Common Freelance Mistakes

Someone approached me today asking for me for advice on Freelancing. I had to stop and think about it for a minute. "Me? Giving advice?", I asked myself. Who would have thought that? But as I sat down and began to consider writing a response, I realised...

I made almost EVERY mistake in the book!

Artwork by: Daniel Conway

Time flies and 8 years have gone by since I started up my career as a Graphic Artist. I was a different person then but as I began to write the following down it came to me all too clearly.

If I could go back ten years and tell myself any word of advise it would be the same thing all of my advisers told me throughout my journey, and that is:
"You WILL make mistakes".
To me that's a big relief. My whole future is painted before me all the while knowing that with every fall I'll know how to get back up again.

When I was younger I felt that I could armour myself up and just take the blows but as I realised over time (and thanks to the help of many many people along the way) the bumps and bruises were mostly self inflicted. The most important part however is that mistakes do happen and that's okay. The day I stopped judging myself and my business based on the inevitable passed events,  was the day I could move ahead with ease. And the funniest part is that in hindsight, the mistakes I made were minor. I didn't start a nuclear war with North Korea. At most I missed a deadline, or misjudged a client or the amount of time it would take to do the work. If you had no way of anticipating it, how can you blame yourself? All you can do now is to take it for what it was and move on. Next time you can try to anticipate the same thing again when it comes... because trust me... it will.

So now that we have the big relief of knowing that your future is full of pitfalls, here are a few things to consider with a grain of salt:

1. Build Healthy Boundaries. Everyone does better with set boundaries. Ever befriended your boss or partnered with a friend? It may feel more comfortable at first but it can get hairy fast. Trust me, I've done both and if something goes wrong, chances are your relationship is irreparable. In the case where I did business with a friend I found myself fortunate enough to have such a great friend. With abit of time and mending we were able to move past that part of our lives. In general though, I try to avoid doing direct business with friends and I certainly learned the lesson of befriending my boss the hard way. Avoid difficult business relationships by building healthy boundaries. There is no shame in keeping people at arms length when you are focusing on providing whats best for them.

2. Its always about the client. More importantly, The client's preferences are more important than whats truly good for them. Part of protecting you and your client is ensuring that both parties know where they stand in the relationship. When dealing with clients (or your boss) the other party may not always be correct but they are ALWAYS right.You can try to give them what is best for their needs by making suggestions, but in the end it NEVER MATTERS whether they take your suggestions or not. It is their responsibility to ensure that they are doing what they think is right for their business - not you. 99% of the time, if it is explained clearly as to how they will benefit from your suggestion, common sense dictates that they will go for your recommendation. However, you owe it to yourself to give yourself that protection and not equate their successes/failures with yours. You will save yourself and your client a lot of frustration that way. Learn to let go and remember that's its their baby you are working with, not yours. A freelancer that gripes about almost every client does not have healthy boundaries set.

3. Rely on your inner strength. Inner strength is often too romanticised to be accurately described. I equate inner strength with wisdom, which essentially is knowing when to act offensively, defensively and neutrally. When picturing inner strength I picture is as the Norse did. In Nordic Runes, Algiz (Elhaz) was frequently inscribed on Norse shields to symbolise protection but in truth it has little to do with violence and aggression. It depicts a person with arms upraised, elk's antlers, or a representation of the Norse God Heimdall who holds his sword in one hand and his horn in the other -- guarding the divine realm of Asgard. In the old Germanic languages, Algiz means "defence" or "protection" and symbolises defence of all that is sacred to you. Likewise, its your job to make sure that you are steady and protect yourself by separating yourself from your clients with a professional and personable detachment. This does not mean you should function like a robot. Algiz is often seen as a living breathing tree. In other words, inner strength can be seen as flexibility and solidarity in sticking to your principals. It is a non aggressive state and it is neither positive or negative but simply a neutral state. I can guarantee that having this type of attitude will ensure that both you and your client will have a good relationship.

4. Be the solid rock in a storm. Your clients rely on you more than they know sometimes. I like to see myself as a gentle adviser.... a solid rock in a troubling storm. Most of the time, I get clients that are having serious trouble and really need someone to sort their marketing materials and their web presence. Its a gut wrenching experience for them so I try to be organised, clear in my communication, concise and thorough. Most importantly, I include them in on every step of the way, especially with the clients that are happy to have me make decisions for them.

5. Find compassion. Its easy to get mad at ignorant people. Its harder still to find compassion. Just like you, your clients also make mistakes. Always try to remember where they are coming from. Don't excuse bad behaviour but usually there is a reason for every action they make. Breath and find the cause of their behaviour. Did you not get back to them in time? Are they stressed out about something unrelated to you? Don't take it upon you to fix every situation, but know that they happen to everyone. Your clients will always appreciate that about you - even if they cant put their thumb on what it is exactly.

6. Communication is everything. Grace your clients with emails and documents that are informative and brief. Clear and concise communication allows for the client to have answers before they start questioning. There is nothing more difficult than working with a worried client and 99% of the time you can't blame them for it. The common reaction stems from a feeling of powerlessness resulting in a desperate attempt to get something done - it can be anything really. Most people feel a sense of accomplishment just knowing that the hamster wheel is turning. They may not realise it but as a result, they step on your toes a little too much, rendering the work next to impossible to accomplish. Remember who you are, and keep your clients feeling secure knowing that you know what you are doing, because - face it, you do. Providing documents and regular emails at milestones helps a great deal. I am in the midst of setting up a SharePoint portal so that each of my clients can access information about their project at any time. They will be able to access information such as meeting notes, an excel sheet of the hours already spent on the project, samples of the job at various stages, estimates and the amounts due and their due dates. *Another important note: there are freelance websites out there that promise you job connections at the expense of some of your rights as a freelancer. These websites are fine if you need to build your clientele but make sure you read all of the fine print. Also, I find it more beneficial to keep my clients communicating directly to me and not through a third party website. This way I have control over the conversation.

7. Stay on top of invoicing. There is a reason why everyone pays their hydro bills on time. No money... no power and water until the amount due is payed. Hydro doesn't turn off your access to your amenities whenever it gets around to it. They turn it off at 9 am on the morning your notice said they would come. This type of relationship may seem cut and dry but it is what it is, and people will take you more seriously for it. In fact, you will gain more respect from your peers this way and your clients wont have to worry about you having difficulty keeping your books straight. Late invoicing can also mean that your clients dont remember the cost amount, or that they never payed the due ammount and worse still, they may think you double invoiced them.

8. Never Undercharge. the only thing worse than over-charging is undercharging. You may not gain some clients by overcharging but you'll have client's abusing you if you undercharge and you wont get any more work by being cheaper. If I wish to weigh my estimates and make sure they are reasonable, I always compare it to the “Pricing and Ethical Guidelines” book published by the Graphic Artist Guild. The estimates I produced are often surprisingly low in comparison because of the work experience that I have. I am confident that I can get the job done in a reasonable time so the final cost is sometimes lower than the 15.00/hr designer's final cost. Any time spent on meet and greet meetings with the client and email or telephone communications gets absorbed in the final cost and is considered a courtesy to the client. More so, I only charge for what I can deliver efficiently. Any time spent on personal development is NEVER charged to the client. If I choose to spend the time on something new and revolutionary, that's my choice, not theirs.

 9. Volunteer. Acts of virtue are always self rewarding. Don't work yourself to the ground with it but a little goes a long way - both for the people you volunteered for and your own soul. Volunteering also gives you more experience and exposure. You never know what connections you may get out of it.

10. Stay Networked. Networking can be initially very intimidating but its not that hard. Somewhere wired down there you are engineered to be a social creature. Build your network by starting online. Learn about all of the social networking websites out there and start with a few that you can handle. Remember social networking requires commitment. I have a google + account, facebook, Linkedin , a Deviant Art account which I am just starting up and this Blogg which all connect to my portfolio website. I use any opportunity to link them. This month I'll also be going to the Small Business Centre in my local city to attend "Networking Night". Doors open at 7 and it costs 7.00 to get in. Passing out business cards and learning about other people and what they do can do better than get you job leads. It can inspire you and even connect you with other professionals who are working on remarkable things that you could be a part of. So a little word of advice: its not that scary to shake hands and exchange business cards, and the rewards are great!

11. Love what you do. I know this one sounds clichéd, I had to include it because its so very important. If you love what you do and don't come across too wound up and worried,  people will think you are on to something and will want to be a part of it. Everyone wants to ride the joy waggon. Its refreshing and its the only waggon that has no kinks in its wheels.

12. Stay focused. Stay focused and keep working away at it. If you aren't getting any work for a 2 week period and you are starting to get worried that nothing will come of it, DON'T WORRY. It always comes. You could spend that time networking and building up your profile... maybe even work on a pet project that you can hone your skills with. Stay close to your heart and stay focused. Also, don't let anyone change that focus or bring you down. It is not worth it. If you are getting the feeling that you have a client that's just never happy and will bring you down, end the relationship as soon as you can and as diplomatically as you can. Two things to remember:

1. On the public front, you don't want to be associated with a bad partnership. Bad business owners do bad Business and go under sooner. You don't want to be a part of that - no matter how much money they try to throw at you.
2. People who are never happy, never think its their problem. You don't want a client that has any reason to talk badly about you to other people. You shouldn't care what other people think of you, but your standing in the community is always reflected in what the community has to say about you.

So I hope this helps. Looking back, I have made every single mistake here. The best part is that I have learned to dust myself off and be a better person and professional for it. I also know that I'll probably make some of these mistakes again - so knowing that, its a big relief.

Hopefully the next time, I'll just be that much better at dealing with the situation, and so will you.