Freelancing provides so many benefits, from flexibility to independence, so we can pursue our passions beyond traditional employment. But it’s critical to remember that many freelancers can underestimate the complexities that may occur, especially when running a business. Therefore, it’s important to learn how to be a freelancer while keeping those stressful aspects down. Let’s show you some approaches to being a great freelancer, all on your terms.
Understand What You Want to Achieve
Many people find that the better they get at their freelancing endeavors, the higher the likelihood of them turning their passions into a fully-fledged business. Some freelancers may have this temptation, but there can be a lot more business responsibilities like managing a team, dealing with more administrative tasks, and navigating those general complexities sole traders or contractors will not necessarily have. There’s always the opportunity to sell up if your business becomes too much to handle, and when selling a business it’s important to do it properly. But if you want to stay true to the freelancing lifestyle, you’ve got to understand what you want to achieve in the first place. Lots of people crave the idea of being in charge of a business but there’s a lot less freedom when it gets to this point.
Focus on the Craft, Not Business Operations
If you want to be a freelancer on your terms, you may have to dip your toe into certain business dealings on occasion, but if you hate the idea of administrative tasks like legal paperwork or marketing, you may be better off investing your energy in upskilling yourself. Delivering high-quality work to your clients is ultimately the most important thing, and if you are in a position where you want to keep that freelancer’s mindset rather than turning your passions into a regular income, becoming a specialist in your field means that you can attract clients based on your skills rather than thinking that you need to opt for the typical business-related efforts. It’s worth bearing in mind that we’ve got to operate with some form of business acumen, but there are certainly ways for us to dial these notions down.
Utilise Freelance Platforms
If you want to simplify your freelancing abilities, you can use platforms like Upwork or Freelancer.com to sidestep the need to manage contracts or handle invoices. Lots of people like to have control over this, but if you are only working as a freelancer to get a bit of extra money, or you are in a position where you don’t need to worry hugely about earning above a certain threshold, these freelance platforms will make all of the difference.
Keep Your Finances Simple
You may be striving to make a great first impression as a freelancer and this means you are putting in the hours or effort, but it’s very easy to become swept away by all of the stresses of running something like a business. Finances are, undoubtedly, one of those things that we can benefit from simplifying by using accounting tools to streamline invoicing and expense reporting and having a separate bank account for your freelancing income, which will make things far more straightforward.
Being a freelancer is, for many people, about feeling free, but soon become bound by the trappings of operating with the business mindset. Hopefully, some of these components can help you be a freelancer without feeling business-bound.
