3 Lies I Believed When I Started Freelancing (That Killed My Earnings)
Don’t let them fool you
Four years ago, I started my freelance journey.
After moving back to Germany from the UK and leaving corporate, which I was sick and tired of, I decided it was time to do something else.
Although I had no idea what I was doing.
I sent out 30 proposals until one got stuck, and I got my first full-time writing gig. Life has never been the same.
But I could have earned more.
Why? Because I believed 3 stupid lies that killed my earnings.
Don’t.
Here’s what to avoid.
#1 More work equals more income
Freelancing enables us to have a scalable income.
That’s awesome. But if you’re a newbie, you might fall into the trap of thinking more is more.
It doesn’t work like that.
When I started writing, my pay was limited to how many words I wrote. The more words, the higher the income.
Sounds great, right?
But that’s the wrong approach.
Because then, again, you only tie yourself to a limiting factor. In this case, it’s the number of words. In most others, it’s time.
You want to sell a complete service/product.
It’s simple: instead of selling 800 words for an article, you sell an article that serves the purpose.
You sell the outcome, not the output.
With that, you can focus on packing a punch and saving time.
If you have a once-made product to sell, even better.
Because it unhinges your salary from your daily effort.
Work smarter, not harder.
#2 You need to start with small rates
To be fair, it’s the easy way in.
And I’ve done it. But again, it’s not the smartest way.
The better way is to get your first few clients for free.
Yep, for free.
Why? Because you want social proof.
You want someone publicly telling others that you’ve done an incredible job.
This is how you can skyrocket your rates.
Just look at most of the LinkedIn and X ghostwriters. Within weeks, they start getting big clients to work for.
You can do the same.
Don’t work for low rates; work for social proof.
Then, leverage it.
#3 You’ll become a quick hit
Freelancing can help you get wealthy.
But it won’t skyrocket you there. You need to build it.
When I started, I only saw the potential and thought I could continue multiplying. But it doesn’t work like that.
You need to build trust first.
Then, you can scale. But scaling needs continuous effort.
You’ll lose speed as soon as you step off the gas pedal.
Instead, you want to focus on continuous and sustainable effort instead of afterburner action.
Then, you can make it sustainable in the long term.
Choose a pace you can keep.
Plan for longevity over instant success.
Don’t believe these lies when starting to freelance and build something that lasts.
Thank you for reading.
What lies would you add to the discussion?
And if you want to read more:
The Happiest People In The World Have Realized These 3 Simple Truths
Here’s What I Learned After Publishing 100k Words On The Internet
