The five most common mistakes made by freelancers

Choosing a freelance lifestyle can be a dream for many. Skipping traffic jams early in the morning, working in sweatpants and visiting the gym in the middle of the day when it is nice and quiet. No strict employer and no annoying colleagues. Delicious! For many starting freelancers, starting their own business is quite a change. There are a lot of challenges involved.

Nobody is perfect and everyone makes mistakes sometimes, especially at the beginning. So you're not alone and you definitely don't have to feel stupid. Fortunately, we can only learn from mistakes. In this blog we therefore outline the most common mistakes that freelancers make. Whether you are a freelance web designer, freelance photographer or freelance marketer, they apply to everyone. We want to protect you from these mistakes and hope that you learn from them so that after reading them you will never make them again!

1. Not daring to say 'no' As a self-employed entrepreneur, you decide what kind of freelance assignments you accept and where your limits lie. Setting boundaries is very important, especially for freelancers, you don't have other people around you telling you to take it easy. You are the only one who can say "no". In addition to saying "no", you can of course also negotiate the conditions or the deadline.

2. 'Overworking' yourself The thoughts that you are the 'only one' in your field can keep you busy with work every day and all day long. As a freelancer, you naturally want to win as many assignments as possible. It is not good if this leads to problems. You may become overworked or you may not be able to fulfill the agreements you have made with the client. This can therefore be very negative for both parties.

Therefore, make sure you make a good plan and give yourself some free time. In addition, be honest with the client when taking on new work if you already have several assignments in progress.

3. Offering too many services As a starter, you want to take what you can get and respond to all kinds of freelance assignments. As long as you have work and income. Unfortunately, this is not the way to do it and you won't be able to keep it up for long. To avoid a lot of disappointment, it is better to focus on one or two services to attract more customers. Specialize in what you like and what you are good at. 'I can do a little bit of everything' is not of much use in the freelance world.

4. Too low hourly rate Because there is a lot of competition in some fields, it is sometimes difficult to find assignments for a good price. Many freelancers therefore think it is wise to compete on price. In the long run, this is just not such a good idea. You make it more difficult for fellow entrepreneurs to maintain the rate and you make it difficult for yourself to increase your hourly rate. Determine a well-reasoned price for yourself and stick to it as best as possible. Don't forget that you have to keep money back for your pension.

5. No contract Always put the agreements you make before carrying out an assignment in a contract and have it signed by the client. You can always fall back on this. Even if the client is someone you know, a contract is very important.

By: Ilse van der Meulen As a customer-oriented community & content manager, Ilse builds brands with the aim of creating connectedness. She is creative in thinking and doing and has a passion for writing (poems).