5 Freelancing Mistakes You Will Regret

As freelancers we all end up making a couple of mistakes that we eventually learn from. Sometimes we learn the hard way but it's a lesson well learned.

Given below are the 5 mistakes most of us end up making in our freelancing careers:

1. Charging Low: Anyone who has ever freelanced knows exactly what I'm talking about. While many of us end up accepting slave wages for many projects initially, we must know exactly where to draw the line. Underpricing, up to a certain level is alright, especially when you are an amateur in the field. However charging low gradually will lead the client to believe that your work is of lower quality and that you are desperate. That is why you need to price well and ask for what your work is worth. While building up a clientele is also important, asking for lower charges after a couple of projects will only end up degrading you and your work.
2. Not Getting it in Writing: Don't ever underestimate the power of writing. And that goes for getting all your terms and condition written down clearly when starting a project with any client. Many a times Freelancers end up taking the client's word for something and end up regretting it when the client either point blankly refuses to have made such a claim or changes their mind after you have completed the project. Getting the need and requirements of your client as your own terms and conditions in writing as well will give you a clear cut idea about the project and will save you from a lot of hassle and disappointments.
3. Not Being Clear: Another mistake which most freelancers end up making is of not being very clear. When you make a clear agreement with the client you end up saving yourself major future trouble. Be clear about the requirements from both ends (yours and the clients). As client can sometime end up changing their requirements as they go along, make sure that you are very clear and understand everything before starting work on a project.
4. Being too Proactive: No need to be too proactive when it comes to starting a project after initial contact from a potential client. Serious clients will reach out to you actively and will not hesitate in drawing up a contract. Only the non-serious clients will back out before the project is complete. That can be deflating. That is why make sure that you pay special attention to point# 2 & 3.
5. Losing Client to a petty Demand: Sometimes it is worth giving a discount. If you have a huge project and your client is making an issue about your charges being too high, make sure that you give the client a good discount, instead of losing a client. Making a client feel special by giving them a good discount will not only be good for your business but will also make the client come back. I know that's what I did... With a couple of initial huge projects I offered my clients a small article or two free. This way they pay you what you ask and quit whining about the cost ;)

Sure it's good to learn from your own mistakes but it's even better to learn from the mistakes made by others and avoid it yourself.

Money Matters - The Freelance Rant

Freelancing can teach you a whole a lot about money matters than any other job. Since it rarely provides with a steady paycheck, freelancing helps promote financial responsibility and a more creditworthy saving and spending.

While maintaining a stable income on the freelancing road is tricky business, still there are many who have made good money treading on this path.

Here are 5 Reasons Why Freelancing = better Money Matters:

>> Cut back on Apparel costs: Since working from home means that you can wear anything (be it lounging around in your PJ's all day) you really need not worry about spending a fortune on clothes, shoes and accessories every month. This not only helps cut back on cost as it allows you to wear casual clothing, which is practical and more more cheaper, but it also lets you save up that money.

>> Save up on Car and Fuel: By not going to an office you save up big time on fuel costs and car maintenance bills. You might even entirely give up on a car altogether (if it works for you). That in turn means no car insurance or registration payments etc.

>> No more Extra Expanses: 9-5 jobs lead to stress which in turn leads you to indulge in stress-revealing trips and expensive vacations. But these are so not needed when you are a freelancer because then you become creating a work schedule around your play time ;)

>> Save up on Office-related Taxes: No more 9-5 means no more office related taxes. Now no one can cut back taxes from your monthly payment.

>> Timely Raise: Working as a freelancer means that you get to give yourself a raise when you deserve one. No need to worry about asking the boss for one or feeling subjected to overload of work with the increase in payment. A good raise every year is what you can easily give to yourself if you are a freelancer.

So there you have it... A few more reasons for why Freelancing is All That!

Freelancing Qualms: The Good, Bad & the Ugly!

When your Heart tells you to Freelance,
ask your Head as to why you should?

When freelancing some people imagine themselves as successful businessmen of the future and dream of days their freelancing would lead them to a million dollar deal. As a result, many of them end up loading themselves up with work and getting totally stressed out. Then there are those who just don't know what to do with their lives apart from a few freelance projects they get their hands on. Future for them is an unknown territory, a place where angles fear to tread.

It's true that both overload and boredom can eat you alive, but an experienced freelance writer knows his/her boundaries and understands that in order to get somewhere (anywhere at all for that matter) you need to take things one step at a time. Staying focused is the key and considering freelancing as a significant milestone in your life is utterly important.

Take freelancing as a stage of your life. A 'phase' that helps you learn how to create and manage a balance between work and play. A phase that helps you understand whether you are ready for the long term goals you've set for yourself or realize whether all your dreams were only dreams.

Freelancing can also help you understand and respect failure and success. As a freelancer you will try your hand at what you imagine to be your future business/job, and failure at this point in your life will only help you appreciate the other choices that you might have. So what if you failed as a freelancer in your chosen field? At least you now know that it's not your piece of cake and that you still have other types of work that you can go back to. However your success in that certain area will help you explore your potential and will lead you to newer grounds. It may even pave the way to the perfect future job for you, perhaps something you've always wanted.

Remember: Your freelancing efforts can either be a complete success or an absolute failure. Either way, freelancing will be a turning point in your life. All you need to do is realize whether your efforts were for the good (to hold on), or for the bad (to let go) and therefore become capable of avoiding the downright ugly (the path that leads to nowhere)!

Vacation Virtues - Refueling your Freelancing Life!

There are times in a freelancer's life when s/he can't help but wonder where the day went. Times when you get off your sore bottom and stand up stretching yourself only to get startled when you look out the window and realize that yet another day is over. Then you look at the clock and drag your tired self to bed so that in a few hours you can start work all over again. Humph!

It's true that sometimes, while you are freelancing, your days can just liquidate into weeks and weeks into months before you start wondering where all that charm of freelancing went. Did it fly out of your window? Perhaps not. But it surely slipped your mind, I'm guessing!

Take a Vacation
Yes, work can monopolize you at times but remember the first rule of freelancing? It's called 'being your own boss'. And that's where the entire charm of freelancing comes in. As freelancers we do have an advantage of making up for such tiresome days i.e, by taking a vacation... (and here's the best part... wait for it...) We can do it ANY TIME we want! Three cheers for freelancing! Hip hip... oh well, you get the idea :D

Not only can we take vacations any time we want, and for as long as we want but we also don't have to worry about the 'Leave without Pay' scenario. You don't have to comply to the office rules or get anxious about what your boss might say when you tell him that you want to go away for a whole week.

Even if your work is deadline oriented and you just have to work, you can still go on a vacation and manage both at the same time. All you have to do is find a hotel or stay at a place where a free wireless connection is easily available and happily enjoy the change of scenery while you work.

Isn't that just great? All you have to do is remember that you are your own boss, so make things work your way and while we're at it... won't a vacation be a great way to start this month? Swell! I know I wouldn't mind one ;)

Freelancing Frolics - From the CEO's desk

The best part about freelancing is that you get to be your own boss. You set your own schedule, manage your own timings, respond to your own creativity and are responsible for your own self. Sometimes though, while freelancing, you can end up working for multiple bosses and as a result are liable to a hectic schedule and plenty of deadlines.

At the end of the day however, what matters is being capable of managing your schedule, no matter how hectic, and still finding a balance in life. Striking a balance between work and fun is important, especially if you are a freelancer. Don't let work get you down. You are your own boss - remember? So why not find ways to work comfortably around your schedule and at your ease. Freelancing brings freedom a whole new flexibility, so why not happily use it to your advantage!

My next couple of posts will be comprising mainly of tips that will help you bring back the 'fun' and 'freedom' into your freelancing business. So here goes...

Seize the Moment!
Freelancing offers its own advantages. And while you get a fair share of disadvantages too that can make your schedule unbearable, what matters is how well you can cope and strike a balance.

What makes me appreciate freelancing most is the freedom of it all. Despite the usual busy schedule it's exhilarating to try and seize control of your work and life together. It feels like an achievement to make time for going out with friends, cooking a special meal for the family or just relaxing under to cool shade of a tree in the afternoons while playing with your pet. The best part is that you don't even have to compromise your work for these things most of the times.

Make Your Own Time!
True that work schedule can be quite tough at times, not to mention those annoying and sometimes outrageous deadlines we have to meet as freelancers. But making time for fun really helps boost your enthusiasm for work rather than making it more hectic. No matter what your business is or what you freelance about, remember to find a couple of ways to personalize your work schedule even if it means taking time off work every single day. Interrupt your routine on purpose and do something fun and relaxing. Of course this does not imply taking hours off work every day, but at the end it all comes down to understanding your work ethic.

Fit fun things in your everyday work schedule, whether for a few minutes or for a couple of hours. Stop fretting about how much work you have and learn to enjoy that you have work at all. So make your own unique time everyday starting today and bring back the 'freedom' in freelancing! :)

continued...

Freelancing - The Freedom to Choose!

Why freelance? Because you get to choose what you do. Why choose? Because you have the freedom. Freedom to do what? Freedom to do what you want to do and be who you want to be.

That is what freelancing is all about and what freelancing can give you. You not only get a free rein but also the freedom to express yourself. The great 'freelancing' appeal to many is the freedom of lifestyle and the very choice that is laid before you. But being your own boss isn't all that easy...

While with freelancing you make your own rules and play your own game, a traditional employee ends up under limits and possibly with not much freedom. Freedom is one of the basic reason that lures many into the realms of freelancing. Unbound and unrestricted - It's the place where your creative processes can work at their best and you are able to find your true style. We all seek this path... where we can combine our creative senses and the overpowering need to become our own boss. We desire this essence, we crave this till our entire being screams for us to reach out and grasp the freedom... never letting it go!

Fortunately (or rather unfortunately for some of us) freelancing is not everyone's cup of tea. As freelancing is bound to get overwhelming with time and projects, only those with a true flair and talent for writing actually end up doing this for a lifetime and find a real career in this. The rest of the talentless hopefuls end up... either away from the freelancing world or not doing too well in it.