Cheapest Linux VPS Home for Cheap Virtual Private Server What a lot of people think of when they think of a freelancer is a cushy job, waking up at 10:00 every day, playing video games most of the day, and working on freelance projects when it is convenient. In the real world though, you don’t get paid when you’re not working, which means that it’s not always the easiest job. There are some common mistakes that freelancers make or assume when they first get into freelance work. A lot of times when they make these mistakes below, it also causes them to lose repeat business, which is where freelancers often make most of their money.
#1: Not Taking Notes
I can remember the first few projects I took on, I would go into a meeting with a potential client, I would ask what they were looking for, and would simply try to remember what I was told. Unfortunately, not only did I look fairly unprepared for the meeting we had, but I found myself forgetting bits and pieces that were really important to the client. Repeat work doesn’t mean additional money when you are in freelancing, so it is important to get things right the first time around when you can.
#2: Not Upholding Deadlines
As noted above, a lot of times freelancers get into the habit of wanting to follow their typical routine of coming home from their day job, playing some video games, and they may work 30 minutes or an hour on their projects. Unfortunately, it’s hard to get projects completed quickly when you aren’t spending enough time on them. What usually ends up happening is you are either down to crunch time and staying up late working on the projects, or you simply avoid hitting the deadline all together. Clients will quickly grow tired of this, so be wary of making it a habit!
#3: Estimating Man Hours
When I first got started into web design freelance work I found estimating the time required to do projects was very difficult. I ended up finding out that at times I overestimated the amount of hours, which caused clients to go elsewhere where the bids were significantly cheaper, or I underestimated and would end up feeling like I was working for pennies to complete projects. The issue is that you really need to think of the realistic amount of time it is going to take. At times you are tempted to underestimate just to avoid getting that face of “It’s really going to cost this much!?”. However, fair is fair and doing freelance work doesn’t mean you have to do it for free. Make realistic estimates, your clients will be happy with you and you will feel like you got paid well in most circumstances.
#4: Not Putting the Proper Amount of Time into a Project
This somewhat goes along with upholding deadlines, because generally people will find that they are cutting the amount of hours invested nearing the deadline in an effort to meet it. The problem though is that not only is this dishonest to your client when the reasoning behind it is your own fault and is realistically needed, but you will also find that your work will be subpar for your standards. I made this mistake a few times early on in my web design freelancing career. I thought, well, this is “good enough”. “Good enough” is not something you can be proud of. My standards for my own work these days are that if it’s not something I would be willing to show future potential clients I may be bidding on, then it’s not “good enough”. Put the right amount of time in, you’ll be happy with your work and so will your client.
