Is Freelancing Hard? It Doesn't Have to Be!
How to set your freelance business up for success.
Conventional wisdom says freelancing is hard. Never-ending hustle, unreasonable clients, low-paying work. I spent most of my life thinking that freelancing was for people who couldn't get a full-time job. Now, I know better. Many, many people opt for a freelance career because of the freedom and flexibility freelancing offers.
Working in a toxic environment or for an employer that doesn't value you is also hard. Choose your hard.
It can be hard if you don't have a freelancing plan. There are a lot of things you can do to set yourself up for success. Even if you can't do all of these things on day 1, you should have a plan to get there.
Think like a business owner
As a freelancer, you're running a business (even though it's a solo business!). One of the biggest mistakes freelancers make is being too passive. They don't set up processes and systems to make work easier/better. They let clients strong-arm the relationship. But you are in control.
Look at a lawyer or a small law firm, for example. When you hire a lawyer, you're paying them for their expertise. They are an independent business that runs on client work. And while you're hiring them to meet your desired outcome, you're not "in charge" of the relationship.
It's the same with freelancing. You are the center of your business, not your clients. While clients hire you, you don't work for them in the same way that you work for an employer.
That means you need to set boundaries. A lot of this happens in your contract with your clients, but you should also set boundaries around communication. Don't feel pressure to respond immediately, or to deliver work outside of the scope of the project.
Remember, clients are hiring you because you are the expert. You're providing a service to them.
Create a client acquisition stream
One of the hardest parts about freelancing is unpredictable and irregular income. Freelancers struggle with this a lot. The "feast or famine" cycle is real: you'll have a ton of work one month, and then suddenly find yourself without any clients.
Yes, you need to consistently work to get new clients, but it doesn't have to be a hustle. Most freelancers I know who are burned out by client acquisition are sending hundreds of cold emails/DMs. Or they're replying to freelance job postings. But both of those tactics are losing their effectiveness. It's nearly impossible to cut through the "noise" of people's inboxes.
Instead, you should focus on client acquisition tactics that lead clients to you. When I first started freelancing, I leaned heavily into my network. Friends and former colleagues were willing to refer me to potential clients, or even hire me. But, I also had a 15-year corporate career before I started freelancing, so I had a large network. If you're earlier in your career, you might not have a network yet (though you should definitely try to build one, like by joining an online community).
You should also promote yourself. There are ways to do this that don't feel cringe. I publish on LinkedIn, but rarely in a sales-y way. Instead, I talk about topics I care about. I also spend time connecting to people and commenting on posts, to grow my network.
If social media makes you feel squeamish, consider other ways to promote yourself. You can offer a guest post to an online publication, or appear as a podcast guest. Both of these are ways to get in front of potential clients.
The thing to keep in mind is consistency. Spend time on client acquisition even when you don't need new clients. If you wait until you need clients, it's too late — it could take weeks or months to find a new client. If you spend time on client acquisition every week, you can maintain a steady pipeline of potential clients.
Stabilize your monthly income
You can't control the cash inflows of your client work (unless you're on a long-term retainer). But you can smooth out your monthly income in other ways.
When I have a "feast" month, I put money aside in a savings account. When I have a "famine" month, I draw from that savings account. That way, I'm maintaining a relatively stable freelance income — even if my client work is less stable. I also look at my projected monthly income in different scenarios: what is the minimum I need to earn, what is the average I earn, and what does a great month look like? With these numbers in mind, I know how much to put into or take out of my savings account.
You can also stabilize your cash by diversifying your income streams. I've never worked with one or two clients on a retainer. For me, that feels too risky. If the client suddenly decides to stop working with me, it's a huge hole in my income. Instead, I opt to work with a lot of clients on smaller projects. Clients also like this business model. It's easier for them to say "yes" when they're not locked into a long-term commitment.
Anna Burgess Yang
Stand out from other freelancers
If you search for "B2B freelancers" on LinkedIn, you get about 1.9 million results.
There are a lot of criticisms to niching down, like that it limits potential opportunities. I take the opposite view. When you niche down, you stand out. You're perfectly aligned with clients that need your specific skillset. You may not be able to niche down immediately, but you can work toward this goal over time.
My LinkedIn headline starts with "Freelance Fintech Writer." Fintech is my niche, and this headline clearly shows potential clients what I do. You should also highlight work within your niche in your freelance portfolio. In the beginning, my portfolio featured any client work, but over time, I've narrowed it down to the best work within my niche. (Tip: make sure your contracts include the right to publish the work in your portfolio.)
Another way to stand out is to promote yourself. Most freelancers don't. In fact, only about 1% of LinkedIn's users share content weekly — across all users. If you share consistently, you'll stand out from the pack. Potential clients will remember you when they need freelance help.
Price your work appropriately
Freelancers burn out fast and hard when they have to deliver a ton of work just to pay the bills. And if you're constantly delivering client work, it's hard to work on other parts of your freelance business, like client acquisition or building systems to support freelance project management.
Freelance pricing is really hard to figure out, especially when you're first getting started. You don't know what clients are willing to pay. One way to find out is to increase your rates steadily with every new client you sign. Assuming you're targeting the right clients, you'll eventually find a sweet spot for pricing. And the more you develop a niche, the more you can charge. Clients will pay a premium for an expert freelancer.
Raising your rates has two outcomes (both good). You'll either earn more per month, or you can earn the same amount per month by working fewer hours as a freelancer.
Maintain your work-life balance
In a survey by FlexJobs, 62% of respondents said that work schedule flexibility is one of the main reasons they freelance.
Remember, you're in control. Don't apologize for business decisions you make. You can work non-traditional hours. I'm often writing at 5:00 am, because it fits with my body's natural rhythm. You can work around other obligations, like family or volunteer work.
But the freedom to work whenever and wherever often leads to overwork. In addition to setting boundaries with your clients, you have to set boundaries for yourself. Otherwise, you'll feel like you're working all the time. For example, you can tell yourself that you'll stop working when your kids get home from school. Or you can commit to not working on the weekends.
Freelancing doesn't have to be an uphill battle. These recommendations are all related. If you put yourself in control of your business and have a steady stream of well-paying clients, you'll have a lot of flexibility with your work.
Freelance pricing is incredibly opaque, but I’ve created a free resource for fellow writers. It outlines my rates, how I think about pricing, and how my pricing has evolved over time.
