More things I've learned about freelancing

A few more lessons from 10+ years of self-employment.

Photo by Annie Spratt, via Unsplash

Back in 2014, I shared some of the things I wish I’d known when I first started freelancing. After going freelance for the second time in that year and slipping back into some unhealthy habits, I started re-evaluating my approach and exploring the disconnect between what I know in theory to be effective, and the reality of what my life sometimes looked like in practice. (As Brené Brown says: “a surefooted and confident mapmaker does not a swift traveller make.”).

For a few years, I experimented with different ways of working. For a while that looked like taking on a part-time job alongside freelance work, sometimes full-time self-employment. These days, I’ve found a good place with a mix of standalone writing, editing and proofreading jobs, and longer freelance contracts (usually one to three months) as a digital editor or communications consultant in the not-for-profit sector. This could involve working on a specific project such as a website relaunch or digital strategy, or interim cover where I look after clients’ comms channels day-to-day, including social media management, producing the weekly newsletter, commissioning and editing blogs, and so on.

While some contracts have been more demanding than others, each has brought with it new lessons that have helped me recalibrate what a fulfilling and enjoyable creative career (and life) can look like for me.

My life today looks different from the long hours and overwork that characterised much of my twenties. Stepping away from that felt a bit dizzying and disorienting, and it took a long time to come back to centre and find a way of working that works for me. I’m definitely not claiming to have all the answers, but feel like I’ve built a more solid foundation now, and like there’s a healthier energy behind what I do. It’s less about proving, validation or running away from things, and more about connecting, serving and finding the work that uses my particular strengths and skills. 

Here are some more things I’ve learned about freelancing. I’m writing these down as reminders for myself as much as anyone! 

Be in service to the song

In my spare time, I’ve been taking Mark Ronson’s BBC Maestro course on music production. In the lesson, ‘Serving the song’, Mark says something that really resonated with me, about being open to other people’s ideas in the studio on how to improve a song, and not being too attached to your original version.

I believe in this philosophy as a freelancer, too. Being in service to the work means just this: focusing on making the end result as strong as possible, and being open to ideas that make your work better. It’s being committed to making the best possible thing, and not too consumed with whose ideas or edits you end up going with.

This doesn't mean we don’t stand up for our ideas. Being in service to the work goes both ways: genuinely welcoming changes that improve the piece, and being brave enough to speak up if we feel like something isn’t working.

As a freelancer, it can be challenging to receive a lot of comments on our work. When we feel the urge to push back, I think a good way to tell if we are serving the work or our ego in that moment is to try and look at things objectively and ask ourselves what really works best for the client or project. Which brings us to the next point…

Explain the reasons behind your decisions 

Standing up for our ideas takes courage, but it’s in our clients’ best interest to speak up if we really feel that something isn’t working or can see a better way.

As I said in my original freelance lessons post, there’s a difference between educating a client to prevent them from making a big strategic error (perhaps not making their website mobile friendly or running an ill-advised social media campaign) and trying to enforce your own personal style and preferences.

How we approach these conversations matters, too. 

The best way I’ve found is to politely explain why I believe another option would be the best way to go. For example:

• I like this headline, but think this (alternative headline) could be better for SEO.

• I think this subject line would get a better open rate.

If you have data/analytics to back up what you’re saying, even better.

The more you can professionally present a case for why you believe something is in your client’s best interest, the more likely it is you will be successful.

Protect your energy

When you freelance, not everyone understands that there is more to it than the time spent delivering the work. Accounts, admin, marketing, responding to enquiries… the list goes on. Yes, your schedule may be more flexible, but just because you don’t have client work booked in on a certain day, doesn’t mean you’re automatically free to socialise, help people move house etc, any more than your employed friends! 

This thinking can be so ingrained in us, that it can be easy to forget this ourselves. Saying no can feel super uncomfortable when we don’t technically have something else in the diary to offer as the reason. But, as well as making space for all those other activities, needing time for ourselves is a good enough reason! 

This doesn’t mean never being there to support others, of course. Just that we don’t have to automatically say yes if we’re not doing client work on that day. Practising saying a guilt-free no when that’s what we really mean, even if we don’t have anything else in the calendar, means when we do say yes, we can bring the right energy to whatever it is we’re doing.

For me, booking myself out for five days a week has not really been sustainable energetically long term, because it doesn’t leave enough time for those other aspects of self-employment (including having a life!).

Clients want the best value, not necessarily the cheapest price

Not all potential clients will necessarily understand everything that goes into producing a piece of work, or how much time and skill is involved in delivering what they're looking for. Sometimes you may have to gently explain this when negotiating your rates (or create content for your blog/social channels that dives into your process and helps prime people on how you work), but don’t forget that price and value are two different things. Most clients want the latter, and will be willing to pay more for an exceptional and reliable service, which may well generate savings/returns in the long run.

As someone who has commissioned a fair number of fellow freelancers too, I can attest to this. If given the choice between a more expensive writer who will turn in a piece of work that’s pretty much ready to publish, or someone who charges less but delivers a piece that then needs a lot of back and forth to get it into shape, the former is far more appealing. 

The whole point of hiring someone to do a job is to save time and stress, and if a cheaper provider will then eat into more of the client’s time (that they could spend more productively), it’s a false economy in the long run.

Be a lifelong learner 

As a freelancer, I believe it’s important to never stop trying to learn, improve and evolve, and make the effort to stay on top of changes and advances in your industry. The great thing about freelancing in the 21st century is that there is so much knowledge available at your fingertips, and great online resources, such as Skillshare, Youtube, and online courses, where you can learn new skills or brush up on your expertise from the comfort of your sofa.

Over the past decade, I’ve done lots of self-initiated learning. Some related to digital content and communications (e.g. brand design and SEO), some just following my curiosity (e.g. sound healer training and music production, as mentioned above), as well as learning how to use new platforms such as Squarespace, Canva and Substack. 

A lot of this has fed into my blog and creative projects, but it helps my client work too. In my most recent contract, I frequently used Canva to create graphics for social media. Of course, as a freelancer you generally have to fund your own training, or utilise free resources such as Youtube. But things move fast. While the fundamental principles of storytelling have not changed, the way we tell stories continues to evolve and keeping your skills fresh will stand you in good stead. 

Position yourself 

Your website and content is a chance to showcase the work you want to be known for. Your bio, the content you create, the work you choose to highlight in your portfolio, the language you use and your branding all play a part in helping people understand what you do and who you do it for. 

Rather than feeling like you have to accept any job that comes your way, taking the time to define what it is you want to focus on, what type of clients you want to work with and how you want to spend your days can help you position yourself or hone in on a core expertise. Not only can this clarity help you feel more focused, it can also help others to send you more relevant referrals. Having a clear vision and sense of purpose can also help you keep going through the tougher times and days.

If you’re not sure where to start, don’t panic. It can take time to figure this out, and doesn’t have to be complicated. And the more work we do, the more we start to learn what works for us and what doesn’t.

For more information on this, you might want to read this post on creating a mission statement. 

Don’t build in frustration from the start

Back in my journalist days, I wrote a feature about joint ventures for Growing Business magazine. I interviewed a number of entrepreneurs that had been involved in successful collaborations, and one of the tips that emerged most frequently was essentially, ‘don’t go into a deal where you feel hard done by from the outset.’ The minute something goes wrong and you’re called to go above and beyond (and let’s face it, this is bound to happen at some point), you’ll be frustrated. These feelings can quickly fester into bitterness and cause the project and relationship to break down. 

I think the same applies to signing a new freelance agreement – or any kind of collaboration. Whether it’s the creative direction or you’re negotiating a contract, make sure you’re happy and comfortable with any option you sign up to. 

Also, don’t feel that you have to accept the initial terms offered. There’s usually scope for negotiation, and when you clearly and professionally state what you can offer, there’s a chance this will be accepted or open the door for a better way of working.

Do build in flexibility 

Of course, you don’t always have complete flexibility in self-employment. And as Seth Godin says, part of being a creative professional (rather than hobbyist) means showing up to do your creative work even when you don’t feel like it. But if you wake up inspired to write and don’t have any looming deadlines or reasons not to, other than a self-imposed schedule, I say go with it!

Payment schedules FTW

My first job out of university was accounts assistant at an advertising agency. My boss always used to say to me: “never forget that there’s a real-world bank account!” – which took me a while to get my head around, of course there’s a real bank account – but I soon understood what he meant. Sometimes things can look pretty good on paper, but if the invoices you’re sending aren’t actually being paid in the real world, while the bills keep on coming, the reality can be a very different story.

Later, after I started meeting entrepreneurs as a reporter, I’d always ask about the biggest challenges people had faced in growing their businesses. Managing cashflow came up around 90% of the time. 

It’s just the same when you freelance. If you take on a long project that will involve several weeks of full-time focus and are billing all in one go at the end, then your client takes 30-60 days to pay, that’s a huge cashflow squeeze.

One simple strategy you can implement is to request part-payments for big projects. For example, a percentage upfront and the rest on delivery of the work. It’s not fair for a freelancer to shoulder all the risks of a project. Payment schedules help spread this more equitably between both parties.

Most importantly, do what works for you

You’ll likely hear a lot of people telling you what they think is the best way of working (including me I guess, ha!), but the most important thing is to figure out what works best for you.

The great thing about freelancing is you get to manage your own time and schedule. Becoming self-employed is equal parts challenging and rewarding, but one of the joys of working for yourself is that no one gets to tell you how to do your job anymore. If that means sleeping until 10am and starting your working day later than others – so long as it works for you and your clients, that's completely OK.

Be open to ideas and inspiration, but take what serves you and leave what doesn’t.

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How about you? Is there anything you wish someone had told you when you started freelancing, or any advice you’d give to someone just starting out? I’d love to hear what you’ve learned in the comments below.

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