40 Fabulous Faults of Freelance Failures
For years, I’ve preached the gospel of freelance success. But in the spirit of fairness, it’s time to celebrate freelance failure! After all, you can’t have winners without losers. So, here are some truly terrible habits that can guarantee freelance failure—feel free to adopt them at your own peril.
Organization
Freelance failures never worry about time management. Watching TV is always more important than meeting deadlines.
Freelance failures don’t bother with an office or workspace. The couch or bed is just fine for poorly done work.
Freelance failures never keep a notebook for ideas. They trust they’ll remember important thoughts later, which they rarely do.
Freelance failures ignore money management. They spend without planning and hope more money magically appears.
Freelance failures have no backup plan. They figure if Plan A fails, so will Plan B—so why bother?
Freelance failures don’t treat freelancing as a business. No receipts, no budgeting, and certainly no business plan.
Marketing
Freelance failures don’t bother with Writer’s Market or researching clients. That sounds like too much work!
Freelance failures love low-paying platforms. They’re happy to churn out hundreds of articles for a pittance.
Freelance failures wait around after sending one query, hoping for a response rather than sending out more pitches.
Freelance failures don’t create portfolios. They assume their passion for writing is all they need to impress editors.
Freelance failures avoid advertising. They believe clients will just magically discover them.
Freelance failures never stay in touch with past clients unless they’re desperate for money.
Freelance failures don’t see the need for business cards. Scribbling their info on a napkin should suffice.
Freelance failures believe a personal website isn’t necessary. They think the internet is just a passing fad.
Client Relations
Freelance failures don’t listen to clients. They assume their judgment is superior and ignore feedback.
Freelance failures never say no. They overpromise on projects they can’t deliver.
Freelance failures don’t chase overdue payments. They’re afraid of offending the client by asking for their money.
Freelance failures can’t explain why they’re the right choice for a project. They just really want the gig.
Freelance failures don’t negotiate for better rates or deadlines. They didn’t realize that was even an option.
Freelance failures take rejection personally. Every “no” is seen as a personal attack.
Freelance failures don’t have a proper invoicing system. They assume the client will just remember to pay them.
Skills
Freelance failures don’t care about clarity. If they understand it, why wouldn’t the client?
Freelance failures don’t edit or proofread. They’re too busy writing hundreds of low-quality SEO articles.
Freelance failures think they can write poorly on any subject and get away with it.
Freelance failures don’t improve their skills. Certifications or workshops are a waste of time to them.
Research
Freelance failures don’t learn from mistakes. They prefer repeating them over and over again.
Freelance failures frequently get people’s names wrong. They assume no one cares about these details.
Freelance failures skip research. Whatever they already know is “good enough” for an article.
Freelance failures plagiarize. They promise so much that they resort to stealing content just to meet deadlines.
Community
Freelance failures don’t seek out mentors. They believe there’s no one worth learning from or they’re too proud to ask for help.
Freelance failures refuse to collaborate. They don’t want to split the pay with anyone.
Freelance failures avoid networking. Talking to other writers? That’s time better spent browsing for gigs online.
Freelance failures have no idea who their competition is. They don’t read or follow what’s happening in the market.
Attitude
Freelance failures don’t care about making money. They consider themselves “artists” and look down on financial success.
Freelance failures get discouraged easily. If something doesn’t work out on the first try, they give up.
Freelance failures procrastinate. They save the hardest tasks for last and hope they won’t have to do them at all.
Freelance failures don’t solve problems. They give up at the first sign of difficulty.
Freelance failures believe that successful freelancers are just lucky. They assume success has nothing to do with skill or effort.
5 Tips for Avoiding Freelance Failure
Stay Organized: Keep a dedicated workspace, manage your time, and track your finances to ensure steady progress.
Market Yourself: Build an online presence with a website and portfolio. Network actively and don’t be afraid to invest in self-promotion.
Communicate Clearly: Listen to clients, understand their needs, and maintain professional communication throughout the project.
Keep Learning: Continuously improve your skills through education and stay current with industry trends.
Follow Up on Payments: Have a clear invoicing system and always follow up on overdue payments—you deserve to be paid for your work.