Let’s start by defining success.
Successful freelancing is the ability to make a livable income without sacrificing your hygiene, your marriage & relationships, or your health. Laugh all you want, but many freelancers will nod their heads violently if you ask them if leaving the 9-5 meant they also left the possibility of clean clothes, date night, and taking a daily walk.
Alright, now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about what it really takes to become a successful freelancer.
1. Kick butt customer service
I put this at #1 for a reason. Every single successful freelancer I’ve seen either has incredible customer service skills, or hires someone out to help with CS. You want your client to feel like they are your only worry in the world. Many busy freelancers start to blab on about how many clients they have {as if that makes them seem successful}, and really? That’s the last thing a client wants to hear.
2. A desire to create
Freelancers are creators. We create graphics, photos, websites, words, funnels, pictures, business systems, etc. and to be successful, you must have that innate desire to see things grow and blossom. If you’re not a creator, if you don’t like the mess that comes with birthing something new, freelancing isn’t for you.
3. Ability to communicate
Following along with #1, how well do you communicate? Let’s break this down further. Are you clear with emails? Do you use shorthand or write in a way that would send an unprofessional or curt vibe? How about on the phone? We have an entire 12 day challenge on perfecting the art of selling your services on the phone – you should grab it while it’s still free! But aside from email and phone, another question to ask is: Are you an over communicator? Do you tell the client MORE than he/she needs to know? Or, on the opposite spectrum, are you an under communicator…often disappearing for days?
4. Efficient and productive
There is no doubt that successful freelancers have one enemy above the rest – time. There are only 24 hours in a day and only 1 you. Efficiency and productivity is key. Thankfully if this is not something you are good at, you can learn. There are timers, tricks, tools, and classes to teach you how to be more efficient and productive. In Create Your Laptop Life, we’re always trying to help our students – by giving away all our secrets, advising on systems that will help you do more in less time, and providing you with swipe files and templates so you don’t have to re-invent the wheel.
5. Discipline
Ah yes, this fun word we all love so much. Discipline. When you’re in a laptop lifestyle, how well do you think you’ll be able to resist Netflix binging, housework, and other at-home distractions? Just because you work at home, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep some semblance of normal hours. Also…another important thing to consider – kids. Successful freelancers know how to draw boundaries, hire help, and keep home and work life…at least a little separate.
6. Good boundaries
There will come a day in your freelance career that you’ll feel like your clients are stalking you. Chances are, they are. Boundaries are essential, and not just in the time you keep or how often you check your email. It’s also imperative that you set good boundaries with your contracts and proposals as well.
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7. Clear expectations
This is something that comes with time and expertise, and can be accelerated if you work with a mentor (and you should!). It’s the ability to help the client manage his/her expectations about the project. In fact, this is so important, it can make or break the entire relationship. As an example, I had two clients that hired me to build a sales funnel. One client expected that a funnel, once completed would begin to churn out $2000-$4000 a month in sales. The other did not expect such a thing. With the first client, I actually did a TON more work, and continued to try to please her, but her expectation made it impossible. On the other hand, the other client was THRILLED when she made a purchase on her funnel, even if it wasn’t a lot to start, and then bragged about me to all her friends.
8. The motivation to continue learning
You.must.continue.to.learn.new.skills. You’ll have to adapt more than you think, trust me. And when you think you have something down pat, something new will come along. Successful freelancers don’t mind pivoting, changing, and learning how to create something new!
9. A network
If you haven’t read our post about competition and the freelancing world, you should. Your network will be a never-ending source of referrals, collaboration, and help. So build a network immediately! A great place to start is our private Facebook group for freelancers! You can join here.
10. A mentor
All successful freelancers learned their trade from someone. Whether it was a direct apprenticeship, formal training, school, or coaching, having a mentor is SUPER important. Why? Because it shortens the learning curve dramatically. There is so much to learn from following the footsteps of someone who’s gone before. Don’t just reinvent the wheel because you think a mentor is too costly (time or moneywise). It’ll be the best investment you make.
11. Willingness to let go
Referencing #2, it’s hard for creators to let go. We want to see what’s in our heads, come to life on a page, post, website, etc. But the inability to let it go – whether it’s a perfect design that your client insists on changing, or a host of other possible arguments you might have with someone, letting go will save you so much trouble. I’ve seen freelancers lose days because they are locked in an argument with a belligerent client. Know when to stand your ground, and when to let it go.
12. Healthy relationship with money
Let’s get this out of the way – freelancing can be risky. You’re working on the clock and probably not seeing all the money upfront. Does that mean you can get stiffed? Uh-huh. Have I been stiffed? You Betcha! But the more neurotic you are about money, the less likely you are to attract clients. People will smell your desperation and run. In an attempt to cover all the bills, you’ll take on more than you can handle, or work you hate, and your work will suffer for it. So dealing with money mindset issues is HUGE. It’s something we cover in Create Your Laptop Life and a successful freelancer knows this.
13. An understanding of human behavior and psychology
Freelancers must enjoy psychology, because you’ll do a crap ton of it. From trying to decipher what a client means, to calming down a bundle of nerves as deadlines approach, I do more counseling of my clients than I ever thought I would. Successful freelancers don’t disdain this part of the job. They know it comes with the territory and embrace that freelancing means a lot of handholding too.
14. Streamlined procedures
If you have to do something twice, you should have a system. It’s imperative that you set up standard operating procedures for your freelance business, from pricing and proposals, to contracts, feedback forms, and more. It’s one of the only ways you can {seemingly} multiply the hours in a day – something all successful freelancers must know how to do.
15. Ability to delegate & subcontract
Buttttt…the real successful ones? Always hit that ceiling. Since time travel is not an option, subcontracting, delegating, and setting up a team is the next step when you’ve reached the end of your abilities. It’s a beautiful thing because it allows you to make more money, and give up the parts of the job that aren’t all that fun for you.
16. Unwillingness to settle for good enough
Don’t just take every job that comes your way. If you haven’t dealt with your money issues {see #12}, you’ll take all the crappy jobs that will make you miserable. It takes discipline to wait for the right client, but it’s SO WORTH IT. Good enough is an enemy of the best, and while it works fine for beginners, if you want to go somewhere big with your business, you’ll have to learn how to say no.
17. A sense of humor
Three words for you: Clients From Hell.*
18. A person who can see the big picture
But wait? Shouldn’t a freelancer be detail oriented? Yes. But my guess is – if you’re in this business {or thinking about it} then you already are one for details. Big picture people can see more than just what’s in front of them, and that’s a quality that successful business owners have. So…in essence, a successful freelancer is both detailed and big picture minded. A unicorn we might say.
19. One or more marketable skills
I deliberately left the most obvious one for the bottom. Why? Because skills can be taught. You can learn how to design, how to be a VA, how to do sales funnels, writing, etc. Does talent help? Yes. Of course. But there are human qualities – brain qualities – character qualities – that are actually MORE important than raw skill. After all, pretty much anyone can learn anything for free. Youtube, Google, hello? So that is not what you want to bank your business on. Is it a super important part? yes. But it’s not the most important thing you bring to the table.
20. Thick freakin’ skin
Three words for you: Clients From Hell.*
*There is an actual website. If you’re in a bad mood, go check it out. http://clientsfromhell.net. Have a glass of wine while you read. You’ll realize you’re in good company! And don’t forget to join our Facebook group. Commiserating is offered in ample supply, and it’s free.