Being a freelancer is a great way to earn a living. You get to earn a crust on your own terms. You can plan your working activities around your life, rather than the other way around. You can escape the politics, bureaucracy, gossip and relentless micromanagement that you experienced in your day job. However, the habits you develop early in your career can go on to define your working life. And if you’re not careful, you can find yourself overworked, underpaid, chronically stressed and on a fast-track to burnout. In short, you could end up living the exact kind of life that you became a freelancer to escape.
If you want a sustainable and prosperous career as a freelancer, you need to address these 4 reasons why you’re currently overworked and underpaid...
Your online presence doesn’t represent your true value
New clients may well find you through your online presence. This might include your website, your LinkedIn page or even your Twitter account. But if your online presence doesn’t represent your true value, you can’t expect higher-paying clients to reach out to you.
Invest in a professional call answering service. Use a professional to design your website rather than a Wix template. And make sure new prospective clients can easily access samples of work you’ve carried out previously. Make sure that clients can see you’re a professional rather than a gifted amateur waiting for their opportunity to turn pro.
You’re charging too little
You may think that affordability is a USP. But in the world of freelancing it’s far more likely to work against you rather than for you. Plus, there’s always someone overseas who can do it cheaper than you! Trying to undercut your competitors on price means you’ll always have to work harder than them for less. And because you won’t want to risk alienating clients, you’ll be afraid to hike up your prices as you grow in ability and experience.
You’re afraid to let bad clients go
It’s totally understandable that you feel the need to cling to clients. Nobody wants to turn down paid work. But when you shackle yourself to the wrong kind of client, it can result in tremendous opportunity loss. You shouldn’t be wasting your time and energy working to unrealistic deadlines of chasing up unpaid invoices. Part of being a freelancer is knowing when to let a bad client go.
You’re looking for work in all the wrong places
Finally, there are a number of places online where freelancers can find job postings. But the problem with platforms like Fiverr, Upwork and People Per Hour is that the work they offer tends to have crippling effort / reward ratios. These are international platforms, meaning that freelancers in countries with lower living costs can bid on work for far less. As such, clients have come to expect a lot for a little on these platforms.
Instead, try approaching clients directly, forging links with agencies and attending networking events (yes, they’re still happening). You may well find that these options get you a payday that better reflects your talent and experience.