It might all be riding on our shoulders, but we don’t go down this road alone.
Since becoming a freelancer in 2021, here are a few supporting characters who have helped me along my journey:
A Beautifully Branded and Navigable Website
You don’t need a website to launch your freelancing business, but there will come a time when you know you need one. While I did use LinkedIn as a makeshift portfolio for a decent length of time, launching my website was an important part of elevating my business.
As a freelancer, your website and branding is a direct representation of your values and personality. This is why your branding suite feels so deeply personal and why you want to work with someone who understands that.
I requested the help of the amazingly talented The Brand Anthropologist to design my branding and website. Emma designed my entire branding suite and website from scratch based on my inspiration board and brand values. The results made me cry, and it’s the beautiful branding and website that you see today.
Having an intentionally designed website with unique branding will help make your business more visible and memorable. When visitors land on your website, they’ll immediately know if your vibe is the right one for them. You’ll attract the clients who align with your values.
Getting Paid: Invoicing Software Recommendation
The feeling of having your first invoice get paid is like no other. The right invoicing software can help make this process easier for you.
I use Bonsai to invoice my clients, and I’ve had a great experience with the platform. Bonsai provides a professional and user-friendly way to bill your clients, but it also offers so much more. You can also create forms, track expenses, manage client information, and more. I personally love the form options and use one on my website for client inquiries.
There are different pricing tiers based on the size of your business, but I’ve found the Starter level gives me everything I need.
Here’s my affiliate link to sign up for Bonsai!
Sources of Emotional Support
In addition to your already established group of friends, I highly suggest making freelancer friends. No matter how wonderfully supportive your friends are, it’s so helpful to have someone who’s experiencing the same challenges and wins that you are.
I’ve also noticed a lingering sense of loneliness after the pandemic. Even as an unwavering homebody (I’m a Taurus), I started to feel a little bit of the loneliness that can come with freelancing if you’re not careful. Reaching out to other freelancers has been an enjoyable balm for this loneliness and a fun excuse to get out of the house.
Here are a few places to tap into when trying to make new friends:
- Alumni Facebook Groups: Facebook can be a scary place, but Facebook Groups remain a source of positivity that has kept me on the platform. Your high school/college/university most likely has several alumni groups based on your major, graduation year, and extracurricular activities. Join the ones that feel like a good fit for where you are now.
- LinkedIn: Search on LinkedIn to find other professionals in your area that you’d like to connect with in person. Reach out to them and see if they’d like to meet up for coffee, but don’t be weird or opportunistic about it. There’s already enough weirdness on LinkedIn.
- Join An Online Community: Exclusive online communities, particularly on Discord, are becoming more popular. If there’s a creator whose content you thoroughly enjoy, check if they have an exclusive community. If it feels right for you, join it. You’ll be surrounded by people with similar interests and will be able to enjoy their company while probably learning something new. There is typically a cost involved, so only join if you feel it’s worth it.
Beyond leaning on your existing group of friends and your new freelancing friends, sometimes you need to bring in a pinch hitter in the form of a therapist or business coach.
Freelancing is a mirror that shows you your greatest strengths, weaknesses, and insecurities. Having a professional to pick through these issues with and find the source of the problem is immensely helpful in changing your thought patterns at the source.
You’re afraid to cold pitch because you’re afraid of rejection? You’re ridiculously nervous before pitching new clients? You’re uncomfortable charging what you believe your work is worth?
There are reasons for that.
My friend Stephanie, a wonderful business coach and therapist, runs Attunement. She helped me with getting outside my comfort zone and implementing somatic practices for feeling calm. I did a breathing technique exercise with her as a way to calm my nerves before a big client call, and she lulled me into a different dimension of calm. I wish she could lead me in meditation every day, but she did teach me how to do this for myself.
One Thing to Leave Behind
There is one returning character that I had to let go of on my freelancing journey: a residual feeling of guilt.
After working in a 9-5 environment for my entire career, I still find it hard sometimes to let go of that rigid mentality. Part of taking on the stress of continually sourcing your own income, paying taxes as a self-employed individual, and having to obtain your own insurance is enjoying the freedoms that come with it.
Your workday can start at 10 a.m. after you’ve leisurely enjoyed a cup of coffee and finished a chapter of the book you’re currently reading. You can take a nap in the middle of the day because you have a migraine. You can grocery shop on a Wednesday afternoon because it’s when your local store is the least busy.
That nagging guilt you feel isn’t yours to carry. It’s coming from somewhere else. Feel free to take it off your shoulders, set it down, and walk away.
Creating Community: Connect With Me
New on your freelancing journey? Connect with me on LinkedIn! I love seeing what other creatives are up to.
This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase something through one of the links in this post, I may earn an affiliate commission.
