Mistakes I Made as a New Freelancer Without Realizing How It Affected Earnings

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So you’ve quit your 9-to-5, bought some business cards, and declared yourself a freelancer. It's time to make your dreams come true! Slow down there—starting a freelance business comes with its own set of common first-timer snags that can trip up even the most enthusiastic self-starters.

Take it from me, a freelancer who learned some tough love early on by jumping in headfirst without a plan. From poorly defined services to forgotten contracts to tax surprises, new freelancers run the risk of fumbling the basics.

Read on to discover the top mistakes I made when I struck out on my own—and how you can avoid making the same early blunders that left me working overtime to get my solo career working smoothly.

When I first started freelancing, I was eager to leave my day job and be my own boss. However, in my enthusiasm, I made several rookie mistakes that nearly derailed my freelance career before it even got off the ground.

Stupid Freelancing Mistakes I Made

Looking back, there are a few key errors I made those first few months that I wish I could go back and fix. To help other newbies, I'll share some of those mistakes with you.

 

Services and Rates

My first mistake was not clearly defining my services and rates. I was so eager to get clients and projects that when potential clients would ask what I charge, I would hesitate and equivocate. 

I’d end up naming a price off the top of my head that was often far too low. This made me look amateurish and would come back to bite me later when projects took longer than expected for what ended up being lousy pay. 

I’ve since learned to develop clear service packages and pricing so clients know exactly what to expect.

Contracts

Another error was not drawing up contracts for my projects. When starting out, I took clients at their word rather than protecting myself legally in case anything went wrong. However, verbal agreements leave too much open to interpretation if a dispute arises. 

Now, I make sure to use contracts that define deadlines, payment schedules, scope of work and more—covering my basics. Even better, I prefer working on platforms like Upwork, where my payment is protected.

Scheduling

Additionally, I failed to structure my schedule deliberately in those early days. I would take on way too much work, resulting in late nights and weekends trying to complete projects on time. 

Or I would finish a project and then sit back for a week or two, assuming another client was just around the corner. By planning ahead and blocking out dedicated work periods and marketing time, I’m now able to work efficiently while also attracting a steadier stream of new business.

Records

Finally, I neglected the business side of freelancing at first. I just wanted to do the work. But not tracking expenses, retaining invoices or keeping accounting records came back to bite me at tax time. 

Now, I know I need to diligently monitor the financials from the start to avoid any nasty surprises.

Start Your Freelancing Journey Right!

While diving right into freelancing was exhilarating, I could have avoided some early struggles if I had taken more care right from the beginning. 

By learning from my mistakes, putting systems in place and thinking ahead, I’ve been able to find my footing and build the freelance business I had always pictured. But it didn’t happen overnight—it took some trial and error to get here!