I started working full-time as a freelancer in July of 2019. Here’s an overview of my year-long earnings since that time.

• 2019: $8,314 (five months)
• 2020: $35,479
• 2021: $31,464
• 2022: $90,565

Adjusting for vacations and holidays for a normal month of work brought in about $9,000 in the last fiscal year. Let me ring my own horn for a moment -I’m pretty proud of that. I’m pretty happy about this.

According to the most sought-after measure (income) it appears that I’ve “made it.” Or I’m financially secure at the very least. If I could compress my experiences into an simplified lesson, it’s this: don’t glamorize the future..

# 1: A few issues end, and others emerge

The first issue I faced at the time I started my freelance career was to earn money.

Translation is to find clients willing to pay for a service that I had no experience in offering. Three and half years of experience and hundreds of projects, I don’t need to worry about that no more. But a steady income does not mean that I’m able to turn on the cruise control and feel comfortable.

There have been other issues that have arisen when I’ve restructured my business.

For instance, it’s wonderful to have a bigger list of clients, however, I don’t have the space to procrastinate that I used to have which is why I’m required to work with urgency and stay clear of distractions. It’s a different form of anxiety.

The issue of raising rates is another. It’s a tricky subject in the sense that it’s. Do you want to ask clients for more money for the same service? It’s almost a crime.

With many “uncomfortable” conversations under my experience, I am comfortable and confident in charging higher fees However, negotiation is a tricky task which has backfired on me before.

#2 It is much more difficult to create than freelance

Perhaps this is my personal perception, but when compared to establishing a six-figure freelance business, I believe it’s a far more daunting task to find an audience, then create and sell products that are compelling. I’ve seen other people achieve success in the field of creativity but the effort required to sift through months of barely measurable revenue and unsustainable profits? Sheesh, that’s tough.

I’d like the personal work I do to support me financially, however, I’m barely making enough money from book sales and Medium every month to pay my internet expenses. (My other creative ventures do not even bring in any revenue.)

#3″Happiness isn’t an endpoint.

Do I feel happier now than I was when I worked in banking? Yes.

Do I feel happier than I was when I first began freelance and was able to live invoice to invoice? Marginally.

While I’m a long way to feeling satisfied and fulfilled by my job It could be a never-ending pursuit. I’ve discovered that it’s better to be able to enjoy the process.

#4: Costs determine the success of a business more than revenues

When I started transitioning to working full-time as a freelancer, I cut my monthly budget by 32 percent. I needed to — I wasn’t making enough money to maintain my previous lifestyle.

and I believe that my current success is due to this thrifty decision as without it, I don’t know what would have happened if I had lasted long enough to witness this sudden, astronomical revenue increase.

Additionally, it has helped to instill good ways of living. Three and three and a half year later, and I’m fairly close to sticking to my own spending limit. aside from the fact that rent is higher (somewhat beyond my control) My expenses haven’t significantly changed.

5: Outsourcing can be more effective than raising rates

The rates you set can be the rates but somebody has to have the money to. Every time you raise your rate, you remove some of that pool of possible customers. My opinion is that it’s much easier to boost profits by outsourcing your business and using implicit hourly rates. The value of your time the most precious currency.

Naturally, finding trustworthy freelancers isn’t as easy as it sounds. That’s another reason to make connections to other freelancers. There’s no way to know if you might find a reliable freelancer whose rates are within the budget of a client and permit you to earn quasi-passive earnings.

#6: Accountability still a task

I love the approach of putting your feet to the fire. This is what freelance work is for at end-of-the-day. we are solely and directly accountable for our financial health. If we’re not working then we won’t earn.

It’s the same for me to put off my work in the present as it was years ago. The different is that I’m aware of my triggers: my phone (which is required to be turned off or off my desk) and heavy food items as well as the sound.

#7: key to gaining a lot of freelance clients is long-term consistency

The freelance industry is one of the most volatile areas of employment that it’s difficult to feellike we’re making progress.

As of the autumn of 2020 I got a couple of lucrative copywriting jobs that enabled me to exceed my monthly bank income at the time I was an unreliable drone. I was thinking to myself, ” I did it, I finally turned the corner.“

They then pounced on me.

One company changed its mind and then fired my primary points of contact (I discovered this after contacting them via LinkedIn two months after). Another company ended connections with freelancers, and brought in an internal team (same same as before, however I discovered this only after actively asking questions via LinkedIn).

In the beginning I felt overwhelmed. My earnings dropped and I went back to living invoices to invoice.

Looking in the rear, I can see it as an improvement — I had new items to add to my portfolio, which I would eventually leverage to get more lucrative clients.

Metaphorically speaking, you’ll need to ascend an elevator to the sky, view your company from a 30,000-foot view and ask yourself a simple but important question: Am I getting closer to my goals now than the time I first started?

It might not look to be, but change is being made.