In no particular order...
- Remember you are running a business and begin with yourself. Whatever your field(s) of expertise, your primary assets are (1) your time, and (2) your brain. Keep track of how you spend your time, even before you've landed paying contracts. One of the most tedious and valuable things I ever had to do was submit a biweekly timesheet documenting time spent on every project I was responsible for, even though I was a salaried employee. We tracked 15-minute increments. It was odious but I learned to be aware of where my time goes each day. That is the first step in maintaining the discipline you need to earn a living on your own. (Nowadays, I use an installed time tracker that can log my activities in seconds, and runs in the background. This enables me to bill my time very accurately, with as much granularity as a project requires; and helps me stay out of distracting rabbitholes when I'm supposed to be researching something less interesting.)
- Focus on your strongest, deepest AND most marketable skill set. Understand that your strongest area may not be the one that will earn you the most money. If that is the case, then concentrate on the specialty that offers better opportunities. But don't venture away from solid ground in terms of your expertise and ability to deliver at the highest level of quality. Freelancing is NOT the place to try on-the-job training.
- Figure out what your time is worth. Build a frame of reference that includes what other people with comparable credentials are earning. Never sell yourself too cheap. Be willing to start out at a somewhat lower rate than you're aiming for, on short projects that you can wrap quickly and deliver flawlessly. But don't go too low, no matter how hungry you are. The goal is to start at the low or middle band of where you want to operate, and build from there. If a fee is so low it will tempt you to take shortcuts, or even mutter negative comments to yourself, take a pass. Cheapskate clients don't value the work and won't value you, which likely means you won't, either. The freelance world is like the ocean...carry that metaphor in as many directions as you want.
- Cultivate optimism and good cheer, and feed it from within yourself. Kudos and positive regard from others is wonderful, but don't rely on it. That will lead you to make questionable choices about clients and projects, and inject inappropriate dynamics into client relationships. Again, you are running a business, not looking for social relationships. The most important positive input you are looking for is money.
- Be honest, polite, and respectful at all times and in all circumstances, regardless of what nonsense is being flung at you. Don't hesitate to be direct, but remember it's not necessary to raise your voice, and is usually more effective to do the opposite.
- Spend a little time thinking about professional ethics, and your individual code. You are in charge of it, with all the freedom and responsibility that entails.
- When (not if) things go south, make "no drama" your mantra. Don't take things personally. Always be prepared to be the adult in the room, even if--especially if--it seems like you may be the only one. Keep things professional. If it helps, imagine that everything you write--in email, in messages, in forum discussions--is preserved forever and could be hauled out in the open for all to see (because that's more or less true).
- Be especially vigilant with the clients you like best. Establishing relationships that support mutual trust and respect is crucial to your success. At the same time, it's critical to remember that they are business relationships. Be cordial and personable but don't overshare about your personal life. If a client overshares about theirs, keep things friendly but don't reciprocate.
- Spend some time thinking about what it means to be a freelancer. The freedom to choose who you work for, when, where, for how long and for how much. No guarantees about who will hire you, to do what, for how long, or for how much. This means you always need to be thinking about what you're doing and what might come next--how you could do it better, what else it could lead to, how you could earn more (by charging more or working more or both), which clients are most enjoyable and most profitable and how to find more of them, etc.
- Be prepared to work harder than you ever have, or thought you could. And to enjoy intense gratification when you succeed.
