The Ten Commandments of the New Freelancer
<p>You finally decided to fulfill your dream to become a freelancer or a self-employed person. Boring 9 to 5 days are over, as well as traffic jams each morning, and annoying bosses. You are free, however, this liberty comes with great responsibilities. You now need to find customers and answer their needs with professionalism. Undoubtedly, it is normal to make mistakes as a new freelancer; nonetheless, there are some you can avoid! Here is the 10 commandments list to follow as a new freelancer.</p>
<h3><strong>Your management you will not forget</strong></h3>
<p>When you become a freelancer, you do not have anymore your administrative agents who were in charge of invoicing, wages, and all paperwork. You are now in charge of all these tasks too. We suggest you closely monitor all invoices in order to keep pace with your incomes and expenses. It would be a shame to leave money on the table because you forgot to make and send an invoice. <a href="https://www.momenteo.com/" target="_blank">Momenteo</a> is here to make your invoicing simpler. </p>
<h3><strong>Exist on the internet you will make sure</strong></h3>
<p>We know you have a lot to do but it is very important that you have an online presence. In 2019, if you are not online, you do not exist, unfortunately. Take then the time to make a professional website, social media pages, and to update them frequently. This will give you visibility, and notoriety, as well as helping you create a community and have recommendations. If you want to read more on this topic, take a look at our article 5 Things You Should Think About Your Web Marketing.</p>
<h3><strong>Bill too low you will not dare</strong></h3>
<p>When you start as a freelancer and you are looking for your first projects, it is possible that you might be tempted by quoting a low rate. This is not encouraged since it gives inaccurate data to customers. You could also be stuck with that low rate for too long too. Take the time to do research on the rates offered by competitors. If you do not know where to start, read our article <a href="https://www.momenteo.com/blog/how-do-i-set-my-rate" target="_blank">How Do I Set My Rate?</a></p>
<h3><strong>Know yourself you will</strong></h3>
<p>This commandment is way more than a spiritual quote. When you start as a freelancer, it is important to take the time to list who you are, your strengths, your weaknesses, your interests, as well as your boundaries. It will allow you to save time, to choose wisely your projects and customers, and to avoid a lot of vicious circles. Remember that you probably become a freelancer because you wanted to have an improved quality of life.</p>
<h3><strong>Know your target clientele you will not omit</strong></h3>
<p>The first step of this section is to choose a target clientele. To do so, you need to make some research and ask yourself with whom you want to work with. Associations? Government? SMEs? Multinational corporations? Other freelancers? Although that at the beginning you might have fewer opportunities, you now have the choice to work with the people to want. Therefore, chose people or businesses whose values are close to your own.</p>
<h3><strong>Let go often you will allow yourself</strong></h3>
<p>It is not because you are now a freelancer that you do not have the right to take a day off or holidays. You are still at risk of burn yourself out. You might be tempted to answer an email on a Saturday or to finish an urgent project on Christmas Eve. Do not forget, however, that you might have become a freelancer to have more time for yourself or with your family. Here are our<a href="https://www.momenteo.com/blog/how-to-let-go-in-2019" target="_blank"> tips on How to let go</a>.</p>
<h3><strong>Save some money you will not neglect</strong></h3>
<p>One point which frequently comes up on freelancer testimonials is that you must learn to live with uncertainty. We never know when your main customer will not have any project left for you. Therefore, it is important for your financial survival to put some money aside for off-peak periods when business is good. This will help you avoid bad surprises. Be inspired by the ant and the grasshopper fable where the ant managed to survive winter because of its supplies.</p>
<h3><strong>Diversify your projects you will think about</strong></h3>
<p>This commandment is linked with the last one above. As we never know how long will last a partnership with a customer, it is wise to have more than one customer, and more than one project. Do not be scared and start to look for 50 new customers either. As it is the case with your finances, it is frequent to diversify our investments in order to have an interesting global return. It is now your duty to have a plan B if things do not go as planned.</p>
<h3><strong>Have integrity you will verify</strong></h3>
<p>When your values, strengths, and weaknesses list is done, make sure to respect all boundaries to make sure you stay honest with yourself. Your inner voice is your best ally to help you with that. You now have liberty regarding your customers and your projects. Thus, choose work and causes you care about if you can allow it. For instance, if you care about the environment, choose projects from responsible businesses and not the opposite. You will then sleep better at night.</p>
<h3><strong>Have some fun you will not skip</strong></h3>
<p>Our last point on our 10 commandments list to follow when you are a new freelancer is one of the most important. In fact, you must make sure to have some fun while working and love what you do. It is likely one the of reasons you wanted to become a freelancer so why do otherwise? Do not fall into a rigid corporative frame. On the contrary, add spontaneousness to your freelancer life. If you ever feel overtaken by events, take a deep breath. Everything is going to be all right since you are doing something you love.</p>
<p> In conclusion, we wish you good luck and do not hesitate to follow <a href="https://www.momenteo.com/blog/" target="_blank">Momenteo’s blog</a> in order to learn about our latest developments, our tips, and our articles on inspiring freelancers! </p>
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