How I've Succeeded as a Freelancer

Covid has had its effect on everyone, some worse than others. I know I’m extremely lucky that me and my loved ones stayed healthy through it all. One way the pandemic has impacted me is that it’s made work feel like a bigger part of my life. Take away social activities and travel, and that’s a big chunk of what’s left. I used to rely on those things to balance out my work-from-home life. When they were taken away, it put my freelance business under a microscope. I started reflecting on my success. This post is all about what I’ve learned along the way, and what I will continue to practice as a freelancer.

I’m coming up on seven years since I quite my in-house graphic design job. Seven years of being out on my own. I’d like to say the time has flown by, but it hasn’t. Not as far as business is concerned. My days as a corporate designer feel like a distant memory.

Freelancing is not for the weak. It’s been a roller coaster of amazing highs, and terrible lows. I’ve made more money than I ever thought I could, but I’ve also been more stressed out than I ever anticipated. It’s safe to say that, throughout it all, I’ve learned A LOT. In sharing the lessons I’ve learned, I want to help you succeed as a freelancer. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.

Structure & Organization

The first thing I’ve learned is that structure is my best friend. As creatives, this can be hard to accept. To succeed, I’ve had to become the most organized, disciplined person I know. What do I mean by structure? My inbox and desktop are immaculate. My Dropbox files are perfectly in order. My studio space is clean. I work 9-5 like everyone else. I take the same breaks every day. I send invoices on time. I respond to clients in a timely manner. As someone who wasn’t particularly organized as a child, this all took a great deal of practice. It’s been worth it. It’s what sets me apart from other freelancers. When clients work with me, I want them to feel like they can trust me with their projects. It makes my life a heck of a lot easier too. As a freelancer, you’re doing all the things it takes to run a business - finances, accounting, marketing. Knowing where everything is frees up so much time and energy. It also gives me peace of mind outside of the office, knowing everything is in order.

Simplicity is Key

The second lesson I’ve learned is that simple is underrated. In the beginning, I had big dreams of hiring other designers - maybe even starting an agency. Well, I had the opportunity to expand my team a few years ago. Suddenly, I was doing all project management and none of the things I loved. I started to dread Monday mornings, just like I did when working in corporate. I realized I wasn’t on a good track, so I went back to ‘just me’ and raised my rates quite a bit. Sure, being ‘just me’ doesn’t sound as cool, but I don’t care. All I care about is how I feel when I wake up every day. Am I excited or filled with dread? I no longer have grandiose plans to expand. My mission is to work as little as possible and make as much money as I can, all while enjoying myself immensely. And guess what? My profits have gone through the roof as a result!

This ‘simple’ philosophy has spilled over to other aspects of my business. I used to have several brands and websites. Now I’ve scaled back. The less social media accounts, the better. I’m all about diversifying my income, but only where I can clearly see profit. I test everything before investing time into it. Everything I do is simple and intentional, and I’m happier because of it. I attribute a lot of my success to this philosophy. It also makes finding focus much easier, because I know what’s worth my time and effort. It’s easy to want to do it all as a freelancer. The hard part is reigning yourself in. That is where the magic happens.

Leave it at the Office

This lesson took me a long time to learn. Clients are always in a rush. I’m not sure if it’s just the nature of freelancing, or the uncertainty of working with someone outside their company. Whatever it is, just know that everything feels high stakes when you have your own business. You can crack under the weight of it all if you aren’t careful. So how do I remain calm in the midst of chaos? I try not to get stressed out just because a client is. Instead, I work hard to be the calm in their day (and mine). To them, it might just be one project with a tight deadline. To me, it’s my life. So, I just buckle down and do the work. If I can’t get something done on time, I’m honest. The client is usually understanding as long as they have plenty of notice.

I’ve gained and lost many clients over the years to things I can’t control. I’ve learned this is normal. When I lose a client, new work always fills the gap. I don’t know how it works out every time, but it does. I no longer worry about lost clients, because it’s not worth it.

Lastly, I don’t work evenings or weekends. It’s a pretty strict policy I have. If I didn’t live by this, my home would feel like a prison. At the end of my day, I turn my computer off and shut my studio door. I don’t check e-mail on my phone, and I log out of social media accounts. It’s important to have these boundaries when you have your own business. It always feels like there’s things to be done, and there are, but I make a habit of telling myself I have all the time in the world. I can be better for my clients, and run a smarter business if I keep my cool and get enough rest. It’s taken me years to realize that working frantically just isn’t sustainable. In order to continue on this freelance journey, I’ve had to slow down and take care of myself.

Forget the Naysayers

When I first started freelancing, I don’t think my friends or family understood what I was doing. I’m pretty sure they thought I just didn’t feel like working any more. Or that I was quitting to become a full-time dog mom. A part of me felt like a failure, even though I knew this was something I wanted to do. Fast forward seven years, and I’m still not sure they get it. But, guess what? That’s okay with me. I get it, and that’s all that matters. You can’t base your self worth on what other people think. Freelancing might not sound cool, but it is cool! It’s the best, and hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s allowed me to live my life to the fullest, because I’ve had the freedom to make my own hours and work from anywhere. I feel so fulfilled that I invest in my own vision every day instead of someone else’s. The sooner I got over caring what people thought, the more I found success as a freelancer. I didn’t have that negativity weighing me down.

Time is the True Currency

As a freelancer, money feels complicated. You work hard for every dollar, and it can be impossible not to obsess. Over the years, I’ve learned that money is simply an exchange for time. That’s it. Let me explain what I mean by that. I’ve come to view time as my most valuable resource. Once our basic needs are met in life, this is true for everyone. It’s the one thing we all want more of at the end of our lives - time with loved ones, and time to do the things we love.

As a beginner freelancer, I was enamored by the price tag on a project, without taking my time into account. This was a huge mistake. It’s easy to say yes out of desperation, but that’s not sustainable. You must respect your own time in order to succeed in this business.

Even when I’m off the clock, I always have my hourly rate in mind. If there’s a home service I can hire out at a lower rate than mine, the answer is always yes. If I’m buying groceries, I think, is this worth an hour of work? I even considered these things when we chose our home and our cars.

Adopting this philosophy has taken the pressure off me to make a certain amount. If I could work 50 hours in a week, making $5,000 ($100/hr), or 10 hours in a week making $2,000 ($200/hr), I’d always pick the latter. To me, it’s okay if my calendar isn’t full, as long as I’m getting paid well for my time. The crazy thing is, my project roster is always full. I’ve actually made more money since I started valuing my time more.

What it all comes down to is charging what you’re worth. And it’s usually more than you think. Unapologetically raising my rates has allowed me to work less hours. Clients also tend to respect you more when you have a higher rate, which makes work more enjoyable. Bottom line - people respect your time when you respect your time.

Always Learning

The last thing I’ve learned is to always keep an open mind. In the beginning, I thought I knew everything. Now, I realize there’s still so much I don’t know. It’s about giving myself grace to grow in my freelance journey and learn from others. I’m always game for taking new courses, and getting up-to-date on new technology. As a freelancer, you always need to know what’s current in case your clients need this information. I frequently research new design and visual trends, so I can position myself as the expert on projects.