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5 Freelancing Mistakes You Might Be Making

ByAubree Malick August 2, 2022August 2, 2022

Becoming a freelancer is exhilarating! You finally get to work from home, make your own schedule, and set your own rates but for some reason you feel like you keep hitting a roadblock (or multiple roadblocks for that matter). When you first start your freelancing journey there is so much to learn and navigate. You want to make this a reality but for many newbies, it is likely you are making one, two, maybe even all 5 freelancer mistakes I see beginner freelancers make when they are first getting started. Today I am breaking down those five mistakes and sharing how you can avoid them so you can build a successful freelancing biz. 

This post contains affiliate links meaning I receive a small commission if you purchase through one of the links below. 

Mistake #1: Not Setting Boundaries From The Start 

When you land a new client, you’re on cloud nine. You feel like you are on top of the world and you are so happy someone agreed to work with you. Am I right??! As a result, you probably forget to put boundaries in place starting from day one?

We have all been there, myself included. We feel so grateful for the opportunity that we neglect to put ourselves first. This is the one of the first freelancer mistakes I see. Although many clients are respectful of your time and are understanding of when things come up, there can and will be those that think their business is the most important thing in the world and will try to take advantage of you if boundaries are not set from the beginning. 

I highly recommend lightly bringing up your boundaries during your initial discovery call. I would then highlight your boundaries in your contract along with your welcome packet. Detail out the hours you work, how long it will take you to respond to emails, and the holidays you will be taking off. The more you can lay out, the better. 

beginner freelancing mistakes

Mistake #2: Agreeing to Work for Less Than Your Desired Rate

You haven’t had someone inquire about your services in months or you have been networking in FB groups for weeks with no leads and then all of a sudden you land a discovery call. On the call, you are going through all of the ways you can help this business owner and then the topic of what you charge for this service comes up. 

You tell this business owner, your hourly rate is $35 but they tell you they can only do $28 and you agree because you feel desperate at this point. Eek!!! BIG mistake! Agreeing to work for less than your desired rate will leave you resentful of not only the work you are doing but for the client as well. 

Instead, I would stick to the fact that you charge $35 an hour and figure out what items you might not be able to deliver on so you still are able to work together. The client still gets most of the work done but not all because they are unable to afford it in the moment. More likely than not, they will realize that you are a lifesaver and will figure out how to add hours on. 

Mistake #3: Giving Away Strategy During Discovery Calls 

Another freelancer mistake I see is when you turn your discovery call into a strategy call. You love what you do, you are passionate about the services you offer, and you really want to land this client, so you end up going into a ton of detail behind what you will do for their business. Basically giving them a full strategy plan. BIG mistake!! 

You may want to impress this client, but if you give them everything they need during this one call, why would they feel the need to hire you? The goal is to highlight the services you offer but save the strategy for when the invoice is paid and the contract is signed. 

freelancing mistakes

Mistake #4: Trying to Show Up in All The Places 

When you are just starting out, you might feel like you need to show up in all the places to be successful. You see others on Instagram, so you think you need to start an account. Your freelancing buddy just landed a client on TikTok so you think you need to be there too. Others say LinkedIn is a great place to connect so you give that a go as well. Then you hear you need to start a podcast, have a blog, and create videos on YouTube…Oh My!! 

Basically you’re leading yourself down the fast track to burnout. Instead of trying to show up in all the places, I want you to focus on money generating activities instead. Think about where YOUR ideal client is hanging out and stick with that. Don’t create blog posts just because or a podcast thinking that will be your golden ticket to clients. Find where your people are and stick with that. 

Mistake #5: Neglecting to Put Systems in Place 

Are you continuing to put off putting systems in place? Systems such as CRM’s like Dubsado or Honeybook to manage clients and project management tools like Trello or ClickUp to keep your business organized? At first, you might think systems are something you can put off until you have an abundance of clients but to be quite honest, you need them in place BEFORE that happens. 

The last thing you want is to have a waitlist of clients and no way to manage them or book them quickly as you become available. 

Having streamlined systems not only save you so much time but they also make for a seamless client experience. And with that comes referrals and never ending clients. Something we all want. 

My recommendation is to pick one CRM either Honeybook or Dubsado and learn how to use it in a capacity that works best for your service based business. Then pick one project management tool, Trello, ClickUp, Asana, Monday, etc. and transition everything you are doing on paper and pencil into a digital format. From there just watch how much time you save. 

So there you have it, the 5 freelancer mistakes beginner freelancers make when they are first getting started. If you are looking to learn the ins and outs of becoming a freelancer and want coaching to support you along the way to avoid these mistakes then join me inside The Prep 2.0. 

Until next time, 

Aubree

mistakes freelancers make
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REFLECT!! Are you taking time to reflect on you REFLECT!! 
 
Are you taking time to reflect on your business wins no matter how big or how small?
 
Are you taking time to reflect on what is going well and what might need some adjustments in your business?
 
Are you taking time to reflect on your WHY for starting your business in the first place? Has it changed?
 
As a society, we are constantly moving at a million miles a minute and as a result, we often neglect to reflect. 
 
As an entrepreneur, I try to reflect on all of the above at least once a quarter. I even have a reminder set in my calendar to do so. 
 
By taking time to reflect, to pause, to think, it allows me to progress and grow. 
 
I challenge you to do the same!! 
#workathomemom #momsinbusiness #stayathomemoms #thegreatresignation #freelancingfemales #virtualassistants #formerteacher #workfromhomelife #momssupportingmoms #momsonamission #workfromanywhere
Are you afraid to niche down your services in fear Are you afraid to niche down your services in fear that you will miss out on working with potential clients?

I hear this all the time from my Prep students who are a few months into their freelancing journey. 

They have plateaued in their earning potential and as I advise them to niche down their services, I get responses like “But Aubree, I’m afraid I won’t get clients.”

They feel like they have to offer all the things and be available to do any and all services in order to grow their business but quite the opposite is true. 

By niching down, you are opening the doors for so much more. You are opening the doors to be seen as an expert in your field, as the go-to person for X, as the must-hire for _______ service. 

And with that comes the ability to bump up your prices. If you are an in-demand service provider offering just one service, people are going to want to pay a premium price. They want the specialist, not the Jack (Jill) of all trades that can do it all. 

So if you have been considering niching down to offer just one service, take this as a sign that NOW is the time! 

What do you/or what do you want to specialize in?

#womenentrepreneurs #ceomindset #onlinemarketingstrategies #scaleyourbusiness #virtualassistantforhire
When you are just starting out as a freelancer, th When you are just starting out as a freelancer, there are 4 must-do’s I always recommend. 

First, you want to make sure the legal side of things are set up whether you decide to file for an LLC or sole proprietor. 

Next, you will want to decide what services you will offer. Do you want to offer more general VA type services or do you want to specialize in one specific area such as website design?

After that, it is time to create your packages. Think about what you will charge for the services you provide. How many packages will you offer. Are you willing to make custom packages? Think through it all.

Last, you will want to create a portfolio that you can share with potential clients. Be sure to share who you are, how you can serve them, the services you offer, and what you charge for those services. 

If all of this feels overwhelming head to the link in bio to watch my free training when I go more in depth with each of the above steps. 

#ceolife #workfromhoejobs #workfromhomemomlife #workfromhomemomjobs #earnmoneyfromhome
Did you know you might be missing out on working w Did you know you might be missing out on working with potential clients simply because you are not following up?

I learned the importance of following up very early on in my freelancing journey. 

If you connect with someone in a FB group, follow up with them via email and provide further details regarding how you can support them with the services you offer. 

If you are having a genuine conversation with a potential client in the DM’s and they say they might be interested in the future, follow up with them a month or two later to see if now is a better time. 

If you had an awesome discovery call, sent over a proposal and contract but have yet to hear back, send a follow up email. 

People get BUSY! It is very likely that the person on the other side does want to work with you but because they are so overwhelmed and in the weeds of their business, they forget. You need to do the work for them and follow up. 

I recommend creating some sort of follow up system whether that be in your project management tool like Trello or Clickup or in a simple spreadsheet in Google Sheets. 

Stop missing out on working with dream clients and always, always follow up! 

Double tap if you have a system in place for this? 

#virtualassistantcommunity #workfromhome #virtualassistantmentor #businesssupport #freelancelife #virtualassistance
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