I usually mark the anniversary of setting up my business as a freelance copywriter by at least treating myself to a large slice of cake. One year I pushed the boat out and had a spa day. This year? It has literally passed me by. Yep, really. Today - September 24 - more than two months after that all-important date (July 22, if you’re asking), I glanced at my calendar and realised I’ve missed it. Oh well.
As well as cutting myself a slice of belated anniversary cake (what else?!) after my tea, I thought I’d share some lessons I’ve learned during seven years as a freelancer. If you’re thinking of going it alone too, you might find these snippets of info useful. Or not. Here they are anyway…
Getting Your Tax Return Done Early is Always a Good Idea
Tax return season always seems a long way off. Until it’s not a long way off - and you suddenly have three days to find all those receipts and pull an all-nighter to get everything ready to send to HMRC.
If I have any advice for anyone entering the word of freelance, it’s to get your tax return done as soon as possible.
Get an accountant on board, organise your receipts and expenses month by month (set up a handy filing system to sort everything by type) and get your return done as early as possible. When January rolls around, you’ll be giving yourself a big pat on the back. Quickbooks is my saviour and it might be yours too.
Working in Your PJs Doesn’t Always Mean You’ll Be Less Productive
It’s a rite of passage that when you go freelance, you have the opportunity to work in your PJs as much or as little as you want. It isn’t something I make a habit of, but when I’ve had a sleepless night or a rough start to the day, I have been known to answer a few emails in my pyjamas. Guess what…it doesn’t mean I’m any less productive.
When you’re freelance, you work from home and you don’t have to head out for a meeting or client catch-up, the suited and booted office look just isn’t necessary. That said, I wouldn’t advise you log onto a Zoom call in your fleecy onesie.
…But Sometimes it Does
If there’s no excuse for you not to be wearing something ‘proper’, get out of those blinking PJs and get blinking dressed. Do I sound like your mother?!
More often than not, getting changed does equal boosted productivity. So does making your bed. And tidying your workspace. Tidy space, tidy mind and all that.
It Doesn’t Matter How Long You’ve Been in Business, You’ll Still Question Your Prices
I don’t know a freelancer who doesn’t agree that going freelance was the best thing they ever did. When you’ve pretty much turned something you love doing into a career, you WILL question your prices. After all, getting paid for something you enjoy seems like the dream. Allow me to let you into a secret…it is.
On occasion, you might also question if your prices are too high - especially if you charge by the hour. Remember, though, clients aren’t just paying for the time it takes for you to complete a project; they’re paying for your experience, which took way more than the one, two or three hours it took for you to draft that piece of work.
Sometimes, You’ll Have to Tell a Client It Isn’t Working Out (And That’s Okay)
In seven years as a freelancer, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had to back out of a project before I’ve completed the work. In fact, I can probably count on two fingers. Sometimes, though, it happens.
Try as you might, a client relationship doesn’t always go smoothly - just like the relationships we have with friends, family and others around us. Personalities can, sadly, clash, and sometimes the client (or you) is expecting a project to work out differently.
If you’re experiencing a tricky working relationship that doesn’t fit well with you or the way you do business - and you’ve tried your best to make sure the work…er…works out - don’t be afraid to back out.
The joy of being freelance is that you don’t have to say ‘yes, sir’, ‘no, sir’ to a ‘boss’ you can’t - or won’t work with. If someone doesn’t value your time or expertise, I promise you’ll feel great if you gently explain that another freelancer might be a better fit for them - and that’s fine too. We’re not forced to get on with everyone we meet, after all.
Saying ‘No’ Can Be Liberating
Sometimes, you can spot red flags before you even start working with a client - and you should always trust your gut. If someone is causing unnecessary issues before the project has kicked off, it might be worth your while to just say ‘no’.
I know from experience that the client who takes weeks to respond to initial emails will also take weeks to pay your invoice.
Ditto the client who gets in touch to say ‘I’ve worked with X number of copywriters and I’m not happy with any of the work I’ve seen’ is probably harder to please than most. You could take on the work, or you could confidently say ‘no’ and save yourself the stress. Success as a freelancer - or indeed in anything - isn’t based on money alone.
You’ll Never Work a Day in Your Life
Eagle-eyed readers of this blog post may notice that the sentiment of this lesson is pretty much the same as the point I made about pricing your services. Basically, it’s so true that when you work for yourself it won’t feel like work…that I just had to say it twice.
Thinking of going freelance? I promise you won’t regret your decision.
Until next time…
PS: Find this blog post useful? Let me know by saying hello via email. Oh, and if you need a Yorkshire copywriter to help you with a project or two, I’d love to hear from you too.