My Top 5 Tips for Becoming a Freelancer (So You Can Live a Life You LOVE)

When I filled out my Global Entry application in 2019, I thought it would be nice and easy. But I had to go back into the depths of my brain to dig up every job I’ve had and every place I’ve lived for the past ten years. Now, for some people, this is an easy task. I have many friends who have been at the same job for that duration of time. Welp, spoiler alert: that isn’t me. I ultimately came up with a list of far too many jobs and realized that huh, the only commonality between these jobs is I was always working for someone else. Maybe it wasn’t that I didn’t know what I was good at, didn’t work well with others, or hated literally every project ever. Perhaps, I just wasn’t cut out for the 9-5 life. So, I took the plunge into becoming a freelancer and blogger and never looked back. Was it easy? No. Was it worth it? Hell yes.

I’ll tell more of my full story someday. It’s honestly really freakin’ long, squirrely, and too much to add to this post. For now, if you want to take control of your life, your future, and your income, becoming a freelancer is a great option.

Here are my tips if you’re considering it:

Don’t Be Afraid of the Hustle (Becoming a Freelancer is hard, but It Won’t Always Be Like This…)

When I say I worked a lot in those first six months, I was literally working 7 days a week. I’m not going to glamorize it. It freaking sucked. I questioned why I was doing it daily. I encountered more imposter syndrome and self-doubt than ever before. My daily state of being was wild discomfort.

It isn’t going to be all dollar bills flowing in on day one. There is no magic formula for success. You have to be ready to put in the work to come out on the other side.

But, after doing the work, I now work maybe 3 days a week to maintain the same salary I did in the beginning. All with no social media, no email marketing, and zero audiences anywhere. Not joking! It will pay off; you just have to stick to it.

Know Your Worth & Don’t Undervalue Your Services

Just because you haven’t done something full-time before or you don’t have a degree or certification does NOT mean you should be charging pennies. I did this, and it’s why I had to hustle so damn hard.

Instead, set a goal for yourself and work backward.

Let’s say you want to make $100,000 a year as a freelancer. You want to work 30 hours a week, 45 weeks a year. Do the math.

• $100,000 a year/ 45 weeks a year is $2,222 a week.
• Then, take $2,222 and divide it by 30 hours a week.
• That’s $74 an hour. But that should not be your final rate. That’s what you want to make.
• Next, you want to factor in about 25% for taxes and 15% for potential fees from freelancing and payment platforms.
• So, $74 x 1.40 comes out to $103.60.
• At that point, it’s up to you. List your hourly rate at $100-105.

While this seems like an elementary school math word problem, it’s actually a very effective way to determine your base rates. There ARE people out there who will pay them, so don’t worry about “overcharging.” As long as you’re providing the value you know you can provide, you’ll be set.

Do the Mindset Work That Will Help You Level Up More Quickly

I have a tendency to get in my own way. As an entrepreneur living with anxiety disorder, there are about a million and one ways I like to self-sabotage. Sound familiar to anyone? I know there are a lot of us out there!

So, one thing I wish I invested in sooner was mindset work. That is the single biggest key to getting out of your own damn way and stepping into your power.

Start with one hour of reading, podcast listening, or journaling a day to start realizing your patterns so you can reframe, rewire, and start living as your most in-tune and strongest self!

Understand that One-Off Gigs Are Great, But Focus on Building that Recurring Base

With a lot of jobs on Upwork, Fivver, etc., you’re going to have to do one-off jobs in the beginning to gain traction on your profile, reviews, and in turn, more business. But, your ultimate goal when becoming a freelancer should be to find businesses that want ongoing support and relationships.

I’m not saying a certain number of hours a week, but rather a certain number of deliverables a month. This way, you can more easily schedule yourself out to take that much-needed vacation or work remotely, knowing how much time you’ll have to dedicate vs. how much time you can

Invest in Yourself & Your Education
(spoiler alert: Becoming a freelancer will be a whole hell of a lot easier)

Now, if this is something you truly feel ready for, my recommendation is to invest in coaching or a course or something that will help you fast-track your success. I told myself I wasn’t at the income level where I could do that right off the bat. But you know what? I would have reached much greater success, much more quickly, if I had hired someone to help me get clarity, create a plan, and price my services correctly. I cringe thinking about how much time I wasted hustling, questioning, and not capitalizing on the wealth of knowledge from those who blazed this path before me.

If you’re ready to take a step towards lifestyle freedom and are interested in getting clear on what that means to you and how to achieve it, download my freedom lifestyle framework workbook to get started. I’m rooting for you!

P.S. If you need help, just shoot me a DM on Instagram, and we can chat there!