Being too humble will kill your business. So will being too polite and accommodating?
Often times we are afraid to voice out our concerns and opinion of our client’s work. However, if you are looking to grow a business, you need to get your self-esteem out of the way to be a successful freelancer!
Spoiling your client is a recipe for disaster that will lead to clients walking all over you, and the next thing you know, you hate doing what you once loved, and your hourly rates are in the toilet.
Build an unshakable foundation
I believe there are two essential things to lay a successful foundation as a freelancer:
- Have a high self-worth
- Live with an abundance mindset
The sooner you can cultivate these in your life, the sooner you’ll find the success you deserve.
On high self-worth
As a freelancer, you set your own rates. And you teach clients how to treat you. Sure, when you first start, your rates may need to be a bit lower until you get some experience and testimonials under your belt. But you need to know when to leave your lower rates behind. And so much of our pricing structures as freelancers can be tied back to our self-worth.
If you don’t think someone will pay you $600 an hour to write a blog, they won’t. (But people do pay that. I regularly make $600 per hour as a copywriter.) In 2022, I was able to make over $168,000 solely from working part-time as a copywriter.
If you don’t think you’re a good copywriter or graphic designer or coder, that lack of confidence will come across in your pricing, in how you market or don’t market yourself to clients, in your interactions with clients, and sometimes even in the results you deliver.
Being self-assured doesn’t mean you have to brag
Being self-assured can mean admitting that you’re good while acknowledging that you can still get better and make mistakes. I have a Ph.D. in English, over 25 years of writing experience, and five years under my belt as a freelancer. I’m a great writer, but I still strive to learn and grow each day. I don’t know everything. That’s a healthy sense of self-worth tempered with reality and just enough humility.
But that also doesn’t mean I still don’t suffer from imposter syndrome sometimes. It mostly strikes me these days when I’m venturing out to expand my business into new territories like I am now, into coaching and course creation.
But my sense of self-worth as a copywriter helps me protect my time, energy, and earnings.
I work with a lot of clients on Fiverr. My rates are some of the highest in my category. I still get a lot of clients that approach me and try to haggle over my prices. And it is mighty rare that I ever offer a discount, and usually, it’s only for someone I may already have a long-term relationship with.
I’ve gotten really comfortable with simply blessing and releasing. I’m not the copywriter for someone looking for work on a budget. But there are people who will be able to serve them within their price point.
Have the right mindset
Your mindset determines so much of your life, including your freelancing career. And doubting yourself and fearing the what-ifs can derail you before you get started. So you need to work hard to find ways to be your biggest cheerleader. Because if you can’t celebrate your strengths, how can you expect others to?
Positive self-talk, celebrating small wins, and reminding yourself regularly of how far you’ve come in your journey are crucial to cultivating this high-self worth. And remember that when it comes down to it, you really are the biggest obstacle standing in your own way. So move the hell outta the way.
So the next time you’re scared and think about all the things that could go wrong, ask instead, “What could go right? What will happen if I succeed at this?”
And then find out.
On an abundance mindset
Thinking there isn’t room for you and that you’ll never find clients is self-defeating talk. It’s creating scarcity in your life.
While I believe we have to work hard and go out and make things happen for ourselves, I also believe our energies and mindset are tied to how successful we are.
If you don’t think there’s room for you and that you won’t find work, just take a peak at this graphic for perspective.
At the end of 2022, the global economy topped $100 trillion. $100 trillion that are out there for the taking. And you think you can’t make a dollar of that in your own endeavor? Or that the market is saturated? There’s money to be made and success to be found, and it can be yours if you start living with an abundance mindset.
If you operate with an abundance mindset, you’ll come across as cool, confident, and collected. You know that even in the ebbs of your business, peaks will come. This confidence will come across to your clients, and good energy attracts good energy.
There’s enough room for you. So carve out your space and proudly claim it.
While most of us have at least a few supporters around us, the truth is, at the end of the day, you have to be your biggest cheerleader if you want to succeed in launching a business or becoming a freelancer.
By having a healthy sense of self-worth and living with an abundance mindset, you can create an unshakable foundation that you can build your business upon. And this rock-solid foundation will help you weather the ebbs and flows of business that you’ll certainly face along the way.
