get a freelancer

The 10 Biggest Mistakes Freelancers Make, and How to Avoid Them

2007-08-30T00:13:00.000-07:00

No freelancer is perfect — not me, not you, not even the best of us. We all make mistakes, all the time, and if we’re smart, we learn from them.

Some mistakes, however, are more crucial than others, and if we can correct or avoid those mistakes, we’ll survive. We’ll still make other mistakes, but they won’t hurt as much.

Let’s take a look at some of the most essential mistakes that freelancers, new and old, often make, and how to avoid them.

Missing deadlines. I wrote more on this topic in this post, but basically, your ability to put out quality work and meet deadlines is what makes your reputation. And as a freelancer, your reputation is all you have. If you miss deadlines too often, you will soon see your clients going elsewhere. How to avoid: Make deadlines one of your top two priorities (along with putting out great work), overestimate how long it will take you, break the project into smaller steps, and be accountable every step of the way.

Charging too little. New freelancers, especially, undervalue themselves and charge less than they’re worth. That’s OK if you’re just breaking into the business, and don’t have any previous work or reputation to point to. But once you’ve got some stellar work under your belt, don’t be afraid to ask what you’re worth, otherwise you are selling yourself short. And you’ll be working too much just to pay the bills. (See this article for more.) How to avoid: It’s good to find out what the market avergage is, and charge a little more. This tells clients that you’re good. A good way to do the math is to figure out how much you want to make, and how many hours you realistically plan to work. Then charge based on those numbers.

Lack of preliminary research. This is research before making your pitch, not before completing the assignment. Often a freelancer will contact a potential client and make a pitch, without really understanding the client or his needs, and without knowing how this project will add value to the client. This approach will get you very little business. How to avoid: Research the client thoroughly before making contact. The Internet is a great way to do that, of course. Know what the client does, the client’s market, what the client’s goals are (in general), and figure out how you can help the client meet those goals. How will you add value? Direct your pitch at those issues.

Choosing the wrong clients. The client-freelancer relationship is an important one, and there are many issues that can make a client the wrong client, or the right client, for you. Those include the market they’re in, they’re working style, how difficult they are, how likely they are to pay your rate, how much work they require, their ability to pay on time without hassle, and more. If you choose the wrong client, you will make less money, be unhappy, and work more. How to avoid: Select clients carefully. Again, research them, talk to other freelancers who’ve worked for them. When contacting a client, think of it as a two-way interview — they are trying to decide if you’re right for them, but you should also be trying to decide if they are right for you. Do your first assignment or three on a trial basis, to see how things work out. Every now and then, evaluate your clients to see if they’re worth the trouble.

Getting too personal. It’s good to be friendly with a client, but keep it professional. You don’t want to be best friends. You shouldn’t be too formal, either, but if you become personal, two things could happen: 1) one of you could get hurt or angry at the other based on a business decision; or 2) the client might think you’re unprofessional. Either one is bad for business. How to avoid: Start any correspondence on a formal basis, and then get friendlier depending on how the client handles communication. Don’t be afraid to be friendly, but at the same time, don’t go beyond business, and don’t cross the line into unprofessionalism.

Letting off steam. If there is a problem with a client, some freelancers have a tendency to vent their frustration — at the client. For example, if an editor decides not to run my article, I might show my frustration and displeasure in a very angry way. This is bad. It will harm your professional reputation, both with this client and with future clients. And it will lead to decreased business over time, if you continue this mistake. How to avoid: If there is a problem with a client, and you are angry or frustrated, do not communicate right away. Let your steam off some other way, through talking to a friend, through exercise, through eating a carton of ice cream. But don’t do it at your client, or anyone else in your professional world. Bite your tongue. Then, when you’ve calmed down, communicate with your client in a non-emotional, professional manner — preferably in a positive way, but clearly, so that future problems can be avoided.

Not proposing a follow-up idea. Often a freelancer will complete an assignment, and then move on to an assignment with another client. Perhaps the freelancer hopes that the assignment that he completed was so amazing, the client will be knocking down his door the next day. Unfortunately, that often doesn’t happen. If you don’t provide the basis of future business, you might not see it. How to avoid: when you complete an assignment, propose a follow-up idea for future work. If you don’t hear back, follow up.

Not having multiple income streams. Relying on one or two clients is always a bad idea. If your main client drops you, or reduces his freelancer budget, or goes out of business, you’re out of luck. And now you can’t pay your bills. How to avoid: Always have multiple income streams. You might start with one freelance client (we all do in the beginning), but don’t rely on that as your primary source of income until you’ve added more clients. And if you can get other sources of income streams (a full- or part-time job, another business, your spouse’s income, advertising on a blog, selling a product, Amway), you should work hard to do so. It will make your income much more stable and reliable.

Allowing yourself to slack. Let’s face it: some days, we don’t feel like working. And that’s fine, if we plan for that flexibility, and make up for it on other days. But too many days of slacking, and soon you aren’t getting any income. And you’re missing deadlines. Not good. How to avoid: It’s fine to give yourself flexibility, so that you can work when you feel productive, but if you have deadlines to meet, don’t let yourself slack off. Push yourself to meet the deadline, and work in bursts to motivate yourself.

Failing to be yourself. Often we take work because we need the income, but it doesn’t align with who we are. And we feel awful about it, and slowly we begin to hate ourselves. Until we no longer want to do the work. How to avoid: Seek, from the beginning, to find work that aligns with your values, that allows you to be who you are. Being fake and dishonest, to others and to yourself, gets you nowhere. Be sincere in your interactions with others, and don’t be afraid to say no to stuff that doesn’t fit who you are. Always strive to find work you love.

Free lancer freedom story

2007-08-30T00:10:00.000-07:00

get paid for each article you write $$$$$

2007-08-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

you have the talant to write articles , good articles . now you can get paid for each article you can write . many site owners looking for some one to hire to write articles . now you can just write articles about nay thing you can write about all you have to do is just go the site above and search for people who are looking for your articles and choose the best one which fit you or you can post your services for free . go now why you are waiting ??

you know how to make SEO ??? Come and earn money !!!

2007-08-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

you know hot make SEO . you have experiance or not . you can now benifit from your experianc by more than $ 1200 per project or much more . there are many project all you have to do is just to go the website above and search fro the suitable project for you and give your bid and start to earn money for free . also you can offer your services by post aproject and the people will bid in your project . last weak i post aproject for 2500 $ and i get 10 bidders what about you try it now .

Why freelance?

2007-08-29T23:50:00.001-07:00

You’ve been working in an ad agency studio for a few years now and you’re tired of the politics and egos… you’d like to go solo but don’t know if you could find enough clients…
You’ve taken the leap and are freelancing full time – it’s going pretty well, but it’s patchy and you don’t know how to get your name out there more…
You’ve done the 80 hour weeks for no overtime and no thanks from your clients… isn’t there more to life? A friend works freelance and it sounds like a much better lifestyle…
How can you use your writing skills to earn a bit extra to fund that holiday?
You’re pregnant and want to spend time with your baby when it comes, but will go crazy if you don’t work at all – isn’t there something you can do for a few hours a week?
Sound familiar? Even if you haven’t done it yet, we bet you know someone who was brave enough to quit that corporate job and start working independently - and they’re loving it. Freelancers can choose who they want to work for, what kind of projects they work on and when and how they work.

Freelancing is liberating and affirming – you can achieve a much happier balance in your life, and being hired as a specialist in your field is rewarding and helping clients on a one-to-one level is very fulfilling. Or if you’re asked to help out in a company, you can let the politics wash over you as you’re removed from it all!

Many potential freelancers never take the plunge because they’re worried about getting enough work to pay their bills. And many established freelancers still have to budget for quiet patches, like the Christmas lull. And marketing yourself as a freelancer can be a costly and tricky business.

But now Freelancentral is here to help. An online directory of freelancers, Freelancentral means potential clients need look in just one place to find the skilled people they need. You can update your profile yourself whenever you want to, and showcase your portfolio. Clients can contact you directly and you pay no commission to Freelancentral. We also offer a Projects service, where clients can post their one-off project requirements (e.g. a brochure designed for R5,000) and a Placements service where we place freelancers inhouse (inagency?) on a day rate basis.

Best of all, you don’t need to worry about marketing yourself. Freelancentral is marketed in ADvantage, on BizCommunity and MarketingWeb, to marketing and advertising agencies as well as to corporates and small businesses via a comprehensive marketing plan which is constantly being updated to meet the demands of our members. There’s a Freelancer of the Day on the site and each month sees a number of freelancers profiled in the Freelancentral newsletter.

All it costs you is R75 per month for a Lite portfolio, or 1 x whatever your maximum advertised hourly rate is for a Full one. So you don't need to get much work via Freelancentral to cover your subscription cost. Discounts are offered if you pay up front for 3, 6 or 12 months for Full portfolios.

why freelacer on GETAFREELANCER

2007-08-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

Freelancing is a career and lifestyle choice, giving professionals a variety of benefits. Dedicated freelance consultants will tell you that there's no better option than taking on a flexible job.

The benefits:

Flexibility - the freedom to choose when, where and how you work, leading to a feeling of independence and control. Having this freedom will also give you an improved quality of life.

A Career - freelancing is recognised as a career in its own right - many people find their expertise is valued more if they work for an organisation as a freelance consultant, rather than a permanent member of staff.

Variety - the opportunity to work for a whole range clients and projects - which enables you to utilise and build upon your existing talent.

Work-Life Balance – the freedom to distribute your time between work and leisure, allowing you to exert a stronger control over your quality of life.

Improved income - as a freelance consultant you will usually command a higher rate of income, as you are being employed for specific skills - which means you don't necessarily have to work full-time to reap the benefits.

A flexible job with a strong support network
Some people considering freelancing are understandably worried about what they see as the down side of undertaking a flexible job, such as the possible feeling of isolation, lack of motivation - and of regular income. The advantages of freelancing with us are that we are there to support you whenever you need it.

how to become freelancer and why ???

2007-08-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

first we have to know what is freelancer ?? freelancer is person who can work without long-term commitment to any one employer .
the fields where you can work as feelancer is especially common include jounalism and writing , copywriting , computer programming and graphic design , consulting and many other professional and creative services.

where you can offer your services ??
many websites but the best is the website above which is getafreelancer

what is Getafreelancer.com ???

2007-08-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

its the easiest and funny way to outsource your project whith this site . this site help copywriters , programmers , designers, translators , business owners to sell thier serveces and to contract with other persons in any where in the world.

Thier escrow feature is developed to protect both buyers and sellers. Outsourcing is the process of subcontracting network operations and support to an organization outside your own company. Try it free today! Outsourcing is hiring an outside organization to perform services such as information processing and applications development. get afree lancer site is global and they have freelancers from India, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, United States, UK and many other parts of the world. Web Development doesn't have to be expensive. Outsourcing will cut your expenses by more than 50%.

welcome to get afreelancer now

2007-08-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

our blog is all what you need about freelancer and how to hire or to be hired by some one . welcome to our blog