Every freelancer strives for a successful career full of freelance assignments. Every career has ups and downs. Sometimes you can take on the whole world, while there are also times when you feel like giving up. Success seems to imply that there are no lows and that as an entrepreneur you have figured everything out right and will continue to do so. However, the people who say they have figured it out are either lying or have completely given up and are anything but successful.
Sustainability is a lot more important. That implies that at least some things work for you as a freelancer, some of the time with enough momentum for the good to outlast the bad. This does not mean that what you have thought of will remain that way, but that you will never stop working for it.
Most people who switch to a freelance career don't do it because it's easy and simple. It would be easier to work for a boss and focus on one thing instead of many projects at once. But they do what they want because they crave the challenge of the unknown.
Creating a long-lasting career comes down to the following three points:
1. What are your skills? It is clear that the skills you possess are very important for the problems you solve for others. Having good skills alone is not enough. It's about how you use them and how you communicate your added value to clients. Make sure clients understand what you are good at and why they should hire you. Never stop refining and learning new skills because that is what will continue to make you special.
2. Who do you know? Business is primarily about building relationships. The more people you know and the more people know you, the greater your reach. Word-of-mouth advertising and references are extremely important for a freelance life. Even if you're an introvert, it's still important to meet new people. For example at networking drinks or training sessions.
3. What sets you apart? Regardless of your skills or the people you know, 99% of what you do is the same as your competitors. Freelance web designers are all skilled in design. Freelance copywriters all know how to write. In the remaining 1% you are unique. That is what makes you so distinctive. The last 1% is how you stand out, differentiate yourself, build an audience and become known. This is the most difficult to figure out and scariest to work on. Because it's about you - the real, honest, vulnerable you. The more you work on your career, the more you realize that that is why your career exists. People hire you for being you and not for what you know or what you do.
You can build a long-term career by continuing to work on these points. So never stop learning and discovering, that's what makes you strong.
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