We’ve all been there. Even me.
When I first started freelance writing, I was…
- charging $20 an hour
- booking 40+ hours of actual writing work a week
- wasting hours creating my first website and portfolio
- struggling to earn even $2k a month
It’s because I was making all kinds of beginner mistakes.
But I didn’t ask for help. I suffered instead.
Finally, 2 years in, overbooked, underpaid, and completely burnt out, I asked for help.
I hired my first business coach. She was appalled at how little I was charging. She couldn’t believe I was working 60-70 hours a week.
In just two weeks after that $300 consultation, I…
- tripled my income and made more than I ever had in my life
- dropped half my clients, so I was only working 20-30 hours a week
- took the time to rest.
Invest in your business!
After that, I invested in my business over and over again. I couldn’t believe I’d waited so long to ask for the help I needed!
I’ve worked with business coaches and consultants and invested $10k in my business in the past 3 years.
All of those investments were well worth it. Each of them saved me YEARS of learning the hard way. I made back every single dollar of that $10k in just one month after applying what I’d learned.
I have never regretted investing in my business, and I’ve learned from some incredible women along the way.
So… let’s talk about what I learned and the mistakes I can help you avoid…
Here are the top 5 mistakes I see new freelancers making and why you should avoid them.
1. Charging less than $35 an hour
When you’re first starting out, especially if you were getting paid hourly as an employee before, it feels so scary to charge what you need to (and what you’re worth). I know!
I remember crying at my public library, writing my client an email raising my rates from $20 (!!) to $30 an hour. I was terrified because I thought I’d lose the client, but I knew I couldn’t keep charging $20 an hour if I wanted to quit my barista job. Jokes on me! He immediately agreed to pay me more and told me how valuable I was. And (!!) I was still undercharging. Yeah.
If you followed the six-week series where I showed you how to become a freelance writer on The Fizz and on YouTube (if not, check the archives), you’ll know that I teach people to set their rates based on what they need to make. I teach you how to confidently charge what you need and want to earn.
I couldn’t keep charging $20 an hour if I wanted to quit my barista job
2. Wasting time on creating the perfect website in your first 6 months
I see this one all the time. When you’re first starting out, you have no idea if your niche will stick. You’re not positive who your ideal client is. You’re not the best copywriter so your website probably won’t bring in leads (potential clients) organically nor convert them (make them your client) even if it did.
I did this! I had an awful website that I spent over a week making, only to abandon it after I made it during my first month of freelancing. I didn’t reference a website for my entire first three years of freelance writing. And, you know what? I didn’t struggle to get clients during that time.
You don’t need a perfect website when you first start out. You need a portfolio. I’ll help you create a portfolio that attracts your dream clients and show you how to post it online for free in a professional way!
3. Booking 40+ hours of work each week
Here’s the thing, the 40-hour workweek is a myth. Even people who are hired to work 40 hours a week don’t actually work 40 focused, creative, highly productive hours each week. Why are we expecting ourselves to do this?
I used to book 40 hours of work each week. Sometimes that meant writing up to 10 1000+ word blog posts in one week (🤯) at $100 a pop – UGH. No wonder I was burnt out and broke!!
Our work (writing) is hella taxing. It’s so creative, and we have to focus to get it done. It’s not the same as spending 40 hours a week of combined meetings, socializing, and working.
After I learned from business experts, I switched to booking just 100 hours a month whenever possible. That meant ~25 hours a week. You see, we’re business owners, and as such, we need time to work both on and in our businesses.
- working on your business = pitching, scheduling, learning new skills, sharpening your writing craft, networking, bookkeeping, taxes, new client discovery calls, etc.
- working in your business = executing the services you sell, like writing, consulting, strategy, etc.
Pro tip: never book more than 120 hours of work per month. Preferably no more than 100 hours if you can.
Try This:
Even if you don’t want to do coaching with me or you aren’t ready to invest in a business coach, you can still ask for help in any of your endeavors. Maybe you want to travel full-time. Do you want to start your own side biz? Perhaps you’re looking to improve the business you already have!
Find someone, anyone, who’s already doing what you’re doing. Maybe you know someone in your life who’d be down to chat with you. If not, you could look to LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, or any other social media platform (that’s what I did!). Reach out to them!
Don’t be shy, but be respectful. Ask them whatever your burning questions are. Tell them your story. Suggest a quick coffee chat (either virtual or in person). If they only offer paid resources, they probably have some great free info on their social media platforms, too. Learn as much as you can from them!
This is a template you can use when you message them:
Hey! I’m [Name].
I’ve been following you for [____], and I really admire [____].
I’m also trying to [____], and I want to surround myself with people who make me believe it’s possible.
I’m struggling with [___]. I was wondering if maybe you’d be interested in chatting via a virtual coffee date or just exchanging a few voice messages with me. Thanks for sharing your journey! It really makes me feel [____].
P.S. I totally understand if you don’t have time or would rather point me toward some resources! I appreciate you!