We all like honing our creative abilities. It is no secret that we all love the idea of getting paid for our creativity, but how do we get started? Freelancing is one of the most prevalent ways for creatives to promote and sell their work independently, whether as a side hustle or as a full-time job.

There is no one method to freelance, and each person's career will change depending on the product. The following are some vital advices for getting started in the world of freelancing. They’ll help you become a creative that clients enjoy working with.

Whether you’re a graphic designer with many years of experience or a video editor just getting out of college, these 26 pieces of advice will help you build a sustainable and strong personal brand in the freelance economy, while earning money doing what you love.

A — Advertising Is Critical

No freelancer, commission artist, or self-employed worker will be discovered only by word of mouth. You could be an established name on Upwork or have top reviews on Fiverr or may have made significant contributions to the UI/UX of a famous start-up, but you can’t deny that self-promotion is important to get new freelance projects consistently. To truly establish a strong client base, you must market yourself and your freelance services in as many locations and platforms as possible. From creating your own website to advertising your work on social media, your name has to be everywhere to properly attract the attention of a potential customer.

B — Be Open & Honest

There are several examples about freelancers labouring to complete assignments in which they have little experience or collapsing under deadlines they knew they would never fulfil. Your desperate need to maintain or secure a customer might lead you to agree to anything, even if you're not quite clear what that item is. Be upfront about your limitations, talents, and availability before making any commitments to your clients, and recognise that if they don't accept it, there will always be other fish in the water.

C — Customers Aren't Always Right

Yes, our clients aren't always correct...but that's why they employ us. Sometimes they may make proposals that you know will not work, and you will have to decline them. They may have ideas that are physically impossible or seek changes that make no sense, but finding a nice and diplomatic way to decline them will always serve you well in the long run.

D — Deadlines Are Important

It is critical to meet deadlines when operating as a freelancer. However, it is equally critical to establish reasonable timelines in the first place. If you know you won't be able to finish a piece of work by noon tomorrow, set a deadline that allows you enough time to complete it correctly. Don't make promises you can't keep, and it's usually a good idea to give yourself a little more time for final checks and editing before sending anything to your customer.

E — Edits, Be Prepared For Them

Edits may be the torment of a freelancer's existence. We spend hours perfecting the content, testing it, modifying it, reworking it, and ultimately sending it off — only to have it returned with huge red X's all over it and lists of modifications your customer wants to make. This is fine. Wasting time being wounded or offended by a client's revisions serves no purpose, and most of the time it's easier to simply make the edits and move on. While there will be certain areas where you may agree to disagree, keep in mind that they hired you and this is their project, not yours.

F — Find Your Productivity Zone

When striving to satisfy a client's expectations, productivity is critical, and the beauty of freelancing is that you may work at your own pace. If getting up at 6 a.m. and working until midday gets the job done, maintain working those hours. Continue if you're a night owl who thinks best in the nights. It's occasionally worthwhile to experiment with different schedules in order to locate your productivity zone, but once you've found it, stick to it and maintain generating fantastic results!

G — Growth Comes With Every Client

Every new customer we take on has the potential to teach us something. Sometimes such lessons are beneficial, sometimes they assist us in learning new abilities, and sometimes they just educate us which client connections to avoid in the future. Even the most difficult clients may teach you how to grow as a freelancer and become more resilient, how to safeguard our own businesses and mental health, and how to recognise professional red signals early on with the next one.

H — How Many Hours Are In A Day?

One of the most common mistakes freelancers make is attempting to adjust to a 9-5 schedule. Although we no longer have somebody monitoring our time, we still attempt to work every hour of the day, feeling bad if we run out of things to accomplish. As freelancers, our workloads will always differ from those of our full-time counterparts, and the sooner we accept this, the simpler our days will be. We only get paid for the job we perform, so there will be days when we end at 1 p.m. with nothing remaining on our to-do lists. That's OK. Take advantage of the flexibility your employment provides.

I — Invoice Policies Are Final

While flexibility is wonderful, taking advantage of it is not. Setting up a robust invoice policy with a new customer is one of the most crucial steps you must develop as a freelancer, offering specified payment dates and defining additional costs for late reimbursement. This is the greatest approach to protect oneself against clients and businesses that may try to take advantage by paying late, underpaying, or not paying at all. Provide them with a contract outlining your billing rules, and inform them that you will not begin work until they sign it.

J — Judgements, Expect Them

Although freelancing is a rising professional option, it remains a relatively unfamiliar road for many of us. They may ask inquiries such, 'But what about holiday pay?' 'Are you going to be able to produce enough money?' 'What happens if you become sick?' 'Can you even pay your taxes?' which are, at best, useless and, to be honest, a little harsh. I've discovered that merely expecting and anticipating these inquiries may help stop them from seeming so invasive and distressing, and realising that your career decision is yours alone to decide helps encourage me to keep working despite them.

K — Keeping Your Boundaries Is Key

How many of you have received a client message in the middle of the night? How many of you have had a customer monitor your social media accounts? Raise your hand if...okay, we get it. Clients don't always comprehend boundaries, and often forget that you only get paid for the hours you work. You are not a 24-hour helpline; you are a human being with personal commitments and a life outside of work. Set your boundaries early in your working relationship with a customer and spell out your working hours in the first contract you sign with them. Then, whatever they want you to do or messages they want you to react to may wait until you are prepared to work.

L — Leave Room For Yourself

When you begin a new freelance project, it might feel like it is taking over your life. With deadlines looming, client expectations increasing, and never-ending to-do lists, it can be difficult to find time to focus on yourself. You may feel like a one-man band of revisions, emails, and stress if you don't have a team to back you and share the effort. It's essential to make time for your personal development, self-care, and mental wellness, and to remember that your job should never be all you are.

M — Management Of Accounts

Keeping track of your money, invoicing, and accounts are some of the most important things you can do to assist yourself succeed on those Self-Assessment questionnaires in the future. Set up spreadsheets for all of your spending, payments, and income — including any side hustles or one-time gigs — and update them at the end of each month. While collecting receipts is not really necessary in the digital era, making sure you're aware of any large expenditures like computer equipment, software, or work-related travel might come in helpful at the end of the tax year.

N — Name Dropping Doesn't Work

Whether you work in a major metropolitan area or a tiny town, mentioning individuals you know or companies you have worked for won't help you get a job. Sure, it looks nice on your website, and getting a brand-name endorsement is always going to wow, but repeatedly referencing that one project you did for a famous TV channel in 2010 isn't going to earn you many clients.

O — Opinions Of Experts Count

As a freelancer, one of the worst things you can do is think you know everything. There will always be new things to learn, no matter who you've worked with, how long you've been doing it, or how many talents you have. Listen to the experts and keep researching new procedures, tricks, and programmes as you grow as a freelancer – it's the only way to flourish in an ever-changing digital environment.

P — Patience Is Essential

In my sector of industry, I frequently encounter clients with a wide range of technical backgrounds. Some of them are social media experts, while others are afraid to switch on their laptops. Patience, empathy, and understanding are essential in assisting them to reach their goals via my work, and taking the time to really get to know their companies is critical in developing those solid client connections. It doesn't matter how many times you have to explain anything if it makes your customer feel more at ease dealing with you. And as a freelance worker it's the best way to build word of mouth or great testimonials about your creative services.

Q — Queries Can Occur Any Time

Yes, a customer can query your invoicing policy midway through a project. Yes, you may work with a customer for years and still be asked about your cost structure. Yes, you might be nearing the finish of a project when a customer asks you about your previous jobs and experiences. Client questions may and will arise at any moment, so it's crucial not to overreact when they do. They frequently originate from a position of curiosity rather than suspicion, so be courteous and honest in your response.

R — Respectful About Boundaries

Just as you would expect a customer to respect your boundaries, you must respect theirs. Don't anticipate a rapid answer if you seek for clearance on a project at 1 a.m. If they don't respond to an email, don't contact them every day. Don't bombard them with questions regarding a brief they've given you. Find a communication method that works for both of you, and try to reserve your inquiries for a time when everyone is available at work.

S — Stay Positive When Work Is Scarce

When your customer list is shorter than your to-do list, work appears to be drying up. This is the moment to be optimistic! There are always more tasks on the horizon, and the time you have now is an excellent opportunity to complete any jobs or projects for yourself that you've been putting off. This is your moment to finally learn how to build a TikTok or to start a new pastime. The job opportunity will arrive.

T — Time Management Is Critical 

It might be difficult to learn how to manage your time between customers. Juggling many requests, breaking up the hours of the day, and attempting to find time for three separate meetings all at once may be hectic if not well organised. Recognize that there are only so many hours in the day and that you must take breaks and pauses in your workflow to be healthy. Starting your week with a rigorous schedule will help you analyse which duties must be completed first, which clients must be prioritised, and where your personal self-care comes in.

U — Understand Client's Point of View

Perhaps your customer has just returned to you with one too many modifications, or they've been contacting you all day with queries and concerns. Perhaps they've just extended your meeting by an hour and you're not in the mood for further changes. To remain a cheerful and professional freelancer, you must consider the situation from their point of view. They've built their company from the ground up and have placed it in your capable hands. They let a stranger come in and transform and represent one aspect of their business, and it might be difficult to let go. Of course, they'll have questions, and of course, they'll expect good outcomes. Empathy is essential for building successful customer interactions, and you should constantly endeavour to understand their point of view.

V — Value Your Personal Time

This cannot be emphasised enough. You have complete control over your leisure time. It has nothing to do with any of your clients, initiatives, or plans. It's all yours, and anything you do with it is totally up to you. I've spent days worrying about what my clients would say if I posted about my new pastime on Instagram, spoke too much about my weekend plans, or tried to reach me on a Saturday morning. It took me a long to realise that my time is only for me, and that I am entitled to it – after all, I have earned it.

W — Work Should Bring You Joy

People frequently forget that their employment may be enjoyable. Sitting at your work every morning isn't meant to make you nervous. While you shouldn't expect every day to be completely pleasant, if you notice that the job you're doing or the project you're working on is making you worried, depressed, or just plain bored, it's time for a change.

 X — Before Signing Against The “X”

Before committing to execute a single piece of work for a customer, always read the tiny print - even if it's on your own contract. Make sure you know what services you'll be providing to your customer, how many hours you'll be working, and how much you'll be paid. Establish explicit expectations and repercussions for all parties if the agreement is not followed, and preserve a record of any documents you sign.

Y — You Are A Person, Not A Company

When working as a freelancer, it's critical to understand hat you are, in reality, an island. You lack the additional resources and assistance of an agency, and your abilities are restricted to those shown on your CV. Your talents don't have to equal those of an entire office or design studio, and you're doing well just being you.

Z — Zombies Aren't Good Freelancers

Apart from wanting to bite the heads off their most irritable clients, zombies have no place in your freelancing work – so take care of yourself and get some rest. If your mental and physical health is excellent, you are significantly more likely to do more than if you stay up too late attempting to finish a task. Do not let your work consume you – no amount of money is worth it.