Struggles You Will Relate To If You Are A Freelancer!
Don’t lie that you have not heard either of the two statements from your friends, family members or even strangers!
It’s hard for people to believe that freelancing can be a full-time career for someone. It’s just too hard to digest for society because of the simple reason that the ‘world of freelancing is not stable at all’. And it’s indeed the usual perception about the freelancers which have in their minds.
However, when we actually look at freelancers, they too have a variety of reasons to enter into freelancing. Some are extremely happy with it, some only do it for a short duration of time, and some even have plans to quit their full-time jobs and dive into doing freelancing, full time!
There is a lot of noise around how cool it can be to become a freelancer. People think it’s a source of making money without working as hard as those who do it in their full-time jobs. But is it really so?
Freelancing is the new trend and gaining popularity more than ever before, but is it actually as relaxing as people make it sound?
Let’s dig a slightly deeper and find out today!
Freelancers get to hear a lot! Some say freelance isn’t a serious job, some say freelancing is nothing but a side hustle, and some don’t even consider it a career!
But here we are with a reality check and to give you a glimpse of how freelancing actually works! If you think it’s a cakewalk, you might want to reconsider that thought. Because struggles which freelancers go through are out of the box!
So here are a few struggles which a freelancer goes through.
1. You Are Searching For Work For The Entire Year: You might have work today, but tomorrow you may not have any work. Today you may have lots of deadlines, but tomorrow you may desperately look to work on something. Today you are making lots of money, and tomorrow, you are literally broke!
And this continues throughout the year. And so, nothing is indeed permanent. You have to keep looking for work, interact with clients and negotiate the best prices to keep you sustained in the business of freelancing.
2. Unlimited Edits And Changes: The first draft is never good enough. You run your project through multiple checks and re-do it all over again. And finally, after every little detailing is done, changes are made; all of a sudden, the client decides to go with what you shared in the first go.
Consider yourself lucky if you do not have to go through this pain everyone now and then because some freelancers go through this every day!
3. Either You Are Entirely Free Or Are Super Busy! There’s No In-Between: Just when you think you would have enough time to chill either alone or with your friends, suddenly a client’s call hit you with another portion of work. There are no dedicated days for you to make time for yourself. It’s sheer luck if everything goes in your favour as a freelancer.
So before you consider taking a backseat and relax, make sure everything has been sorted well in advance, not to ruin your plans.
4. Receiving Payment On Time Is A Dream Come True: Expectations are always that you will receive your paycheck either in advance or just after finishing the project. But we do not live in a perfect world, and not every client is punctual.
Payment delays are a big drawback when you are a freelancer. It can be due from a few days to even months. So it’s always advised to raise an invoice as proof; otherwise, some clients even deny to pay.
5. Keeping Up With Working In Different Time Zones: When you are a freelancer, work is getting work is only what matters to you. However, something which does not matter is from which city or country you get work from.
It’s possible for you to get a client from overseas, and you may end up working round the clock without having rest.
It’s normal for a freelancer to work 12–15 hours a day, depending on the load of work you may have.
6. Not All Clients You Get Are The Best; Some Are Nightmares: So it’s part and parcel of the freelance career. Some clients are extremely demanding, but they give excellent feedback and pay you always on time, which eventually helps you become great at what you do.
But on the other hand, few clients demand less, but pay you equivalent to peanuts and give you no proper feedback to improve your work. And the worst of the worst scenarios happen when you trust a client, and they make you work but don’t respond to you once you submit the final document, which also results in a loss of pay eventually.
7. The Struggle Of Networking: Networking is the primary way to get enough work as a freelancer. To interact with many clients, network with other freelancers and build your portfolio to reach out to the people looking for freelancers is an ongoing job that requires extra effort from your side at the end of a day.
It’s essential because the more you network, the more there is a chance to get work. To become a successful freelancer, you must showcase your work, build a brand of your own and sell your expertise in a way people trust you with their needs.