27 Lessons I Learned During My First Year As A Freelancer

I bet you asked yourself this question at one point or another, and if you’re reading this, you’ve been there or are currently there.

But what if we could answer that question for you? What if we could tell you exactly how to survive your first year as a freelancer? What if we could guide you along every step of the way?

That’s why I’m writing this post. It’s because I know some of you are going through tough times right now, and I want to help out. I want to give you hope.

Takeaways
1. Embrace uncertainty and be adaptable in your freelancing journey.
2. Network and build relationships with clients for repeat business.
3. Set clear boundaries to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
4. Learn to manage time efficiently and prioritize tasks effectively.
5. Always communicate openly and honestly with clients and colleagues.
6. Continuous learning and upskilling are essential for professional growth.
7. Emphasize the value you bring to clients to negotiate better rates.
8. Build a strong portfolio to showcase your expertise and skills.
9. Handle rejection gracefully and use it as an opportunity to improve.
10. Plan and save for taxes and other financial obligations as a freelancer.
11. Collaborate with other freelancers for mutual support and growth.
12. Understand the importance of self-discipline and motivation.
13. Always deliver high-quality work to maintain a positive reputation.
14. Manage client expectations and be transparent about project progress.
15. Be proactive in marketing yourself and seeking new opportunities.
16. Stay organized with project management tools and systems.
17. Know when to say no to projects that don’t align with your goals.
18. Seek feedback and use it to improve your skills and services.
19. Cultivate a strong support system of fellow freelancers and mentors.
20. Prioritize self-care and avoid burnout in the freelance lifestyle.
21. Learn to negotiate contracts and terms effectively.
22. Diversify your client base to mitigate risks and income fluctuations.
23. Embrace a growth mindset and be open to learning from challenges.
24. Continuously improve your communication skills with clients.
25. Set realistic goals and measure your progress regularly.
26. Understand your worth and avoid undervaluing your services.
27. Celebrate successes and milestones in your freelance journey.

Surviving Your First Year As A Freelancer 

So here’s my advice:

1. Don’t Worry About It—You’re Doing Great!

The truth is, when you first start out as a freelancer, it seems like there are way too many things to worry about, but you can’t do any of them anyway because… well… YOU’RE A FREELANCER! And that means that the people who have always done those things for you are still there to help out in your new business venture—they just aren’t doing it for free anymore. They’re charging for their services now, which means more money for them and less money for YOU.

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2. Be Patient With The Business

You don’t have to see results overnight. If you’re doing a good job, it might take weeks or months before you start seeing results. Just keep working hard, and eventually, it will pay off!

3. Stay Humble

Don’t compare yourself to other people who are getting work done faster than you are. You’ll only feel bad about yourself and let them down at the same time, so just do what works best for you and enjoy the fruits of your labor when they’re delivered!

4. Grind Really Hard On The First Thing You Write Or Craft In A Particular Project

If it’s not good enough, it’s not good enough, but keep on trying till it is (and then some). Start by asking close friends who can be brutally honest with your work to evaluate it, then ask strangers in the comments—both will help you kick the bad habits that have made your writing suck for so long!

5. Learn To Live With The Stress

People deal with stress differently, but it’s important to remember that everyone can handle stress in their own way, even if that means just taking a break from what you’re doing and doing something else instead. It may not be as important as your work, but it is important—it will keep you sane and healthy.

6. Reach Out

Connect with other people—friends, family, coworkers, and anyone else who will listen to you—because you need their support when you’re down.

7. Make Sure You’ve Saved Enough

It’s important to ensure that you have enough saved up to get you through your first few months of freelancing before you start. This way, even if you don’t land clients right away, or you have gaps between clients, you won’t have to worry about making ends meet.

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8. Get Your Operational Systems In Place

Freelancing is a business, and there are certain things that every business needs before it opens its doors for the very first time. You need a system for responding to new leads and clients; a process for invoicing and collecting payments; a system for organizing your schedule and upcoming deliverables; and a system for managing your finances.

If you have these things set up ahead of time, then when you do start getting clients, you’ll be able to deliver on projects without scrambling around trying to figure out how to do it all at once.

9. Find Mentors Who Can Help You Learn The Ropes

Who are the people who have come before you? What did they do right? What did they do wrong? Where did they struggle? Learning from other people’s experiences will help you avoid making their mistakes—and so will asking them directly for advice.

10. Take Care Of Yourself

Taking care of your physical and mental health is crucial when you work in an office. But when you work on your own, these things become even more important because there isn’t a support system around you to pick up the slack if you get sick or are too tired to function.

Make sure to get enough sleep (I know this is something that’s difficult for many entrepreneurs), eat well, exercise regularly, and take frequent breaks throughout the day to give your eyes a rest from looking at screens.

11. Website Is Everything

No matter how good you are at your job, if you don’t have a website, people won’t be able to find you. When I first started freelancing, I didn’t think a website was necessary for what I was doing (writing). But once I got my site up and running, it made all the difference.

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12. Networking Is Key

As a new freelancer, networking is something that can really help you get ahead in the game. It is important to remember that everyone starts somewhere (I didn’t have any experience when I started), so don’t be afraid to network with others in similar situations as yourself—you never know who might turn out to be helpful later on down the road!

13. Get Rid Of Any Distractions

Distractions can kill your productivity. If possible, create an office space in your home where you can go to work and avoid interruptions from family members or roommates who might not understand what it means to be self-employed.

14. Know Your Worth And Stick To It

This tip is huge. Do not undervalue yourself or your work, or you will never be able to live off of what you make. There are plenty of resources online with advice about how much to charge for different kinds of work, so check those out as a starting point.

15. Never Stop Marketing Yourself

Always be looking for new places to advertise your services and add to your portfolio. It’s tempting to just put it out there and wait for the clients to come in droves, but that’s really rarely the case. Keep adding value to the world around you through your work, and keep letting people know who you are and what you do.

16. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help

It’s okay if you don’t know everything yet, especially when it comes to managing your finances, or legal issues that might arise while contracting with a client. Ask someone who knows more than you, or research it online or in a book until you understand how best to proceed. It is always better to ask questions than risk making a mistake that could cost you a lot of money or time!

17. Learn About Taxes And How To Set Aside Money For Them.

As an employee at a company, your employer takes care of paying your taxes. As a freelancer, you have to take care of that yourself. That means you’ll need to set aside money every quarter so that you don’t end up getting hit with a huge tax bill at the end of the year.

18. Keep A Positive Attitude. Your Clients Will Respect You For It

Your clients will respect you for it. A lot of people ask us how we keep being nice to our clients even when they’re, oh… let’s say… not so great to us. And the secret is this: we know that keeping a positive attitude is going to get us more business in the end—and we’ve always been right.

So many people have written us back after our emails saying “wow, I’m surprised you were so polite and understanding.” Trust us—when you’re polite and understanding and positive, your clients are going to run back to you in droves.

19. Never Stop Learning About Your Niche

You have to stay on top of trends, new products, and industry research if you want to succeed. Staying informed will help you provide better services to your clients and continue growing as a professional.

20. Go above and beyond on every single project that comes your way

It’ll help build up your client base and get you more referrals! Setting yourself apart from the competition is a key part of making it in the freelancing world, so go ahead and blow people’s minds! They’ll be coming back for more before you know it.

Explore how freelancing is reshaping the landscape of the modern workforce in our insightful article on how freelancing is changing the digital workforce. Stay ahead of the game in this evolving landscape.

21. Set Boundaries For Yourself

You know how it feels to be overworked at an office day job—well, you don’t have to deal with that as a freelancer! If you schedule enough time on your calendar so that you’re not overwhelmed, you’ll feel much more motivated to plow through those projects than if you’re feeling like no matter what, it’s just never going to end.

22. Don’t Take On More Than You Can Handle

You’re going to have a lot of stuff on your plate when you start freelancing, so don’t take on more projects than you can realistically do. Make sure that each one is getting your full attention—you don’t want to deliver sloppy work!

23. Build Relationships With Other Freelancers In Your Niche

You’re going to be doing a lot of work on your own, which means that sometimes you’re going to need some support from people who know what you’re going through. Get connected with others in the freelancing community by joining freelancer groups, forums, or Slack channels for people in your niche.

24. Maintain Good Relationships With Clients

When you start out, you don’t have a lot of experience to draw on, so getting good referrals is key. Focus on doing high-quality work and satisfying your clients in every way possible, even if it means going the extra mile.

25. Be As Reliable As Possible

Make sure you hit all deadlines with high-quality work. Your newfound independence might make it tempting to take on too much at once, but if clients can rely on your timeliness and quality, they’ll be more likely to keep coming back for more!

26. Set Up A Workspace Where You Can Focus And Think

This can be as simple as a corner of your living room or as fancy as a fully tricked-out home office. The key is to make sure it’s somewhere you’ll be able to actually get work done and feel inspired, not just somewhere that’s convenient or has good Wi-Fi.

Discover the potential of freelancing in transforming the way we work in our thought-provoking piece on the freelance economy. Embrace the future of work with confidence!

27. Give Yourself Deadlines For Your Milestones

This is the most important thing you can do for yourself as a freelancer: set deadlines for everything that needs to get done by each day of the week, from making coffee to launching new projects with clients. That way, when things pop up (and they always do), you’ll already have time scheduled out to deal with them.”

Wrapping up

In the end, it comes down to this. Do you want to be a freelancer? If the answer is yes, then do it. You can always quit in a year if you don’t enjoy it. The only way to find out what it’s like is to try it yourself. If you can make that mindset shift, having a certain amount of disdain for the traditional working world, then I think you’ll be alright. Just remember this, every day that goes by that you don’t regret being a freelancer is a good one. And there will be plenty of those days.

Further Reading

10 Lessons I Learned in My First Year of Freelancing: Discover valuable insights and lessons from a freelancer’s first-year journey, gaining practical tips and inspiration for your own freelance career.

What I Learned in My First Year as a Freelancer: Explore the experiences and discoveries of a freelancer during their initial year, learning from their successes and challenges to enhance your freelancing path.

8 Lessons I Learned in My First Year of Freelancing: Dive into the journey of a freelancer’s first year, gaining unique insights and lessons that can benefit your own freelance career.

People Also Ask

How Did You Get Your First Client?

When I went full-time freelance, I already had a part-time job as a content writer for a small business in Newyork. My boss knew that one day soon I’d probably want to go full-time freelance so he actually encouraged me to start taking on more work from my freelance clients outside of my job.

What If I Don’t Know What Kind Of Freelance Work I Want To Focus On?

It’s totally normal to not know exactly what kind of work you want to be doing from day one! As you begin your journey into freelancing, you’ll start seeing all kinds of opportunities come your way, and those may spark new ideas for how to make a living in this exciting field.

How Do You Deal With The Loneliness Of Working From Home?

That’s a great question! It can be tough to adjust, but we’ve got a few tips to help. First, make sure you’re taking care of yourself and your mental health.

Even though you’re not all together in an office, it’s still important to talk things out and share your feelings, even if that means talking to a therapist or counselor. Make sure you are prioritizing the time you spend with others—even if that means scheduling events like happy hours or dinners so you don’t forget to prioritize them.

How Do You Survive Your First Year As A Freelancer?

Tons of people ask me this question, and I get it—it can be really tough to go out on your own. But the truth is, if you’re ready, you can do it! And if you’re not ready, just give it a little more time.

Why Should I Consider Freelancing?

If you’re tired of working on a cubicle farm, sitting through mind-numbing meetings, and feeling like your boss doesn’t listen to you, maybe it’s time to consider freelancing.

What Should I Do Before I Become A Freelancer?

You should spend some time thinking about the goals you have for freelancing. Do you want to create a steady income stream for yourself? Do you want to get out of the 9-to-5 grind? Or are you just looking for a way to make some extra money on the side?

How Do I Know If Freelancing Is Right For Me?

Are you good at what you do, and are people willing to pay for your skills/products/services? Do you work well with clients? Do you have the means to market yourself and find work? If so, then freelancing may be right for you!

How Much Money Should I Have Saved?

That’s the tricky part, isn’t it? Well, the answer is… it depends! You’ve got to consider how much money you make and how much money you need to cover your cost of living. If you’re really good at managing your income and expenses, maybe you can get away with less cash on hand. But if not, it might be better to err on the side of caution.

What Are Some Good Ways To Get Clients?

There are a lot of ways to get clients when you’re just starting out. In fact, since you have zero experience as a freelancer, it can be hard to know where to start looking for clients. If you’ve worked in a particular industry before, try reaching out to former colleagues on LinkedIn.

If you’re branching out into a new field, try posting on forums related to the work you want to do or even using sites like Upwork or Fiverr to connect with customers who need the services you offer.

What’s The Best Way To Manage Your Time?

Managing your time is key when you’re a freelancer. Your workday will require discipline and focus which might be hard at first if you’ve been working in an office before. Do whatever it takes: set alarms on your phone every hour reminding yourself not to spend too much time on social media.