Finding Your Feet: From One Freelancer to Another

Before you get agitated, I am not trying to sell you a course. Nor, am I going to outline ''How I Grew My Revenue to $10,000 a Month in 30 Days''.

What I am going to do, with your permission, is share some probably insignificant pearls of wisdom after 9 months as a self-employed writer.

Lord knows it isn't an easy gig. And I am NOT, yet, the Warren Buffet of bid writing. HOWEVER.

Over the past few months, I have hit a stride professionally. I have transitioned from finding my feet to using them, albeit very slowly.

Leads have started to convert, my earnings have tripled in some cases and I feel genuinely stimulated by my work.

So, I thought I would compress the last 9 months into the following article. If you are thinking of becoming a freelancer, or you already are but can't quite catch a break, I want to help you. Now scroll on, please.

The Good

I will try and keep this brief, as I am on a professional quest to cut ALL waffle from my writing. Freelancing is great, for some people.

The decision to go it alone needs to be considered carefully, and it should really align with your goals.

In my case, I wanted the flexibility to work wherever, a higher earning potential and autonomy. If you work for someone, you usually have to chow down on sh&t sandwiches. Calling a spade a spade (a rude client) won't, typically, go down well.

If you work for yourself, the world is your oyster. Look:

• Flexibility (hours, location, holiday)
• Substantially higher earning potential (uncapped)
• Cost savings (transport, mostly)
• Exposure to the global market
• Autonomy
• Independence
• Quicker development of crucial life skills
• Not having to worry about your colleague's opinion after a number two

The Bad

Now, the bad.

Sometimes, it's s^it.

Like, seriously.

Nobody, typically, is going to just give you work. I am yet to find a freelancer who gained a £2,000 retainer client out of nowhere, however convincing YouTube Shorts are.

You have to work tirelessly to put food on the table. Cold emailing, cold out reach, networking, cold calling, hounding people over and over - it's a constant battle to be recognised and get your foot, or pinky, in the door.

This, truthfully, isn't for everyone. It can be physically and mentally exhausting, and you have to be pretty resilient.

I have hit a stride now with client work and prospects. It took a while to get here though, and at times I wanted to give up.

Beyond that, there is always uncertainty around earning security, the availability of work and life stability. This can make planning for the future exhaustingly difficult, especially if you have children or a mortgage.

• Limited exposure to people (Zoom doesn't count)
• Limited job security
• Anxiety around late/no payments
• Irregular income
• Sourcing your own work
• Difficulties switching off
• No benefits (sick pay, annual leave, health insurance, pension contributions)
• No sh%t office Christmas party

Doing It Any Way: My Advice

Despite the negatives, you may still be planning to proceed. You may also be at the start of the journey, looking for fleeting moments of inspiration here.

In my opinion, the autonomy, flexibility and uncapped earning potential make it totally worth it.

What you need to consider before all that, however, is whether this kind of gig is really for you.

To succeed, you need to be able to set boundaries, be a strong communicator, have blind faith in yourself, be highly organised and learn to sell (both yourself and your offer). You need to have confidence, be able to get your hands dirty, be comfortable having difficult conversations and call it as it is when calling it as it is is needed, which it often is...is.

No one is going to approach a client on your behalf when your invoice is 2 weeks late, or submit a CCJ after months of ghosting. That's all on you big boy, or girl.

That is all before you address your offering.

I am a firm believer that with the infinite amount of resources available today, people can do anything they want.

For some people though, the above just isn't viable right now.

Perhaps you don't have the time to invest in skills, or you can't take a gamble when children rely on you. You may even think ''Na, that sounds crap!''.

Honestly, I don't blame you.

It's hard work. And if you can find an employer who treats you fairly, pays you well and offers stimulating work, go for it. Though, in the current market, does that even exist?

If you do fancy getting stuck in, good for you. Here's what I would advise, in no particular order:

• Offer a service that delivers value or solves a problem. In my case, that is bid writing. In 2022/23, gross spending on public sector procurement in the UK was £393 billion. Writing a winning bid for your client can change their life. Writing 2 articles a month for a vanity project (blog) that doesn't rank will not. It isn't all about the money, though. You might be a dab hand at something that a lot of people struggle with. Even better if few people can solve it. Do your research and establish where the opportunity is in the market, whatever market that may be
• Get bloody good at whatever you're doing. Like, bloody good
• Don't procrastinate and spend years building the perfect portfolio. It's a waste of time. Get a couple of great samples and put them in people's hands. Your pitch will do most of the heavy lifting, work on that
• Make learning your highest priority. Read everything you can, enrol in courses, seek advice from successful peers, have your work reviewed, attend workshops and seminars, network and, above all, refine refine refine refine refine refine refine your offering
• Use Linkedin religiously. This thing is a game changer if you use it correctly. Work, advice and motivation can all be found on Linkedin, in absolute abundance
• Pick up the phone. Don't hide behind a computer screen, get your prospect on Zoom and TALK to them. Though they might not always behave like it, clients are people like you and me. Some of them are divs whilst others are great. In either case, being personable goes a long way
• Don't assume the work is going to land in your lap, nicely dressed in a pink ribbon. It isn't. Work on your capture strategy and get after it!
• Look at market averages and speak to your peers when setting your price. This can be difficult and there are many pricing structures, which makes the whole thing difficult. Day rate, project rate or per hour? Honestly, who knows. Each typically arrives at the same conclusion, in my opinion. When you decide a price, be firm. Don't invite resentment by working for less than you think you're worth, and don't shy away from an honest conversation about money
• Work hard, be transparent, try your absolute best, show up and always show gratitude. The work will come, eventually
• Work on confidence but tread lightly around arrogance. If you don't believe you are worth X a month, why is your client? On the other hand, incessantly posting about your £100k month isn't a good look
• In many cases, fake it till you make it
• Pay it forward
• Get an accountant. The stress it will reduce is astonishing
• Get an ergonomic chair. Bit of a wild card, but very important
• Don't ignore red flags. If you have a funny feeling about a prospect, do your due diligence. If it still doesn't feel right, it probably isn't
• Do NOT let the client determine your value. You determine and define your value, no one else!
• Don't justify your value, either. If a client has come to you for help, it isn't really your job to sell yourself, beyond demonstrating competence and compatibility. You're the expert.
• Set firm, clear and fair boundaries from the start. This includes your payment terms, invoicing, the scope of works, deadlines, your working hours (if applicable), your role. Ideally, get something on paper that you can both sign and always keep your client updated. Keep a log of everything, especially if you're forgetful.
• Don't compromise your values because work is scarce. This is something I, and I assume many people, have done in the past. If a client treats you terribly, or has horrible ethics, don't stick in there because you need the money. And whilst walking away is not always immediately viable, work bloody hard on your contingency plan
• Put the likes of Upwork and Fiverr straight in the bin. These two do my head in to no end. They're exploitative and, in my opinion, a waste of time/energy, tempting as it is to write a 2000 word article for $6.20. This may get me in a bit of trouble, but it's rare that serious clients and people use these platforms. They're Tesco Value and you, my friend, need to rub shoulders with Heinz
• Don't work for free, regardless of experience. Just because you are getting started, doesn't mean your time has no value. If a bit of work gets your foot in the door with a worthwhile partner, exceptions can be made. Don't, however, give your time and energy away to people who don't deserve it
• Don't let a bad day pull you down. All us freelancers have them. It's part and parcel of the gig, especially when late payers are rife. The universe has a way of rewarding decent people though, so stick in there
• Become a selective listener. Some people just suck. They'll try and drag you down to compensate for their failures. Other people are well meaning but have peripheral knowledge, at least not enough to give informed advice. You will be told to do this, do that, don't do this, don't post that, speak to her, ignore him, don't read this, don't bother doing that. It's mostly noise, to be honest. If you are staying true to yourself and feel like you are on the right track, block it all out. I have had people suggest I need to be more professional on Linkedin, others suggesting I refrain from discussing certain topics online. But by being unapologetically myself, I have secured a tonne of great work and have a number of prospects on the horizon. Nowadays, I am highly selective about who I turn to for advice
• Resilience, independence, communication, empathy, adaptability, critical thinking, organisation, financial competence, networking, negotiation, humility, creativity, self-control, confidence, leadership, perseverance, self-advocacy. These are all skills that you will develop as a freelancer, not even accounting for the expertise you will gain in your chosen field. And whilst a lot of these can be developed in-house, the rate at which you progress on your own is staggering. View the whole thing as an opportunity to learn and develop these incredible skills, and enjoy the personal and professional growth they drive.

I hope you found that useful! I have met a lot of great people through this platform. I want to offer the same.

If you would like to chat more, feel free to send me a message.

I don't have all the answers, as this article demonstrates, but I am always willing to give my time.