Not Trusting Your Gut
If you get a weird vibe off a potential client - RUN. I can’t get any more specific than that. It’s just a feeling you get when you meet a person for the first time, hear their story, what they’re wanting to accomplish. We all get a feeling in situations like this, and let’s face it - our intuition is an important decision-making tool in business!

Speaking as a graduate of the School of Hard Knocks, every time (and I mean EVERY TIME) I’ve had a bad vibe on a project or a potential client and didn’t trust my gut - I’ve regretted it.

Not Being Yourself
Obviously you don’t want to crack open a beer in client meetings, but a certain amount of informality is necessary to build solid relationships! We’re all human (maybe?), with interests outside of work. Don’t be afraid to let your personality flow when chatting with clients. It’s the personal touch (your brand) that keeps them calling you over the fuddy-duddy down the street.

Not Backing Up Data
When you’re working for yourself, backing up your data is your responsibility and duty to yourself and your clients. I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve learned this the hard way - twice! ow! It’s embarrassing because it’s so simple to backup your data! My problem is I don’t think about the techie, networked blah blah side of my business (like many designers) until something blows up in my face and I find myself sprawled on the floor crying, hands flailing in the air - as if to catch the missing data. Not pretty.

Check out this article for some great data backup tips.
Here’s another

Choosing the Wrong Kinda Clients
When you’re new on the scene it’s easy to fall in to this trap. When I started out I was eager to work - with anyone! It was only after getting burned and burned out on a couple of clients that I discovered exactly what I was looking for in my ideal client.

Not Having a Budget
When you first go out on your own there is sometimes a sense of urgency to “get everything” you need to run your business. At least for me there was, but I’m a total techno geek / gadget freak. It pains me to say this but, resist this urge. Believe me, the credit card gets all bloated up and suddenly those shiny new purchases are looking like huge liabilities. Figure out the bare minimum you need to make the business run smoothly, and then write down a wish list of things you’d like to add on in the future. It’s a great motivator to keep plugging along!

Marketing Yourself as “We” Rather Than “I”
If you’re a one-wo/man shop, make sure your clients know this! It’s fine to run your freelance business under a corporate name, but sometimes clients are confused by this, thinking you have an entire staff working on various roles in projects. My advice is to be crystal clear on who you are, what you do, and what you DON’T do. On the couple of occasions I’ve tried to outsource a piece of a project without talking to the client first, it has become a massive problem.

This goes back to defining your ideal client - if they’re looking for a bigger shop and not open to working with a freelancer, they’re probably not the best fit for your business!

Not Having a Signed Contract Before Starting Work
Doesn’t matter how small or big the project, a contract, statement of work and deliverables list is a MUST before you start any project. How else will you and the client agree on expectations? I remember being nervous about asking clients to sign a contract before starting work. Now I look back and realize it was only because I was afraid I wouldn’t get the job. I now know that a client who won’t sign a contract is a client that I don’t need to do business with. A client who won’t sign a contract is most often one that will leave you burned.

Failing to Create Value
What is your value proposition? Why choose you? Guess what - there’s one way you can always beat the competition:

Great customer service.

We live in a customer no-service world. People are absolutely starving for attention from their vendors. So, if you want to stand out & create value - decide what defines great customer service for your clients.

Charging Too Much or Not Enough
Charging too little is an obvious pitfall. Charging more than the market bears for your talent is also a problem. I was in the market for offloading some design work a few months back and contacted a person who was less than a year out of design school, his portfolio was just so-so and the hourly rate he quoted me was $40. That’s a fine rate if your portfolio says “I do $40/hr work.” But his didn’t, his said “I do $20/hr work.” Take a look around at what your peers are charging - if you consistently over-bill for the level of work you’re doing, you’ll eventually lose the gig.

Poor Time Management
Based on your “creative time” figure out a schedule that works for you and stick to it. For me, my creative time is in the morning - after lunch I’d better work on QA or production tasks. And it goes without saying- or maybe it doesn’t - napping and getting hooked on daytime TV isn’t going to advance your freelance career much either.

Tags: freelance, career, freelance mistakes, career change, time management

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