When you’re a freelancer, you never know where your next paycheck will come from. For millennials who grew up in the era of terrible “gig economy” jobs, this can be terrifying.
However, some millennial children have become very successful from freelancing with the wisdom and guidance of their entrepreneurial parents.
These parents have given their kids practical advice for navigating the world of freelancing:
Focus on your first big customer, take social media seriously, learn how to delegate profitably and efficiently, find a mentor and more! Here’s what they’ve taught us about how to make it as a freelancer in today’s hardscrabble job market.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Entrepreneurial parents play a vital role in teaching millennials about freelancing and entrepreneurship. |
| 2. Freelancing is not limited to writers; it offers diverse opportunities for various skills. |
| 3. Having a dedicated workspace is essential for boosting productivity as a freelancer. |
| 4. Health insurance is crucial for freelancers, and knowing the right time to get it is important. |
| 5. Exploring freelance jobs that offer the highest hourly wages can lead to better earning potential. |
1. Take Social Media Seriously
The first thing to do is take social media seriously. It is the way that you will connect with your customers, build your brand, get feedback from customers and testimonials, get referrals and more importantly, make money from freelance work.
First of all, you need to have a business page or an account on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram so that people can find you if they are looking for someone who does what it is that you do.
Secondly, create a profile picture where your face can be seen so people know who they are dealing with when working with freelancers like yourself!
Thirdly, post regularly but don’t spam other users’ feeds by posting too often (once or twice per week should be enough).
And while we’re at it: never post anything inappropriate or derogatory on any platform it’ll just reflect badly on both parties involved…client and contractor alike!
Building a productive freelance career requires having a dedicated workspace. Check out our guide on setting up a dedicated workspace for freelancing to learn tips for boosting your productivity.
2. Focus On Your First Big Customer
If you’re new to freelancing, the first step is finding someone willing to pay you for your product or service. But who?
You may be tempted to start with a large company that can afford an expensive web design project or contract. But as a newbie, these are not the people you should be targeting first (unless they’re willing to take on interns).
Instead, focus on your first big customer: someone who’s willing to pay for your services and offer feedback along the way.
You’ll learn how much money their business has at its disposal and how they decide what projects deserve investment and this knowledge will help guide future decisions about which types of projects are worth pursuing.
Freelancing has expanded its horizons beyond writers. Discover why freelancing is not just for writers anymore and explore the diverse opportunities available in the freelance world.
3. Ask For Help
When you’re a small business owner, it’s up to you to do everything. You don’t have the luxury of delegating tasks or hiring someone else to do something that needs doing. That’s just how it goes when you own a business.
Asking for help is not only okay but also extremely smart you’re going to spend less time on tasks that someone else can take care of while spending more time on those things that only YOU can do (like building connections and relationships with clients).
However, there are some caveats:
Don’t ask someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing! In other words, if your mechanic asks if he could work on your car instead of taking it into the shop, don’t just say yes right away without knowing whether or not he knows what he’s doing!
A friend might be able to help out with minor projects like fixing your computer or setting up Wi-Fi at home but if they aren’t familiar with tech stuff then chances are high that they won’t be able to solve any problems related issues.
This means costing valuable time trying to get things working again before taking them elsewhere for repairs/remediation services (not always cheap).
4. Take Pride In Your Work
As an entrepreneur, you’re going to have to work hard for a long time. But if you take pride in the work you do and show it off, people will naturally be interested in what you have to say. Think of it as a way of collecting feedback from your audience on your creations or ideas.
You’ll find that when people see how passionate you are about what you create and how much heart went into creating it, they’ll respect and care about it more than they would otherwise.
It’s important not only to share your work with others but also to ask them for help when necessary. No one knows everything and even if they did know everything already, there’s still plenty left for them to learn! So don’t be afraid;
Just ask someone who might know something better than you do at the moment how they’d approach this problem or situation yourself (and maybe even ask them why).
Embracing freelancing can lead to a remarkable shift in the way we work. Learn more about why freelancing is the best thing to happen to work in a long time and how it’s revolutionizing traditional work models.
5. Be Honest About Your Strengths And Weaknesses
Most parents are so busy trying to be perfect at everything that they don’t realize they are not being honest with themselves and others about their abilities.
They should know what they are good at, what they can do, what they cannot do, and what they are passionate about.
If a parent is not honest with themselves or others then it will create problems for the child later in life. The child will feel deceived by the parent and may not trust them as much as if the parent had been honest from the beginning.
6. Work Harder Than You Think You Have To
In the early days of your freelance business, you will be faced with a problem: no money. It may seem like you have to stay up until midnight every night just to get your work done and avoid having to go back to your old job or look for new clients.
But if you want this new career path to success, then you must learn how to make the most out of what little time there is in an average day even when fatigue hits hard.
One way that some successful freelancers have found success is by working through their exhaustion (or lack thereof) and making sure they are productive when they need to be most productive: first thing in the morning.
If it sounds counterintuitive after all, we know how much sleep teens need these days it might help to think about it in terms of productivity versus laziness. Working harder than usual can result in more productivity because it requires more effort as well as determination.
And although many entrepreneurs struggle with motivation issues throughout their careers (as do many people), there are still ways for them not only to keep motivated but also to find inspiration along the way:
7. Find A Mentor
When you’re starting, a mentor can be the difference between success and failure. A mentor is someone who has achieved what you want to achieve or at least part of it.
They should also have some experience in freelancing before they become your mentor they’ll be able to offer tips based on what they’ve learned along the way.
When searching for a freelance mentor, look for someone who:
- Has done what you want to do (or at least part of it)
- Is willing to help others learn how they did it
8. Be A Leader, Not A Manager
Your role as a parent is to lead, not manage. You can be a leader without being the boss. Leadership is about influence, not control; it’s about creating a vision and inspiring people to do their best work with it in mind.
It’s about building relationships and a culture within your team that allows for trust and respect so everyone feels empowered to take ownership of their success.
This means both giving them the freedom to make decisions on behalf of themselves or others to achieve goals, and also holding them accountable when things go wrong (as they inevitably will).
9. Be Charismatic And Personable
To be a good freelance worker, you need to be charismatic and personable. To be charismatic and personable, you need to be confident and outgoing. If you’re confident and outgoing, then you’ll have no problem being a good listener.
If you can listen well, then your communication skills will improve over time as well as increase your storytelling abilities which have been proven time after time as one of the most important business skills today.
Once again, if all else fails just remember: “You have to work hard at being charming.”
Health insurance is crucial for freelancers, but knowing the right time to get it can be tricky. Find out more about when to buy health insurance when freelancing to ensure your well-being while pursuing a freelance career.
10. Own Your Mistakes
As an entrepreneur, you’ll make mistakes. You might not know how to do something or you may take on a project that isn’t the right fit for your business. Don’t be afraid to admit it it can help the rest of us determine who we want to work with and avoid in the future!
We live in a culture where people are told they have to have everything figured out and there is no room for error. But entrepreneurs often learn best by failing, so just be honest about what happened when things go wrong and why it happened (don’t worry, nobody’s perfect).
11. Don’t Take Failure Personally
One of the hardest things to do as an entrepreneur is to get back up after failing because failure is personal. But it shouldn’t be. Your biggest lesson in business is that success comes from continuously learning and improving, not from being perfect on your first attempt at something.
If you can learn from your mistakes, and fail forward by trying new things that are different than what worked for other people in the past (or didn’t), then that shows growth and growth is what gets businesses off the ground and keeps them there!
12. permit Yourself To Dream Bigger Than You Think You Can Handle Right Now
You can’t achieve your dreams if you don’t dream big. Dreaming is a vital part of the entrepreneurial process because it helps you to set goals and create strategies, but it also keeps you motivated and focused on what’s important.
All of us have our daily tasks, responsibilities, and obligations but if we don’t allow ourselves to dream about our ideal life (and how we’ll get there), it becomes easy to lose sight of what we’re working towards in the first place.
So permit yourself to dream bigger than you think you can handle right now!
Try not to let fear or doubt get in your way; instead, focus on cultivating courage through repetition by saying “yes” more often than “no.”
For these words to become second nature, make sure that they are present when making decisions about your business or career path:
If an opportunity comes up but seems too big or risky at first glance, ask yourself whether saying yes would be worth it even if things didn’t work out exactly according to plan…
Or even better yet: ask someone else who knows what’s going on inside their head whether he/she thinks this new undertaking is feasible before giving up hope entirely!
13. Learn How To Delegate Profitably And Efficiently
Delegating is a must. If you’re an entrepreneur, you have no choice but to delegate. You can’t do everything yourself you need to learn how to delegate effectively and efficiently so that your business can thrive.
I’d argue that the ability to effectively and efficiently delegate is a fundamental skill of any successful entrepreneur.
So what does “delegation” mean? It simply means passing off responsibilities from yourself onto someone else (your employee(s), your team members).
So that you are freed up from doing some part of the work yourself so that you can move on to other parts of the business or focus on other things entirely.
This frees up time for thinking about big picture strategy and long-term goals for your business as well as making sure all areas are running smoothly at any given moment in time and gives others opportunities for growth by giving them new opportunities within their roles!
14. Ignore The Haters Unless They Make Sense
You’re going to be facing more criticism than ever before when you’re starting. It’s important to keep in mind that people who hate on you are doing so because they are jealous of your success, or simply don’t like what you have to say.
These people won’t change their minds and they aren’t worth wasting time thinking about anyway! If a hater makes sense and has something constructive to offer, then great! Just remember not to take every comment personally!
Discover the most lucrative opportunities in the freelancing world. Explore our guide on what freelance jobs pay the highest hourly wages to make informed decisions about your freelancing career path.
15. Spread Positivity And Kindness Whenever Possible In Every Situation, No Matter How Frustrating It May Be
Even if you feel like you’re drowning in the pool of negativity that is in the world right now, spreading positivity is a simple way to make an impact on your fellow humans. We all know that attitude is contagious, so let’s all do our part to keep the good vibes going!
Smile at strangers or people sitting next to us on trains. Compliment someone’s outfit or hair (or whatever else they may be wearing or having). Make eye contact with people who look sad and give them a genuine smile.
Tell someone that their coffee order is great they’ll appreciate it! When someone asks how your day is going, reply with “I’m doing great!” even if it hasn’t been your best one yet because positivity can spread further than we think!
Be kind and generous with everyone you come across today; don’t hold grudges against anyone just because they did something wrong in the past (but still, call them out when necessary). Remember: everyone deserves second chances!
Take time out of each day today to do something nice for yourself as well; maybe try meditating for fifteen minutes after work while listening to some soothing music such as Enya or Yanni (my personal favorites).
Do whatever makes YOU feel happy today it could be reading a book under blankets while drinking hot chocolate or playing video games until midnight and don’t forget about tomorrow either since tomorrow might bring even better things than today did!
16. Stay True To Yourself As You Grow Your Business And Listen To Your Instincts When Making Tough Decisions
As you build your business and make decisions, remember that you are in charge of it. You created this business because it is what you want to do with your life and your talents, so don’t let anyone else tell you how to run it.
You’ll also need to listen to your instincts as well; they’re there for a reason so trust them! This can be difficult when making tough decisions, but try not to let outside influences sway what’s best for yourself or others involved in the decision-making process.
Conclusion
With the freelancing economy booming and the workforce becoming increasingly mobile and digital, parents who are entrepreneurs themselves may be able to guide their children toward a career path they are familiar with.
Time will tell if this new form of entrepreneurship is just another trend or a permanent way of life for many people.
Further Reading
Helping Gen Z Succeed: The Work Help They Really Need from Their Parents: Discover how parents can support Gen Z in their journey to success in the professional world.
Millennial Entrepreneurs: Advice for the Early Starter: Learn valuable advice and insights from successful millennial entrepreneurs who started their journey early.
Millennials’ Approach to Wealth: Not Just About Getting Rich Quick: Understand the financial mindset of millennials and how they prioritize long-term financial stability over quick riches.
FAQs
What kind of work help do Gen Z individuals need from their parents?
Gen Z individuals often need guidance in choosing the right career path, understanding job market trends, and navigating the professional world. They appreciate parents’ support in decision-making and exploring various work opportunities.
How can millennial entrepreneurs benefit from starting early?
Millennial entrepreneurs who start their ventures early have the advantage of gaining valuable experience, building a strong network, and learning from potential failures. Starting early provides more time to iterate, innovate, and achieve long-term success.
Are millennials focused on getting rich quickly?
No, many millennials prioritize financial stability and work-life balance over quick wealth accumulation. They often seek fulfilling careers, personal growth, and a balanced lifestyle rather than solely focusing on getting rich quickly.
How can parents support their millennial children in their entrepreneurial pursuits?
Parents can encourage millennial entrepreneurs by providing emotional support, fostering creativity, and offering advice when needed. They can also help with financial planning and resource allocation for their ventures.
What are some challenges Gen Z individuals face in the modern work environment?
Gen Z individuals may face challenges related to job competition, technological advancements, and balancing work and personal life. Understanding and addressing these challenges can help them thrive in their careers.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.