly
4. Don't be afraid asking for help - the odds of getting it without asking is a round zero. You're risking nothing.
5. It is probable that your initial plan "a" will turn into plan "b","c" and "d". Be flexible and accept agility as your "new normal".

The optimists die first - hope for the best but be ready to face the reality as it is

One of the hardest moments during that year were disappointments. It happened to me at least a couple of times: I was sure that a client will accept my proposal or that he will at least offer me something. Instead "Thank you for you offer, however..", "Sorry Wojtek but we decided to...".

At some points I made a mistake of literally "hanging" on a belief that this is the one moment, so the pain of defeat was multiplied.

To put it in the words of Jim Stockdale (Stockdale Paradox):

“This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might?be.”

For most of the people you will encounter you're worth literally the amount they can get from you - don't spend easily

Be extremely cautious about spending money. In particular on any sorts of:

1. Paid webinars
2. Paid courses on "magic" (selling magic, networking magic, building company magic)
3. Paid content/upgrades/apps
4. etc.

Put it simple: there are no easy ways or shortcuts to start selling, to building your audience in social media or to start making money out of thin air.

Be aware of the dangerous words:

"The course pays for itself"

"We have only one place in the cohort left"

"We have a 100% satisfaction rate"

At the end of the day it will be you who needs to bring money on those investments back. Absolutely no one else but you.

Network relentlessly

Networking is going to one of your main and key activities the minute your decide you want to be a freelancer.

But what do you need networking for in the context of gig-searching?

For the short answer: "to help you reach out to people beyond your immediate friends and colleagues when looking for a new job."

The entire story behind it comes in the study conducted by researchers from Stanford, MIT, Harvard, and Linkedin itself.

The greatest place to network is obviously LinkedIn . Having a great profile, large network there is one thing that I recommend investing in. But don't pay too much for coaching - start with $150 for Justin Welsh 's Operating System - it's great and absolutely enough.

Then go out of the building and start network - grow your network, write messages, propose short calls. One red line - don't start conversation with selling! It never works, it's just bad.

Don't be afraid asking for help - the odds of getting it without asking is a round zero. You're risking nothing.

Asking for help has always been difficult for me. A sign of weakness. Still - asking for help is essential for getting things done. It's about searching allies in a hostile world and getting people aligned with you're own goals.

Asking for help plays an important part in Stanford professor Jeffrey Pfeffer 's playbook of getting powerful.

Asking for help is something people often avoid. First of all, it's inconsistent with the American emphasis on self-reliance. Second, people are afraid of rejection because of what getting turned down might do to their self-esteem. Third, requests for help are based on their likelihood of being granted. The problem is that people underestimate the chances of others offering help.

It took me a while before I started sending out messages, especially to my 1st degree connections. Nevertheless - it works. It got me some of my first leads, direction but also - a sense of comfort that any freelancer needs.

It is probable that your initial plan "a" will turn into plan "b","c" and "d". Be flaxible and accept agility as your "new normal".

Despite the "hoping for the best", "doing stuff by the playbook", "working hard", etc., etc. It's more than probable that things will go in the other direction than you wish.

1. Lack of clients
2. Lack of paying clients
3. Lack of clients in a pipeline
4. Rapidly decreasing pile of money you started with
5. Initial optimism turning into desperation

Freedom which comes with freelancing also comes with all the responsibilities you didn't need to worry when working full-time. No clients - no money, and therefore no paycheck.

Being flexible also means that you need to be ready for lowering expectations: accepting business going not a smoothly as you'd wished and accepting lower income than you planned or had before.

The truth is that as you start freelancing and therefore start being entrepreneur - it is really blood, sweat and tears.

At the very beginning the odds of succeeding are most probably against you and the night is definitely darkest just before the dawn.

Confronting that was probably one of the hardest lessons that had to learn during the past year.

Conclusions

I've been freelance consultant since the beginning of July 2022. Doing that for the past year has given me enormous experience and let me built a truly global network - from Jakarta to San Francisco.

I decided to write down those lessons because they the ones that I wished I'd knew when I was starting myself. I will repeat them once again:

• The optimists die first - hope for the best but be ready to face the reality as it is.
• For most of the people you encounter down the road you're worth literally the amount they can get from you, and they're determined to get it - don't spend easily.
• Network relentlessly.
• Don't be afraid asking for help - the odds of getting it without asking is a round zero. You're risking nothing.
• It is probable that your initial plan "a" will turn into plan "b","c" and "d". Be flexible and accept agility as your "new normal".

If you are at the beginning of a similar journey yourself - feel free to contact me anytime. I'll do anything I can to help.