6 Things a Freelancer Needs to Make a Living
We know that it takes a certain amount of willingness and personal strength to venture out into the world as a freelancer. The lifestyle can be challenging but when you get business and you’re busier than ever, the rewards are the sweetest thing. Making a living as a freelancer can be a little scary for those just starting off, but there are a few things you need if you’re hoping to turn your hobby into a living.
Working as a freelancer also takes quite a bit of patience to see results and income, but it is survival of the fittest. Hang in there, keep working hard, and watch the opportunities present themselves. Check out six things that a freelancer needs to make a living.
Passion
If you don’t have passion, you won’t make it. That might sound brutal, but it is the truth. You can be in an industry that allows you to make a great amount of money, but if the passion for it isn’t there, it’s going be to extremely difficult for you to stick with it. Think about doing something every day of your life that feels more like an obligation than a passion. You need have that need jump out of bed in the morning and get to work. Some of the best freelancers and entrepreneurs eat, sleep, and breath their careers and they are happy to do so. If you have passion, you’re on the right track.
A Need to Serve
Is it true! When you’re a freelancer, your duty is to serve your clients. You should want to do this with a smile on your face. This goes along with passion. Having a passion to serve your clients the thing you do; writing, photography, social media, etc. Also, think of the service this way – giving your audience what they want. If you’re a novelist, you should write about what your audience wants. Sometimes, it’s just not about you, but your talent and how you can provide that to others.
Confidence
It was always very interesting to me to learn that some of the most skilled people, whatever their field may be, were also some of the most insecure. Some of the time, those who weren’t as skilled or just not very good at all tend to be the most confident. If you have both the skill and the confidence, consider yourself a double-threat. Having confidence goes a long way and the funny thing is, clients can tell if you’re confident in what you’re doing and talking about. If you give off a vibe that you’re insecure, this can make you lose potential work. The key is to be humble and proud at the same time, that is the magic ingredient.
Discipline
The hardest one…discipline. You need this especially if you’re working from home. When you’re working for yourself on your own time, will you have the discipline to sit at a desk all day and work without giving in to any distractions? You may be the world’s greatest writer or a National Geographic type of photographer, but if you don’t devote yourself to the butt-in-chair time needed to produce a significant quantity of work, you won’t be able to of very far making a living as a freelancer. These are skills you can certainly work on though, which also means you need to have willingness to train yourself. Which brings me to my next point…
Training
Do you have the training it takes to be a freelancer? Do you have any idea what we’re talking about? Let’s say you’re an excellent writer, but you haven’t gone through the proper training to be able to develop content for a client, or create a story as a professional. Just like anything else in life, if you haven’t gone through the training required to consider yourself a professional, you’re going to find your competition will be brutal. Whether you earn a college degree in your field to spend hours in courses perfected your skill, you need some type of training in order to call yourself a professional. Trust me, clients and your audience will be able to tell the difference.
Support
Last, but certainly not least, having a strong support system makes the freelance life so much sweeter. If you have a ton of friends and family backing you up and pushing you along the way, consider yourself lucky. Not everyone has the family or spouse that supports the freelance life, due to the inconsistencies of income and work. However, if you have people who believe in you, you’ll find that you’ll start to believe in yourself more and this will ultimately help push you further along in your career.
Final Thoughts
Are you a freelancer? Is there one thing you need to live the freelance life that we haven’t touched on? Tell us about it in the comments!
More Articles on Freelancing
- How to Manage Your Time as a Freelancer
- The Difference Between a Freelancer and an Entrepreneur
- 4 Tips To Help Keep Your Freelance Gig Moving Forward
- Having An Edge Over Larger Agencies
- Habits of Highly Effective Freelancers
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A Florida native filled with charm, a sense of humor, style, and a passion for writing, Dana Damato is a talented journalist covering all things entertainment, fashion, food, travel, and lifestyle. Dana first realized her dreams of becoming a writer at age ten and wrote her first book at the age of 12. With a growing passion for writing, Dana knew from then on that being a writer is what she needed to do as a career.
