“Success in life comes to those who simply refuse to give up.”
For a freelancer, success is like the ray of light at the end of the tunnel. You cannot reach it without passing through the darkness. When I decided to freelance, I didn’t know where to begin. Until I discovered the way to cherish the perks, freelancing seemed terrifying to me.
Success to me is –
S – Seeing your objectives
U – Understanding your shortcomings
C – Clarifying your thoughts
C – Creating a positive environment
E – Emphasizing improvement
S – Sticking to your path
S – Setting aside time for yourself
The 10 Levers For Becoming A Successful Freelancer
1. Excel In Communication
Communication in freelancing is different from other professional interactions. Here most of the recruiters won’t meet you in person or have your resume in front of them always. Knowing when to tell, what to say, and how to say is what we call the art of communication, and those who have mastered it could taste success much sooner.
Quick Tips –
- Always respond to a client within 24 hours. Spread business through word of mouth
- Agree to disagree. Don’t agree with the client if you have a different opinion. Sort it out beforehand
- When you refuse a client, end the conversation on a positive note like “would love to do further works for you”/ “please feel free to communicate anytime if you need”, etc.
- When you accept an offer, discuss the tidbits of the job with the client. Ask questions, educate the client about your skills, and agree on a plan before you start working on it.
2. Be creative
Tap into your creative soul. As a freelancer, you are competing with millions of professionals globally, and you have to stand out from the others to make a difference. Use your imagination, read and research more, try to put in something new every time. If you have a passion for something (like I have for crafts), use them in your work where you can.
Quick Tips –
- Set aside 30 minutes daily for letting your thoughts wander. Note down any good idea that comes to your mind and discuss with the client if (and how) it can be incorporated in the work
- You already have the talent. All you need is putting the efforts in the right place, and success will be waiting at your doorstep
- Create unique content. Even though you can get all the information online, don’t rely just on them. Use them, but also try to input something that has never been told before
- Keep nurturing your creative passions. Be that music or art or sports, make sure you can dedicate time to them. The creative process will help in gathering more positivity and organizing your thoughts.
3. Socialize
Studies indicate that lack of social interaction makes way for loneliness and reduces productivity.
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Meet your friends and go out for day-outs or evening parties. Spend some time de-stressing yourself with friends and family where you are not thinking about work. On the other hand, staying in touch with communities inside the freelancing arena is also helpful. By joining communities and groups, you can gain awareness of the difficulties that other freelancers like you are facing and talk about overcoming them effectively.
Quick Tips –
- Meet friends, call them home or go out with them at least once a week
- Spend time with your family often
- Join freelancer communities. You can find plenty of them via your LinkedIn and Facebook accounts
- Attend freelancer meetups where you can chat, learn, and discuss the good and bad of freelancing
4. Value yourself
Success is a reward, not a result. You have to keep putting in your best to get the best out of it. And the only way to get it is hard work and dedication. If you have the talent, if you are diligent, if you are in control of yourself, and you know that your work is worthy of the client’s time and money, you are already headed towards the road to a long-lasting and successful freelancing career.
5. The STAR Method
A simple formula for succeeding as an independent freelancer is the S-T-A-R method, an acronym for –
- S (Situation) – Analyze the situation – what your client wants, what are your skills, and how they both match
- T (Task) – Be task-oriented. Work hard, be solution-focused, and try to reach targets before the deadline
- A – (Action) – Take the right actions at the right time. Communicate when required, walk away when you have to, and dedicate yourself to accomplishments
- R – (Results) – Aim for successfully completing every project that you take up. Successful freelancers do not consider quitting or leaving the job as an option ever.
6. Assess And Note
Start this today, if you already haven’t. Practice making notes of everything important going on in your life – that may or may not be related to your work. Acknowledge your skills and shortcomings and focus on what you can improve. You can take a career assessment for this. Go for personality tests like the 16PF Personality Assessment or the EPQ (Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire) where you can get detailed knowledge about your aptitudes and suitable jobs for you. Make a compliment chart for yourself where you note down all the wonderful reviews that you have received from clients so far. Use it as a reminder to keep up the good work and positive spirit.
7. Motivate Yourself
Derive motivation from everything around you. Start your day with positivity – wake up early, workout and meditate, eat healthy, and follow a plan. As I mentioned in my previous article on Overcoming Loneliness As A Freelancer, work outside sometimes. Refresh your mind as often you need to. When you see your motivation failing, call a friend, have a heart-to-heart conversation with someone you trust, and instill hope in yourself again and again.
8. Have A Plan
You can’t succeed simply by jumping into the work. As I mentioned above, planning is the key to achieve reasonable success over time.
Make weekly schedules, you can use smart applications like Any Do , Google Tasks, or Evernote for this. Create tasks in your calendar and strike them once you have completed them. Discuss the timeframe and deadlines with your clients before you start working on the project. Planning your day and your work not only saves you time and unnecessary stress, it is also a subtle way of conveying your reliability as a freelancer to the clients.
9. Focus On The Positive
You know where you need to be one day, so center around what you can do now to wind up there. Don’t begrudge what you couldn’t become. Freelancing is another name for endless opportunities where nothing but your work matters. If you have a steady client base, focus on maintaining the relationships with them. Learn from failures and aim for achievements. Stick to your plan and try to make progress each day. Focusing on the positive track will let you –
- Approach long-term success in your freelancing business
- Reach your targets sooner
- Appreciate your efforts and stay motivated
10. Manage Finances
We can’t deny that ‘Money matters’. If you have taken freelancing as your profession, start saving money and isolating funds. You may have earned thousands of dollars, but you will always feel broke when you have saved nothing from it. Having a good amount of funds saved for yourself brings a feeling of settlement and allows you to plan your life prudently. There are millions of freelancers who take care of their bills and their family, only because they have managed their finances well.
Quick Tips –
Split your earnings into three parts – expenses, taxes, and savings. It may not be the best way but is definitely a good start, and it works for me.
In A Nutshell
So there you have it, the ten simple and yet awesome tips to grow and succeed as a freelancer. They may not be the gospel truth – some you might find more useful than others, but these hacks will definitely help you capture the whole idea of success and how you can train yourself to achieve it. So “stay positive, work hard, and make it happen.”
