How to Freelance Successfully What to Expect During Your First Week as a Fulltime Freelancer

Author : Yuwanda Black

You did it; you finally ditched the day job and took the leap into full-time freelancing. Congratulations!

If you’ve never done this before, there are a range of emotions and situations you may not be prepared for. Much of this you will go through during the first few weeks of your “liberation from cubicle nation,” as one freelancer who wrote me put it. So, following is what you can expect during this exciting time.

Discombobulation: After sticking to a routine for so long, it’s natural to feel a little out of sorts during the first couple of weeks of freelancing fulltime. After all, there’s no one to tell you what to do, when, how, etc.

The only schedule you have to live up to is yours (and your clients’, of course). But, this can lead to feelings of fear, which is our next topic.

Fear: While you’re probably excited as heck, it’s also natural to feel scared during this time. All types of insecurities and fears may assail you and make you question yourself, ie: Can I really make a go of this?; What if I made a mistake leaving my job?; Do I have enough savings?; What if this doesn’t work out?

The best way to combat feelings of fear and discombobulation is to . . . get down to work. Settle into a routine as quickly as possible when you start to freelance. Even if you don’t have one client on tap, you will land one much quicker if you treat working freelance like (ooohhhhh, and I hate to use this word) a “job.”

But, the difference is you’re working for yourself. If you can produce for “the man,” then tell yourself, “I can do this for myself.”

What should you be working on if you don’t any clients (and even if you do). Marketing. Build a freelance work marketing database and consistently contact them. I practically guarantee you, you will get work if you do this.

Heightened Family Expectations: Even though you may have spoken with your family and friends about your transition to full-time freelancing (and you should definitely have this conversation before you quit), their expectations may still be that you’re “available” at the drop of a hat now.

Don’t even start this with them. Gently remind them that you’re probably even less available now than when you worked a full-time job because you really have to focus and put all of your energies into your freelance business to make a go of it.

If you stay the course, so will your friends, family and acquaintances. And, this is how you begin to freelance successfully.

Learn more about how to freelance successfully, including 6 signs that signal it’s time to quit your job to freelance full-time.