It is often said we learn more from mistakes than successes. Sometimes it is nice to learn from another persons goofs rather than your own!
Every freelancer will have their own stories to tell, here are mine. I hope you find them useful and maybe you will share your own in the comments.
1. Under-pricing
Most of us will have done this at some point, many of us still do. Money is a difficult subject for a lot of people. While I am better at talking about money now than I was, I still find it an uncomfortable topic. Problem is, while you might not find it easy it is absolutely critical.
You have a right to earn a fair price for your work, and doubly so when you are good at your job and have excellent experience. How do you know if you are underpricing? If you do good work but you never lose a bid then your prices are too low.
Also be careful about charging by the hour when you don’t have to. When you charge by the hour you are actually penalizing yourself for getting faster at your work! Also some jobs require considerable experience and expertise while taking little time to execute. As the old carpenter said when his customer complained at the price for fixing a creaky floor board, “That’s $1 for the nail, $999 for knowing where to put it”.
2. Over-committing
No one client has the right to monopolize your time, even if they do think they are paying well. When one client takes all your time that is a boss and you have a job, not a client and freelancer relationship. Remember as well as the job at hand you need time to market and network to bring in future work. Allowing one customer to dictate my hours was the worst mistake I ever made as when that contract was over I had nothing to fall back on. You ideally want to have four or five overlapping contracts plus some breathing room so the loss of one doesn’t set you back too far.
3. Failing to sell
After money I am guessing the next worst part of freelancing for most people is the thought of selling yourself and your services. Fact is though many times a client will know they want your help but will not know exactly what they want. Selling need not be about snake oil and ripping people off. If you can truly help someone out then offer your services in a way they will respond to. Make it all about them, their needs, what they will get out of it. Most importantly, listen more than you talk.
4. Always saying ‘yes’
Fear can cause us to do many stupid things. It took a lot before I started turning down requests. Some were easier than others. Requests to work for free still come but I am better at saying no now, turning work down is still tough but I can do it. You have to remember that a bad deal or bad client can damage you far more than the loss of the work. Be prepared to not agree to everything that comes your way and know that you can be nice and friendly without agreeing all the time!
5. Not following up
Past, happy clients can be your biggest source of new work, both with repeat business and referrals. Always get at least a testimonial when they say how happy they are. Even better if you can get them to recommend you. It doesn’t hurt to ask! Also it can be nice to send birthday cards, etc. You never know.
Like the rest of us, I am still learning about this freelancing lark, but having a great deal of fun doing it, mistakes and all. What lessons have you learned the hard way? Please do share in the comments.
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made up of three primaries: red, blue and yellow. When you combine the primaries, you get the three secondary colors: orange, purple and green. When you combine each secondary color with its neighboring primary, you get six tertiary colors: yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-purple, red-purple, red-orange. That’s how you get the familiar 12-color wheel.
If you like blue but want a subtle effect, choose a white or grey with a blue undertone. A red-orange terracotta pot has a yellow tone to it, hence those colors will blend harmoniously with each other. On the other hand, don’t emphasize an undesired undertone by pairing it with its complement: if the shade of brown has a pink undertone to it, combining it with green (the complement of red) will only intensify the problem.
A large rectangle and a narrow line (or type) of the same color will seem to have different values when placed against a white background: the color in the line will look darker than it does in the rectangle, because it’s surrounded by much brighter white space.
When two shades of the same color, one dark and one light, are paired with each other, the darker shade will look darker and the lighter shade will appear to be lighter: a pink rose will seem to be paler against a purple background.
Larger color spaces will affect the smaller ones: if a small square of medium yellow is surrounded by a larger area of black, the yellow square will seem to be brighter than when surrounded by white. Any color will appear lighter against a darker color and vice versa.
Outlining a color in a darker shade will enhance the enclosed color, helping to keep a color from “spreading” into surrounding areas. On the other hand, a lighter outline will cause a color to spread to adjacent colors, and reduce the strength of the enclosed color.
color with type. It’s true that we mainly deal with the black type on white paper/page background, and that a black text on a light background is the easiest to read. However, it doesn’t mean that color and type don’t mix. When used well, color can add an emphasis to your message. Pay attention to the relative values and saturation of colors when a background color interacts with colored type. The contrast between type and background diminishes when their values move closer to each other, and the type becomes less legible. The contrast between the type color and the background color must be considerable to ensure that the type remains visible.
