Unfortunately, my first attempt at freelancing left me unhappy, in debt and desperate. I took several full-time jobs between my last attempt at freelancing and this one to teach me some valuable lessons and make my way out of debt.
I made many mistakes the first time around and, like any good freelancer, I learned from them and now I am a better, stronger worker. In this post, I’ll share some of the mistakes that caused me to fail as a freelancer the first time around.
Read the full article: Why I Failed at Freelancing
This is a really good article on starting out in freelancing without the experience of working for others. Often people ask if they should start freelancing right after school thinking they know everything ’cause they’ve got a few sites under their belt. I’ve always told people not to do that. Go work for someone else, learn the ropes, learn how to DEAL with people; either easy clients or the pain-in-the-ass ones. There are ways of getting rid of those (See Adii’s great article on Pulling The Plug on Bad Customers) but if you’ve never had to be the Boss, it’s hard to show authority and deal with them.
So what’s different now that I’ve left my full-time job again and have been a successful freelancer for a few years?
- Experience. After working full-time in the field for almost five years, I am professional, experienced and can speak with authority in my field.
