If there\u2019s one question that people have about becoming a freelancer, it\u2019s usually, “What does it take?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Freelancing is the dream for many people, which makes it feel completely out of reach and impossible at times. But it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sure, there\u2019s quite a bit of luck involved in making it as a freelancer. But beyond that, there are a few qualities you should possess to set yourself up for freelance success<\/strong> (and a fulfilling freelance career).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are eight qualities you need to succeed as a freelancer<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being a freelancer requires a pretty high degree of self-awareness. For starters, you have a way less rigid work environment, which makes it all the more important for you to know where you thrive and where you fall short<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is it way harder for you to get quality work done from the couch or when you\u2019re still in your pajamas? You need to be able to recognize that, and then\u2014even more importantly\u2014do something about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even further, freelancing means you\u2019re a one-person show most of the time. It\u2019s important that you know what areas you excel in and which ones you struggle in so that, if and when you can afford to delegate some tasks, you offload the most draining ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, nobody is going to be there to force you to crack down and get to work. There\u2019s no boss watching you out of the corner of their eye or colleagues to judge you when you spend an hour online shopping instead of working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re going to be successful, you need to be a self-starter<\/strong>. Not everybody has that level of discipline to motivate themselves, but it\u2019s an undeniable requirement for people who want to make it as freelancers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Persistence is always important, but particularly when you\u2019re just getting started and desperately trying to track down work. Seriously, if I could grant you a peek at my sent emails from way back when, you\u2019d laugh. Practically all I did<\/em> was follow up on pitches and cold emails. I was persistent to the point of being obnoxious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I don\u2019t recommend doing that same thing and checking in frantically (ahem, guilty as charged), you need to be dedicated and willing to put in the legwork<\/strong>. A successful freelance career won\u2019t just happen to you\u2014you need to make it happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s one word you\u2019ll hear more than anything as a freelancer: “no.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll admit that it\u2019s disheartening, and I\u2019ve indulged in way more sob-induced ice cream binges than I\u2019d care to admit. But rejection is the name of the game<\/a>, and you\u2019re going to need to let it roll off your back<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t think you\u2019re someone who can develop a thick skin? As brutal as it is to hear, you might not be cut out for a career as a freelancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Freelancing isn\u2019t all about working on dream-worthy projects in the corner of a coffee shop. You\u2019re responsible for a lot of different tasks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You need to keep track of your income and expenses. You need to promptly reply back to client emails and stay on top of your deadlines. You need to keep your files sorted and your workload streamlined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Needless to say, the best freelancers are organized. Not only does this make their own lives easier, but it also ensures that their clients feel confident that they\u2019re working with someone who has their business in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t necessarily need to be outgoing in the traditional sense\u2014you will<\/em> be spending a lot of time alone, after all. However, you do need to be able to be a little aggressive to land new clients<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to grow your business (and of course, you do) you\u2019re going to have to be comfortable networking and approaching strangers<\/strong>, whether you\u2019re doing it in person or virtually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s funny how many people think that freelancing is their excuse to not have to deal with people on a daily basis. Allow me to burst your bubble: being a freelancer involves a lot<\/em> of communication<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Arguably, you need to be an even better communicator than you need to be in a traditional office environment, since you don\u2019t have the luxury of saying something in passing or yelling over your cubicle wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You also need to be willing to have hard conversations\u2014like negotiating a higher rate or breaking up with a client\u2014and handle them tactfully and professionally. There\u2019s no boss or other colleague to take care of that dirty work for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flexibility is a key perk of the freelance life, but it\u2019s also a core demand. You\u2019ll be dealing with an ever-changing workload (not to mention income), and you need to be able to roll with the punches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Freelancing for a living requires a certain degree of adaptability<\/strong>. If you\u2019re somebody who prefers predictability and stability over anything else, being a freelancer might only increase your stress level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Does this list capture absolutely everything you need to make it as a freelancer? Definitely not. But it\u2019s certainly a start. Ensuring that you possess (or at least can work<\/em> to possess) these eight important qualities will get you started on the road to freelance success<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Written by: Kat Boogaard<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A few specific skills and qualities can set you up for success as a freelancer. Learn how to foster qualities like persistence, resilience, flexibility, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":20808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"old-site-template.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,95,7,90],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freelance-and-contractor-jobs","category-career-advice","category-career-change","category-remote-jobs"],"last_modified_at":"","edited_by":"Jessica Howington","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20441"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21340,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20441\/revisions\/21340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.job-hunt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}1. Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Be Disciplined<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Be Persistent<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Be Resilient<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Be Organized<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. Be Outgoing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. Be a Skilled Communicator<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. Be Flexible<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Set Yourself Up for Success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n