Freelancing is a BUSINESS
How you think of it changes how you approach it.
When I wrote my first book, it was a reaction to all the conflicting and contradictory information I found when first starting to freelance.
I just wanted someone to tell me the truth, especially that it’s hard and lonely and can suck sometimes.
So, when I went about writing my first book, I wanted to show not only the advantages and awesome things about starting a career as a writer but also the disadvantages and negatives. I wanted to portray a realistic view of it. I wanted to give people real, practical advice about starting a business and what my personal experience was like.
In addition to wanting to really highlight all aspects of being a solo entrepreneur, I had another motive. When I first started my business, I was doing a ton of research and was constantly finding conflicting and contradictory advice about what to do and when to do it, the things I needed versus what is just gravy. My mission in this blog and in most of my writing is to try to make it as easy as possible for YOU to jump in and start making money as a freelancer.
Part of that is how you think of your freelancing career.
Freelancing is a Business
So many people think of starting freelancing as a “side hustle” or a part-time thing or a “side gig.”
But it is important to treat freelancing as a BUSINESS and not as some little “side thing.”
The mindset of it being a business is so important — it changes how you treat it and how you plan for the future and market!
By thinking of it as a side gig, you are not assigning it its true value. You aren’t giving it the respect and attention it deserves.
Something changes in your brain when you say, “I am starting a business” versus “I am doing freelancing on the side.”
As a freelancer, you are an entrepreneur and essentially a business owner. You are being a service-based business.
How you approach finding clients, marketing, scaling, future plans, everything changes when you shift your mindset from “something I do on the side” to “my business.”
If it were just a side gig, you might not think about the importance of marketing and pitching yourself to clients at all times. Maybe you only tell your friends and family and hope clients come to you. Maybe you’re relying entirely on referrals and not actively searching out clients.
People don’t do business plans and file as an LLC for a “side gig.” They don’t usually take it as seriously.
If you want others to take you seriously, you must take yourself seriously.
So drop the “side hustle” from your vocabulary and start treating your skills and services as a real business.
Have a contract for every single client. Ask for deposits and be able to know exactly what you’re providing. Streamline your pricing and service offerings. Make yourself a website. Use invoices. Keep track of everything for when you file taxes. Advertise your services. Have a new client onboarding script and process. Stay super organized.
You can do this! You might be already doing it and just needed a small push to change your mindset. Let me know how it’s going!
Check out my brand new book Concept to Conclusion: How to Write a Book and learn everything you need to know to conceive of, outline, write, publish, and market a book!
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