What am I doing wrong as a Freelancer? Freelancing can be dangerous, too.
In this post, we’re going to learn about some challenges that freelancers face. These challenges become a bottleneck and hold us back for a very long period of time. It doesn’t only hold you back professionally but it also impacts your personal life in a negative way.
Digital Freelancing is a new & emerging industry and people are getting into it. But very few people really talk about the problems and challenges it can cause. There are no standards, yet. There are very few books that blend with a digital freelancer’s lifestyle.
So let’s start with the things that we are doing wrong and what we need to stop doing.
Stop doing everything on your own but delegate/outsource:
— The Problem:
Freelancers enjoy liberation. They love working alone. They love the focus that solitary offers.
Well! All that is good. But when you’re selling time you’re Limited. And when you’re working alone you’re Limited.
You enjoy the perks of being liberated for sometime before it starts to hurt. When workload grows — you pace up your deliveries and then it becomes a pattern. And if something becomes a pattern, sooner or later it is going to hurt. You will start to feel socially isolated. After some time you will start losing your social skills or at least the imposter syndrome will show up. This is the time when you will start to feel the burnout state. And trust me, It’s not good.
“Burnout seems common from this feeling of daily stagnation and repetition, so it’s not just you — we all face that”
— The Solution:
So the problem above resonated with you? The good news is I have a solution for you. Well, the solution is delegation/outsourcing. Start finding people who can help you in your craft. Let go of some of the weight from your shoulders. And let me tell you, IT’S OKAY. When you will free yourself from the things that are occupying most of your time. You will start to think with more clarity.
Now let’s talk about some common questions:
How do I maintain the quality while delegating:
First of all, we need to learn that Quality is Subjective. The definition of quality that you have built over time is different than the client’s definition. Trust me, it’s true.
The quality is ‘Fulfilling the expectation that you set while closing the sale’. If you can deliver what you have committed to your client. It is going to work as well as it is today and the only thing that is going to change is your growth.
How do I find the right people:
Let’s accept one thing first, “No one is going to work as well as you do” So we need to find those people who can just do the justifiable work that you’ve committed to your client. And if you have to work on the deliverable that your subordinate has worked on. That’s even fair. At least he waved off “some” of the burden. Give some time to the people you delegate to or hire. They will start to pick things up and improve. Things will take a little time before they will automate.
This process is not easy and will demand practice for some time. But things will fall into place for sure. It happened to me and I sustained it because of this process. If you managed to build one resource that is now automated and working well for you. Give him/her the respect and resources that he needs to stay with you. Because you know how hard you’ve worked on that resource.
Now that you know how to delegate. Now, simply repeat and grow :) And Woolaah, you will have your agency in a year or so.
Stop working with every new client:
The Problem:
As a freelancer when you start. You’re constantly looking for new clients. Because new clients mean new business. And that’s totally fine. You need to grind first before you reach a point where you can choose the people you work with.
Along the way, you will find some clients that will give you a false illusion of growth. But you won’t be able to see that because you’re not thinking outside of the box at the moment. You will keep working with those clients and it’s not healthy for your business as well as your physical & mental health.
The Solution:
You have to be intentional about choosing your clients. Change the way you’ve positioned yourself as a freelancer/business and attract better clients.
The point is “You need to replace low-value clients with high-value clients” and for that, you will have to eliminate.
Elimination is very important in any business. If we don’t eliminate and keep working with the same clients and same people. Where is the growth? We are not improvising and we’re not growing.
So eliminate low-value and toxic clients and replace them with new high-value clients. The same thing applies to the less productive or toxic employees or contractors.
We will talk about toxic clients and employees in some of my next posts.
3. Stop staying in the same routine, break it:
The Problem:
The reason we feel low at times. And the reason we feel like “we gave up our lifestyle to be successful in freelancing” is your Routine.
Your same routine and repetition will make you feel less creative over time. That’s totally natural. It’s because you’re facing the same scenery, daily. For the lack of a better world, you will start to feel low with time. And this is where self-doubt, procrastination, and imposter syndrome will jump in. And that’s bad.
The Solution:
Well, the solution is pretty simple. Break your routines.
Take some time off. Take short breaks. Learn new things. Start a side project which demands some interaction with people. Start a blog. Write about your findings. Build your audience.
You can do whatever suits you. But break the routine. Eat healthily and sleep tight.
You will start to feel that liberating power again. You will start to feel more creative again.
Freelancing is not only a way to make money while being liberated. It’s also a lifestyle. You can plan your beautiful life around it.
Happy Freelancing. And Let’s grow together.
— Mohammad Kasim
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