Freelancing Tips I Wish Somebody Gave Me When I Started
But I made blunders so you don’t have to.
Freelancing doesn’t have an obvious set of practices as it may seem when you’re new. I know somebody who sends three legal contracts before they start a gig and another freelancer who has agreements over a WhatsApp chat.
But it’s the minor errors we overlook that can lead to blunders. And the most heartbreaking thing — they can make you get underpaid or not paid at all. The latter happened to me!
When I started freelancing nearly a year ago, I wish somebody told me these subtle red flags to look out for so I didn’t suffer.
By suffer, I mean:
- being ghosted
- having my biggest client walk out on me
- having my ideas stolen
Here are some freelancing do’s and don’ts that can help you make smarter choices.
Do’s
Consider each of these elements before you say yes.
Expectation setting
- How many hours are you expected to work per week?
- What’s the reasoning behind the cost?
- Will you be available on weekends?
- If the client is abroad, what does your availability look like?
Sort out these things before you start to keep things smooth later.
It’s common for clients to get disappointed if you don’t convey clearly. For instance, I have a client who’d always reach out to me on weekends until I told them to only expect a redone on weekdays.
A contract
I had a client with a $15,000 ebook deal. I was a fool to have this over email and not a contract. Do you know what happened next? They ghosted me mid-way into us working together.
He seemed to be a great person. We got along well. He paid me on time, and he mentored me as he was decades ahead of me. Never did I imagine that he’ll just disappear into thin air!
The worst part? He did this a week after I resigned when I was banking on his payouts for the first few months of my self-employment! Don’t be as stupid as me — have a formal contract.
Verified payment method
If I take on a new client who isn’t from a marketplace like Upwork, I ask for an advance.
The reason is simple — I don’t trust them.
It’s easy for them to take an article from me and block me on email and phone and carry on with life. Who suffers here? Me.
So unless you’re using a safe marketplace like Upwork or Fiverr that verify payment methods and use escrow, don’t take full payment in the end.
Do a 50–50 or 30–40–30 settlement depending on your work milestones.
Don’t’s
These come in as temptations and leave you miserable. Not anymore!
Say yes to everything
This is the easiest thing to do. If you’re earning $1000/month and get approached for a gig that pays you $1300/month, it's easy to say yes for a 30% hike. A hike that’s hard to get in a corporate job!
Money may be tempting, but repeat this 5 times — I will only take projects where I can deliver my best work.
Getting too much on your plate is a recipe for being overwhelmed and dissatisfied clients walking out on you.
My mistake here was doing work I don’t enjoy and doing a shitty job at it.
Forget time/money ratio
Getting paid $250 for one article versus 30 social media posts is very different from each other. Each time you’re offered a gig, consider the time/money ratio.
How much time does it take you to finish this? Is the money paying appropriately for that time?
I’ve had high-earning gigs offered to me, which take way too much effort to do.
Now, if this is something that interests me, I’d jump in and negotiate fair pay. If it doesn’t and is simply too time-consuming, I’ll only take it up when I desperately need the money.
Trust
Business is about making money while cutting as many costs as possible.
That client who charmed you on a call and is making you believe what a great employer they are is entirely capable of screwing you over. This is incredibly important — don’t trust people you don’t know.
Just like you trust close friends more than others, trust old clients more than others. Don’t fall for things like signing contracts you cannot comprehend or working for a lower amount that will be increased ‘soon’.
They run a business, but so do you.
Lastly
A few things kept in mind can help you escape exploitation. I made way too many mistakes and took up weird projects in the beginning and got ghosted or fired because of the above mistakes.
Here’s a wrap up of what we discussed.
Things to do:
- Expectation setting
- Have a contract
- Verify payment method
Things to avoid:
- Saying yes to everything
- Forgetting time/money ratio
- Trusting people you don’t know
I hope this accelerates your freelancing journey and helps you make better choices. Best of luck!
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