You ask for it, you got it.
My dear fellow digital freelancers, here’s Set #5 of free tips to help you in your online journey.
Your comments in the previous four posts warmed my heart. You inspire me when you tell me I helped you. I promised to continue giving away free tips and a promise is a promise.
This week’s topic is: Things I wished I knew when I began my freelancing journey.
Short bio: I’ve been an online freelancer for 12+ years. Writer, VA, sales rep, appointment-setter, content creator, etc. I’ve been around the block.
Today, I work 20 hours a week while maintaining a comfortable life. I love my rate, I love my clients, and I want you to have these (and even more than me! That would make me proud.)
Now that we had our appetizers, let’s get on to the main course!
1️⃣ Wonderful clients don’t grow on trees.
About nine years ago, after I went past the newbie phase, I had clients who were good to me. I enjoyed a chill life living in a beach town in Thailand. My work hours were comfortable and the work was easy.
But then I did something foolish.
How so? Clients came easy. Life was good. I thought things would always be that way.
I was wrong. I got lazy. I started missing deadlines. I started making excuses.
I took my clients and jobs for granted.
When I quit a great gig that paid well because I didn’t feel like doing it anymore, I soon realized one thing: Just because you have skills and clients are to be found all over the world, it does NOT mean wonderful clients grow on trees.
I then had to start looking for new clients again. It also meant running into people who weren’t as awesome to work with.
I met clients who overpromised and underdelivered. I ran into jobs involving nice clients but work I dreaded.
This was years ago and I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. Now I’m blessed with great clients again. And I will NEVER be that fool who takes these marvelous human beings for granted.
So whether you have those wonderful clients now or just about to meet them, treasure them for the gems that they are.
Never take your job for granted.
Wake up and start the day with gratitude. We are so blessed to be in this industry, especially during a year when millions suffer economically and physically due to covid19.
2️⃣ The sooner you hone your skills, the sooner you get to enjoy life.
I used to settle for a lower wage. I spent my free time watching tv, going out, wasting money, and other activities that added nothing to my skillset.
Sure, I read. I’ve mostly been an avid reader. But there were years when I got lazy and was not putting in the necessary amount of time to take my craft to the next level.
When I became a mom and thus became more responsible, I first had to put in plenty of hours to meet my bills. Because, obviously, the lower your rate, the more hours you have to put in to earn a certain amount.
I decided I was tired of making X amount of $ per hour. I wanted more.
Not to buy things I don’t need, but so I can spend more time with my kids and other loved ones.
Lesson learned: Hone your skills very early on.
This means constant reading and watching content that makes you a better writer, marketer, graphic artist, or whatever the case may be for you.
Yeah, money isn’t everything but it is a crucial thing.
The higher your hourly rate or base pay, the more time you get to spend with people you love and your hobbies.
3️⃣ When you strike gold, hit it hard.
Time waits for no man and change is the only thing that’s constant.
What’s hot now isn’t going to be hot tomorrow.
If you’re making a killing creating logos today, do a lot of it and save money. Just because the demand is high now, doesn’t mean it will be as high tomorrow.
A new technology, such as an innovative logo app, can put you out of work tomorrow.
This is just a theoretical example. Now here’s a real story:
I wrote an ebook six years ago about a particular diet. I then placed it on Amazon and didn’t do any marketing for it. For 2 years that one book that took me 8 hours to write paid me each month without me lifting another finger.
It was fantastic. Money was coming into my account without my having to do additional work.
But this story doesn’t have a happy ending.
Eventually, the demand for the book died down. It reached a point where I was getting zero royalties from it.
What did I do wrong? A big mistake. A rookie one.
I should have written more diet books when the first one struck gold. I should have hired writers to help me pump out more books. Scale the business.
Nothing lasts forever. Maybe Enrile does. But nothing else.
So if something is going amazing for you now, remember the Freelance Fairy is fickle. She sprinkles her fairy dust one day on you, and the next day might transform into a witch as scary as your in-law.
Strike while the iron is hot, as the old adage says.
4️⃣ Don’t be meek. Fortune truly favors the brave.
Don’t be meek when negotiating your rates.
Be realistic, of course, and know your worth. Don’t live in dreamland and ask for $20 an hour when you can’t even be bothered to know the latest developments within your industry.
But I’m talking to you with the skills and work ethics. You know who you are.
Negotiate. Don’t settle for the first offer. Read books and watch videos on negotiation. This effort will reward you all your life.
Don’t be meek when speaking to clients.
Don’t let the fact that you’re Filipino convince you that you’re worth less than someone from a rich country. You’re worth just as much.
It’s hard work and what you produce that determines who’s the better candidate.
For most jobs online, it’s all about skills and attitude. Not the color of your skin.
Enter all job interviews and negotiations with this mindset. It’s 2020. Racism is horrendous. Don’t be racist towards your own people.
Needless to say, however, brave doesn’t equal rude. Play nice with your team.
5️⃣ Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
And I’m referring to both skills and clients with this.
Your client might be the nicest person in the world. But if you have a family to feed and bills to pay, you need a backup.
I don’t necessarily mean a backup client. I know some of you work full-time for only one client. There’s nothing wrong with that per se. But prepare for risks.
Me personally, I aim for a minimum of two clients and a few side hustles outside the online world.
You don’t want to be caught off-guard. Life comes with both petals and thorns.
Be prepared, soldier.
If you want to stick with one client, a backup set of skills would be your safest bet.
For example, if you’re a writer, learn to use apps like Canva. You won’t need Photoshop skills to produce attractive social media posts.
This way, if your client’s business goes under, you get to apply for not only writing positions but also social media content creation.
If you’re a graphic artist, learn Facebook ad management or SEO. Learn video editing.
If worse comes to worst (and covid sure showed us ANYTHING can happen in this world), you have more options should you need to apply for a new job.
6️⃣ Network = Net worth
Make friends with people in the real world and be creative with networking.
Your contacts in the outside world can land you online clients.
Don’t limit your job hunt to Upwork and other similar sites. Think outside the box.
There is no box.
There’s Craigslist job sections (especially Craigslist Los Angeles. It’s difficult to land a job but the pay grade is worth the effort trying) and LinkedIn. Message people you know and ask if they know recruiters or clients for online jobs.
Remember #5: Don’t be meek.
A friend of your former classmate could be an online recruiter or someone in the HR department. You never know.
Point is, every contact is important. Give, don’t just ask. And you’ll be surprised to see how soon blessings can come.
That’s it for now. Thank you for reading and I hope these tips helped.
Learn from my stupid mistakes so you won’t have to commit them yourself.
I write for those who want to learn. And I read the comments to know what tips can help you guys the most.
As always, work hard, wash your hands, and help one another.
And, remember, hard work is one of the very few things you can control.
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I post motivating quotes to help us get through these challenging times. I’ll also be posting free tips for digital freelancers consistently.
