Freelancing is hard. Anyone who tells you otherwise probably doesn’t understand the industry or has earned a reputation as the kind of person who will say anything to make a buck. Here’s what I know for sure though: it doesn’t have to be.
Freelancing used to be my part-time job, but I managed to turn it into my full-time job, and I did so by making changes in my approach. If freelancing is your side hustle, here are some ways you can turn it into a sustainable career that truly pays:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Building a sustainable freelancing career is achievable with the right approach and mindset. |
| 2. Prioritize health insurance and financial security to protect yourself during uncertain times. |
| 3. Embrace freelancing to reduce the fear of missing out on life and regain control over your schedule. |
| 4. Leverage your unique skills, such as copywriting, to establish a successful freelance business. |
| 5. Stay updated with platform changes, like Upwork’s redesign, to maximize your freelance opportunities. |
Set A Monthly Goal For Each Client
The first step to becoming a sustainable freelancer is to set a monthly goal for each client. How much are you willing to make per month? If it’s not enough, move on and find another client who will pay well.
This sounds harsher than it needs to be, after all, the point of this exercise is just to figure out how much money you want your freelancing career to bring in each month. And if a client isn’t willing or able to give that amount, that’s no reason not to take their business!
But there’s nothing wrong with holding out for what you want either; if they’re going through financial troubles and need the work completed right away instead of being able and willing to come hell or high water at some future date then maybe there’s another option out there somewhere else.
Once you have your goals set though: commit! It’s easy enough when things are going smoothly but let’s face it if something goes wrong (like an unexpected bill) then suddenly those initial numbers start looking pretty unrealistic which can lead down dark paths like “I should just quit this job already because nothing ever works out anyway…”
Don’t do that! Those moments pass quickly once we get back into our groove again so keep pushing forward until everything starts clicking again
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Create A Routine For Yourself And Stick To It
It’s important to set aside time each day to work on your projects so that you’re not constantly putting them off or working at odd hours. It may sound obvious, but if you don’t make time for freelancing in your life then it won’t happen.
You can’t force yourself to be productive at all times the brain needs downtime too but you must schedule some uninterrupted hours where you can focus solely on the task at hand.
When I first started out freelancing full-time, I would wake up around 7:30 am and immediately start working until around 11:00 am. This gave me enough time to get my headspace together before starting work in earnest (and gave me enough energy) but also left me plenty of free afternoons for anything else I wanted/needed to do during the day (like errands).
From about noon onwards through until about 5 pm was when I focused most intently on my work; this was also when most of my clients contacted me via email or phone call anyway so it worked well this way!
Pick Up An Extra Shift On The Side
When you’re freelancing, it’s easy to get burned out. You work hard and earn money for your time, but then you have some free time and nothing to do with it. That’s why finding a way to make up for lost income is so important.
Some people choose to pick up an extra shift on the side, which means they work another job or two in addition to their freelancing career. This can be difficult at first because of the added stress and pressure it puts on your body and mind but if you find something that works for you, this may be the best way forward financially!
Others look for other ways to make up for lost income: maybe they find a second job that pays better than their first one (this is often the case when someone has been working at a low-paying service industry position) or maybe they decide that now would be a good time to try something else entirely (like starting their own business).
It all depends on what makes sense given where your interests lie as well as what sort of skillset/experience base already exists within yourself as well as any family members/friends who may know about certain kinds of businesses like barbering shops or small restaurants etcetera…
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Invest Your Time In Clients Who Pay Well
The first step to finding good clients is to avoid bad ones. Don’t waste time on clients who don’t pay well, or at all. If someone doesn’t value your work and doesn’t compensate you for it, then they aren’t worth your time. You have better things to do than working for free.
You should also be wary of clients that offer lower rates than others in the market usually because their expectations are low as well. These people will give you more headaches than they’re worth, and they may not even stick around long enough for you to make up the lost money (and more).
Take care when deciding how much work is appropriate for a particular client; don’t let yourself get taken advantage of by any employer who won’t pay what’s fair and reasonable based on industry standards in terms of salary, experience level, and skill set required by each project type (e-commerce website design vs freelance writer).
Figure Out Your Hourly Rate – Then Raise It If It’s Too Low
The first step is to figure out what you need to earn to stay afloat. Then, raise it by 10%.
This is a good rule of thumb because there are a lot of people who will want to work with you and some of them will be willing to pay less than your minimum rate just so they can try you out or get free advice. If that sounds like something that could happen, then raise your minimum rate by 10% and only take jobs at or above that number.
As an example: Let’s say that your hourly rate is $100/hour (or $1200/day). The next time someone asks how much they should pay you for a project (or offers less), tell them that the lowest possible rate would be $120/hour ($1440/day) but if they’re willing now or later on down the road.
When there’s more demand for their project then maybe we can talk about lowering rates again but not yet since demand isn’t high enough yet but once it does get higher then perhaps we could revisit this topic; otherwise no thanks!
Don’t Settle For Less Than You Deserve
It’s your work, and you should be compensated for it. If you want to make freelancing sustainable and profitable, don’t settle for less than what you deserve.
In my experience, this means: negotiating (even if the client says there is no room in their budget). You have nothing to lose by asking for more money and often a lot more money can be added to your project without significantly increasing its cost or complexity.
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Pick Up Whatever Freelance Work You Can Get
It’s easy to get picky about the projects you take on, and I’m sure your mom would approve if you turned down a job because it didn’t pay well enough. But the truth is that when you’re just starting freelancing or any other career, it’s important to take any gig you can get.
You never know what opportunities will come from those first few jobs and whether they’ll lead to bigger and better ones in the future. Be afraid of saying no later on if something doesn’t work out as expected; there are always other clients who need your help.
But as long as they’re paying cash upfront and aren’t asking for anything unreasonable (no nude photos required), there’s nothing wrong with taking on some small projects while trying to figure out what kind of work makes sense for you in the long term.
Don’t Hit Clients With Surprise Invoices
In the early days of your freelancing career, you’re going to make a lot of mistakes. That’s okay! Mistakes are how you learn and improve. But one mistake that I see new freelancers make again and again is not charging for all their work.
When you finish an invoice or project, it’s tempting to say “Here you go! See ya later!” and move on to the next thing without considering what your time was worth.
However, this can lead to frustration for both parties involved: clients don’t get what they paid for (or sometimes even less), and freelancers may end up working for free or losing out on future opportunities with those clients because they feel taken advantage of.
Instead, always take time before sending off your final invoice or completing a project to assess whether there were any additional costs involved that should be included in the price tag; extra hours spent working on something; travel expenses incurred while meeting with clients; etc.
And consider whether these should be added into your initial quote so that everyone knows what they’re getting themselves into right from the start (or if doing extra work beyond what was agreed upon would fall under an overage clause).
Cut Back On Unnecessary Expenses And Save Money Any Way You Can
The first thing you need to do is cut back on unnecessary expenses. This means no more eating out, no more cable, and no more coffee shop lattes.
It also means you should stop going to the movies (and buying books and clothes). You should also stop buying new technology phones, laptops, and tablets because they can’t last forever anyway.
The second thing you need to do is make sure that every penny of income goes into savings or debt repayment. Don’t spend any money unless it’s necessary!
If your debt payment plus savings wouldn’t allow for food/rent/utilities then I’d suggest cutting down those costs as well until there’s enough leftover from your salary each month for all of those things combined with other necessities such as gas or car insurance payments
Refine Your Pitch And Make It Better
You already have a lot of tools at your disposal to find clients. There are freelancing websites like Upwork and Freelancer, where you can post a profile and start bidding on jobs. You can also reach out to your existing social media connections (Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections) and ask them if they know anyone who needs your services.
Your network with the people you know in real life is another great avenue for finding work. Let’s say that one of your Facebook friends has written a book on starting an e-commerce business but doesn’t have time to promote it or get more reviews on Amazon.
Offer her a discount rate if she lets you do those things for her instead! The same goes for LinkedIn: If one of the people in your network is looking for marketing help with his blog or website but can’t afford much money, offer him some free advice about how he could make changes for better results at no charge (and then send him an invoice).
When it comes down to it, there are many ways that freelancers can find clients beyond posting on online forums or reaching out directly via email.”
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Use automation to keep your sanity intact
You can keep your sanity intact and save money if you automate.
As a freelancer, you’re likely juggling multiple projects at the same time. You might be working on an article or blog post while also writing emails and responding to messages from clients.
All in all, it can seem like there never seems to be enough hours in the day and without adequate automation tools, it’s easy for things to get out of control.
Automation doesn’t just mean using software that’ll help you make more money (though it does do that too). It also means setting up processes so that your life becomes easier and more streamlined overall and this will free up valuable time for things like networking with other freelancers or finding new sources of income.
For example: When I started selling my services as a designer, I set up automated tasks so I would never have to worry about sending invoices again. Now when someone pays me for my work via PayPal or Stripe, their invoice is immediately sent out via email automatically.
Find The Right Websites To Land Jobs
You could spend hours and days on the search for your next gig. But it’s not worth your while to do so if you’re not using the right websites. Here are some factors to consider when choosing a site:
Relevance: Does it fit into your niche? Is the audience large enough to supply enough jobs, or is there a better place for you?
Ease of use: Can you find jobs quickly and easily with minimal effort? If it takes too much work just to get started, then chances are this isn’t the right platform for you.
Freedom: Is there an entry fee at all or any other restrictions that might limit what type of job listings or freelance gigs they accept? Some sites like Upwork charge an application fee just so freelancers can apply for jobs posted by clients who are looking for help on their projects and assignments.
This may be fine if they want someone who has experience working remotely through an online service like this one but if all they need is someone local then why would anyone pay money just to say “yes” instead?.
Plan Ahead And Take Action
It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle of freelancing, but you can make freelancing sustainable and make it pay if you take the time to plan.
Set goals.; You should know what your goal is with every project before taking it on. Are you trying to make a certain amount of money? Or are you just trying to build up your portfolio so that people will hire you for more lucrative projects later?
Take action; Once you have set your goals, take action toward them! If possible, do this by working on more than one project at a time so that if one falls through (or doesn’t pay as much as expected), there’s still something else waiting for payment from another client.
This also helps prevent burnout by keeping your mind occupied with different tasks instead of focusing solely on one task which may drag on for months without any results or income coming from it yet again!
Don’t be afraid to take risks and fail at times too; Sometimes our best creative ideas don’t always pan out how we imagined them when first starting out; however, sometimes they do work better than expected – giving us new insight into our creativity based upon past failures.”
Stay updated with the latest changes on Upwork and optimize your freelance success. Dive into the details of Upwork’s new site redesign to make the most of this freelancing platform’s enhanced features.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been sticking to your goals, if you’re putting in a good effort, and if you aren’t spending more than you earn, then you’ll be able to cut down your stress levels.
Don’t settle – apply yourself fully to your work and watch it pay off. It’s only by focusing on the tasks at hand that we can make freelancing sustainable
Further Reading
6 Tips to Start Making Sustainable Income Within a Year: Discover essential tips to kickstart your freelancing journey and achieve sustainable income in just one year.
5 Ways You Can Be More Sustainable as a Freelancer: Learn practical methods to incorporate sustainability into your freelancing career, benefiting both your business and the environment.
Building a Sustainable Career Out of Freelancing: Explore strategies to build a long-lasting and prosperous freelance career while maintaining work-life balance and financial stability.
People Also Ask
How Do I Know What I’m Worth?
The best way to find out what you’re worth, and how much you can make freelancing, is to test the waters. Take a small project and see how much you get paid for it you’ll be able to use that as a baseline for future projects that are similar in scope.
I Don’t Know Where To Start! What Should I Do?
Start by getting your name out there with some small, easy-to-do projects. You might offer to help a friend or family member with some digital marketing.
If they like the result, they’ll likely be willing to recommend you for future work. Or maybe you could offer to write an article for a local publication on something related to your area of expertise?
How Do I Get Clients?
You can find clients through freelance marketplaces such as Upwork and Fiverr, but these sites tend to favor those who have already established themselves in their fields (i.e., designers). You may also want to consider setting up meetings with potential clients many businesses are eager to meet with freelancers face-to-face before hiring them regularly.
What Are The Benefits Of Freelancing?
You can make your schedule, even if you’re not a morning person. It’s great for people with families or pets who need to be able to work from home.
How Do I Know What To Charge For My Services?
The best way is to ask around about what others in your industry charge or even just look up similar freelancers online and check out their websites. Remember that sometimes less is more if you’re offering something truly unique and valuable, then you may be able to charge more than someone else who’s doing the same thing but not as well!
How Do I Avoid Burnout?
It’s easy to get burned out when you’re working a lot, especially when you’re working from home. But there are a few things you can do to keep yourself from getting too stressed out and burning out completely.
First, try to make sure that you have some type of exercise regimen in place whether it’s going for a run outside every day or taking yoga classes twice a week, try to make sure that you’re getting some physical activity every day.
Second, try to get outside at least once a day for some natural sunlight and fresh air, no matter how much work is on your plate.
Thirdly, don’t forget about the people who love and support you! Make time for friends and family in between all of your projects, so they don’t feel like they’re being ignored by their freelancer friend.
If they see that you’re making an effort to maintain relationships with them despite your busy schedule, they’ll be more likely to help out when they can which will keep things running smoothly at home while still allowing them to feel involved in your life!
How Do I Make Freelancing Sustainable?
You can make freelancing sustainable by having a good income, which means you need to make sure that you’re charging your clients enough. Make sure you’re keeping track of how much time you spend on each project and how much money you’re making per hour.
Once you know how much money you’re earning per hour, figure out how many hours per week or month that equals, and then divide it by the minimum wage in your country. That is the gross income that you should be charging for a freelance job.
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.
