The Everyday Designer #22 — The Freelance Rollercoaster. (What I’ve learned in 6 months of the freelancer journey)

They say life is like a roller coaster. Full of ups and downs. Twists and turns. High highs and low lows. What they don’t tell you is when those things are going to happen. But that ends up being part of the fun of it all; the mystery, the unknown, what’s just on the edge of wherever you’re at.

6 months

It’s been only 6 months into this freelance journey of mine, hard to believe. Feels like its been an eternity and not long all at the same time. There’s already been many ups and downs and many moments where I’ve wanted to give up, quit, or just go back to a traditional 9 to 5 job.

I thought I’d start this post off by talking about what are the benefits and drawbacks of having a 9 to 5 job (stay with me, I got a point here):

Benefits

• Stability
• Job security (or the perceived notion of it)
• Consistency
• Community

Drawbacks

Freedom:

• your own hours
• your own clients
• your own rates
• your own network

Now if you noticed I have 4 benefits and for each benefit I have a counterpoint as a drawback. Can you guess what are the benefits of becoming a freelancer?

Freedom, the ability to set your own hours, find clients that you like working with and jive well, pricing and charging the way you want to, and building the network of people you want to work with and support.

Now, all that to say, it doesn’t just come in the snap of your fingers, you have to start building, but the key there is… just start.

There Will Be Crossroads

After 6 months, I believe its a good amount of time to see whether or not you want to continue on this “path”. Do I take a job that’s right in front of me or do I double down on believing how far I can ride this freelance roller coaster? (Remember that life itself is a rollercoaster) These are decisions that you will come across as you continue your journey as a freelancer.

Am I good enough to keep going? Why aren’t I getting the right jobs or the right clients? Will I be able to cover all of this month’s bills? That job starts to sound more comfortable, especially if you have responsibilities such as a family to take care of. You will have to make that decision. Double down on your desire for freedom? Or go back to what you once were doing and didn’t like doing?

To be honest, I’m still working on making that decision for myself, for my life, for my future.

Do I forsake the ability to work on my side projects with much potential to grow them into their own sustainable things or do I go for the “easy” way? I’ve launched www.thumblitz.com (with the potential for $100k+/MRR) which is a premium youtube thumbnail design service as-a-subscription, I’m now working on a thumbnail design guidebook, and a thumbnail design course which again have potential for $100k+ revenue, I’m working on updating my studio website www.presa.studio to show people my offerings, I’ve got this newsletter, and the potential to double down on it and grow it, I want to start making design youtube videos again (subscribe here) and I have the time for it now. If I got a traditional job, all that time to devote to things that bring joy and satisfaction into my life would be gone.

What I’ve Learned in 6 Months

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned in 6 months of freelancing:

1. Always be detailed in your contract — The more definition you have in your contract, the clearer it is for both parties to know what they’re getting out of it. BE CLEAR.
2. Charge more — Once you start nailing your price down, the next proposal you get, try charging a little more, see if they’ll accept. Remember, you can always give a discount from a high price, but you can never ask for more after the fact.
3. Get physical — No, I don’t mean fighting, I mean going out in person to meet your client, make that face to face contact. It’ll go a long way. (My highest paying client right now is a retainer from someone I met in person at the beginning of this year)
4. Be calm — don’t make any decisions when your hungry, angry, tired, or lonely. Rash decisions will lead to bad collisions. Leave the problem for a little bit and come back when you’re full, happy, rested, and energized.
5. Serve, don’t sell — we all get put off when that salesperson comes to our door and we know they are solely there to take our money. Show your potential client how you will serve them, their business, their company, their brand, and how you can help them. You’ll see how easy it is to close any deal.
6. Down payments, always — always ask for a down payment on any project you take on. First of all it will show you how serious the client is about the work, and also it will give you motivation and encouragement that this will be a good project for you.
7. Word of mouth still wins — your past/current clients are your greatest assets for forwarding your business. Ask for referrals, check in with them, see if they need any more work done for themselves or their friends/family/business partners, etc. You’ll be surprised how much money is left on the table, just by not asking.

We Got Miles to go

Life is one big pile of experiences and lessons and I plan on always learning. It may be only 6 months, but these have been some of the most fun 6 months of my life. Dreaming of one day being able to go fully remote, travel more, connect with like-minded people from around the world, run a design podcast, be able to meet people like Chris Do, Matthew Encina, Ran Segal, etc. keeps me motivated to keep trying, keep working hard, keeping building the foundation for the future.

We’ll see where this road goes!

I want to hear from YOU! 🫵

If you’ve read this far, thank you :) I’m curious to know, how has the freelance journey for you been going? Where are you finding success?

Feel free to comment below, or DM me on twitter or instagram! Looking forward to chatting with you! ☺️

🌊 Currents

I love sharing what I’ve been up to lately and this is one way for me to let you in on what’s been happening in my life.

💫 Currently excited about: Starfield — You know a game is so good when you immediately go order a console for it 🙈 I haven’t owned any gaming consoles in years and I’ve recently read about the importance of play and being bored. Watching the whole Starfield timeline come to pass has got me excited about the game, but nothing has got me more excited than watching this gameplay of it. See for yourself and dream again.

⚽️ Currently watching: 2024 Euro Qualifiers — there has been no shortage of soccer (football for the real one’s) lately. 2022 World Cup back in December, then U20 World Cup recently (which Uruguay — my heritage country, won), the Nations League final which Spain won on penalties, and now we got friendlies and qualifiers for the 2024 EURO cup! I could get used to this!!

📕 Currently reading: The Pathless Path by Paul Millerd — Tired of your 9 to 5? Feeling like your stuck and need change? Paul talks about an alternative path, a “pathless path” one that does not require conformity to the “traditional” North American lifestyle of the American dream, or the definitions of success. Every person is unique and therefore requires a different path to travel on or to find out. This book is a life-changer in the way that is a mind-changer and perspective-shifter that allows you to take that leap of faith into the unknown.

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