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Freelance preparation

Prepare for the Unexpected - A Guide to Practical Success as a Freelancer

November 06, 20236 min read

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” - Bobby Unser

When I first started freelancing I was very UNPREPARED. It was a mistake.

I remember being sat in my friend’s flat, excited to start my quest for the freedom that I hoped going freelance would give me. I was also fearful. The world was in lockdown because of COVID-19 and finding clients that wanted to pay me money for my services wasn’t exactly top of their priorities.

I didn’t have any clients, I didn’t have a portfolio, I had very little savings.

On top of that, I hadn’t spent months researching ‘how to be a freelancer’ preparing for this moment.

It was sink or swim time. It was both terrifying and exhilarating.

freelance preparation

I had to make a choice. 

So I chose to swim over sinking and I chose to see it as exhilarating over terrifying. I had nothing to lose after all. I didn’t feel prepared for the challenge but I felt up for it.  

I learned that if you really want to make something work enough, you will give yourself a real shot at succeeding.

At this point, I wanted to say I’ve never been a perfectionist. I never will either.

  • No idea is perfect

  • No project is perfect

  • No person is perfect

My advice to you is this:

You don’t need to have EVERY single little detail figured out to jump into freelance life.

I certainly didn’t.

If you focus on preparing for something for too long, you’ll talk yourself out of anything.

BUT there is a balance.

Freelance preparation

Looking back I wish I’d been more prepared but I backed myself to figure it out as I went along.

But have you ever wondered that if you jump into freelance life unprepared…

  • You will be overwhelmed by all the added responsibilities

  • You will find it harder than you anticipated

  • You won’t be ready to embrace the ups and downs that come

  • You might panic and go back to the security you had before

  • You could lose confidence in your skills and ability to do it alone

  • You may lose trust in the process and forget why you went freelance in the first place

But trust me, if you do enough preparation, you and your brain will choose to feel excited rather than terrified. 

In return, you’ll feel:

  • Raring to go to kickstart your new life 

  • Ready to be in control and responsible for every element of your work and life

  • Confident to embark on your freelance journey - and win

  • Comfortable in the belief that success will come

  • Prepared to make mistakes and learn from them

  • Confident to put yourself out there day after day after day

And why wouldn’t you want all of that right?

Well I’m going to tell you exactly how to do it. These are THREE things I learned later that I wish I’d known from the very beginning so do listen up! 👊

1. See your freelance adventure as a business

Developing a business mindset is one of the most important things you NEED to do if you want to succeed as a freelancer. It’s not a hobby and it’s more than just a job. Seeing yourself as the boss of your own albeit small business unlocks the biggest benefits of being a freelancer - freedom and flexibility. As the head of the business you call the shots when it comes to workload and the kind of work you do. You can choose the work or projects you want to do, when you want to do it and depending on what you do, potentially work from anywhere around the world.

I saw my freelancing journey as a business from the beginning. It made it feel more real, more serious and more professional. Take your business seriously and people will take you seriously as someone they want to work with. The reality is, there’s far more to running a business than just doing the work. There’s the business development, having a vision for the future and running your own finances. It might sound overwhelming but developing a business mindset as a freelancer is putting yourself on the path for success.

2. Be prepared to market yourself like crazy

How do you feel about putting yourself out there? I always say to people, if you sit at home and do nothing, no one is going to come and knock on your door. And it’s true.

We live in an era of self-promotion. Marketing yourself and putting yourself out there has never been more accessible to everyone. Freelancers have to tap into this and run with it if they want to really succeed. Visibility, familiarity and trust are everything in this game. Putting energy into building a presence both online and offline, building your own networks and telling everyone about your story are the difference makers. Investing time and energy into marketing yourself might seem like hard work but trust me - it is what will make you stand out from the crowd. You want to be known for you and not just your skillset.

3. Having systems and processes in place is everything

We can earn more money but we can’t earn more time. That means being efficient is everything when it comes to getting the most out of your freelance adventure. I would say being organised is one of the most important and overlooked elements of being successful in the freelance game. So how do you become efficient and organised? You create systems and processes to save you time.

I’ll be honest. I didn’t have systems and processes at the beginning - I learned things the hard way without them and most likely suffered as a result. I’ve now created my own and they save me time every single day.

Here’s a few essentials:

  • Develop a system for keeping on top of your contacts and lead generation. Update it regularly

  • Use a digital calendar instead of having a to-do list, scheduling in specific tasks at specific times.

  • Sign up with accounting software and get familiar with it to run your finances more effectively

Be prepared

I was wholly unprepared at the beginning of my freelance adventure but I figured it out along the way.

You DON'T have to do it that way

Give yourself the time and space to do your research and prepare yourself for what’s to come.

But promise me one thing - don’t be a perfectionist about it. If you try and find all the answers beforehand, you’d never start anything!

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