The 10 Lessons I Learned In My First Year Freelancing

It's been a wild ride

Photo sourced from Canva.

It's been a whole year since I quit my corporate job to freelance full-time. I remember the feeling of telling my boss I was leaving. I remember my last day. And I also remember waking up the following day thinking “I’ve actually done it, I work for myself”… quickly followed by “What now?”

This last year has been bigger and better and scarier and more unexpected than I ever could’ve imagined.

But enough of my trip down memory lane. Let’s go to why you’re really here—the top 10 lessons I’ve learned in my first year of going freelance:

1. You have more experience than you think

One thing I struggled with this year was underpricing my services. Since I had just started freelancing, I felt like a newbie. And newbies can’t charge high rates, right? It’s all based on experience, and I’d just started. But what I kept forgetting was that while yes, I was new to full-time freelancing, I had been freelancing on the side before that and working in my field for years. I had experience—years of it.

It’s easy to undervalue yourself when you’re starting out, but trust me: Charge what you're worth based on your years of experience, not how long you've been freelancing. (A lesson I'm still learning)

2. It can go way better than you imagine

In my first year of freelancing, I earned the same as I did in my corporate job—and I worked a lot less hours. Before, I sat in the office for 7-8 hours every day. Now, it’s more like 4 hours. Once my tasks are done, I'm free to do what I want rather than be chained to a desk.

And there are other perks that I wasn't expecting: I joined some amazing teams, got invited on trips, and even attended a Christmas party. I was worried these were things I would miss out on being freelance, but that’s not been the case.

3. If you do good work, referrals will come

The majority of my clients this year came from referrals. Yes, it's hard initially to land your first clients (find out how I got those first clients here), but if you do good work they will refer you. Trust the process, deliver your best work, and I promise the referrals will come.

4. How to spot red-flag clients

I am lucky that the majority of clients I work with are lovely. But unfortunately, there are some who aren't so nice. Over time, I noticed a trend.

Red flag clients will almost always:

• Push back on an element of your contract (rate, delivery time, deliverables)

• Be in a rush (whether that's a rush to get you started ASAP or a rush to turn things around quickly)

• Be vague about what they actually want from you (this will always end in lots of revisions and scope creep)

But don't let a bad experience put you off - there are still lots of lovely clients out there ready to work with you.

5. Be wary of micro scope creep

Some scope creep is obvious, but others are more subtle.

These “Would you be able to do this quickly for me?” tasks quickly add up.

The ones you may decide not to bill for because they only take 15 or 20 minutes, then suddenly over the course of the contract those little 15-minute tasks have amounted to a few hours worth of work that you haven’t been paid for.

I'll often throw little things like these in for a client for free, but just be wary of those who will take advantage…

6. Make your contract tight - and expect it to grow over time

My contract looks very different now from how it did a year ago.

I've added things like late payment fees, expectations around working hours (I don't answer emails on weekends), and the number of rounds of revisions included for free.

All of these came from lessons learned.

Don't assume your clients know these things, get them down in writing so everyone is on the same page from the beginning - it can save awkward conversations down the line.

7. Freelancing will have you confront the demons in your head

Ah, imposter syndrome.

You know those little voices in your head that tell you you're not good enough, you shouldn't charge as much as that, you'll never get another client again.

They’re hard to ignore—and I’d be wrong if I said I didn’t give in to them occasionally.

But I’m still here, I’m still going, and (so far) I’ve proved all those voices in my head wrong.

8. How to set boundaries

This is one I still struggle with, but I'm getting better.

Remember you are not an employee, you are an independent contractor.

You are allowed to set your own rules.

I found myself saying yes to too much, working way over the project scope, working evenings and weekends and then having to remind myself—I am in control.

Now I have tight contracts and set expectations upfront, so clients know what to expect, and I'm not left feeling so overwhelmed.

Yes, you can still be helpful and go the extra mile—but don't do it at the expense of your sanity.

9. Don't underestimate the power of your network

This year I reconnected with a lot of people in my network.

I started freelancing by applying for gigs, but when I put the word out that I was now freelancing full-time, and I reconnected with my network - that's when everything changed.

Reach out to old contacts, start conversations and let people know that you're open for business—you'll be surprised what comes your way.

10. Relationships with your clients are so important

I know, no sh*t Sherlock.

But seriously this is so important.

I try to have coffee meetings or catch-ups with my clients regularly (in-person or virtually).

Freelancing can get lonely sometimes, and it's nice to get out and have a coffee with someone.

Sometimes we chat about work, sometimes we just chat about life, but there have been so many lovely moments over a cup of coffee this past year.

So don't just deliver work and ghost. Develop real relationships with your clients, and you'll find everything much easier.

What lessons have you learned since going freelance?