As you begin your freelancing career, you may wonder if training like the Freelance Success Framework is right for you.
The short answer is: You bet! In the course, we give you the exact steps needed to build a freelance business. While freelancers in the group are at all levels and freelancing across industries, many don’t have any prior freelancing experience.
But there are a few things to know before freelancing, and before pursuing training to become a freelancer, that you need to know.
1. Learning is hard.
Adults are not accustomed to learning new things. We all used to be really good at it as kids and even as young adults—when we were constantly learning. Coming across a brand new concept was an everyday occurrence, and we had no problem working through the novice stage.
But as adults, we lose the ability to learn gracefully. We start to rely on our prior knowledge of the world. Encountering something brand new happens less and less as we “grow up.” When was the last time you were presented with the challenge of acquiring a new skillset?
This “know-it-all” expectation gets ingrained into our adult identities, even when starting on a new path. Intellectually we realize we’re learning a new skill, yet somehow we’re still surprised we don’t already know how to do it.
It’s not necessary to know everything before you begin freelancing. But you do have to be open to learning.
2. Learning takes time.
So many students (in my own courses as well as those of my colleague) have no problem admitting they’re beginners… But they can’t figure out why they haven’t immediately grasped the concepts. Or, they wonder how their fellow students got so much further ahead of them.
Be kind to yourself! It’s so important to remember that it takes time to learn anything. You’ll master some topics quickly, and others will take more practice. But you can’t upload knowledge directly into your brain.
Every freelancer started out where you are now: Not knowing anything about running their business! No one is born with an innate knowledge of their career path, so if you’re starting from square one, this is exactly the right place to begin.
Be willing to learn, and be willing to treat this as a process. We have set everything up for you. The course contains not only the information you need, but lots of support as well. But it’s up to you take action. You will only find mastery with practice. Like with anything else in life, you’ll have a ball with some things, and you’ll be challenged by others.
3. Beware the before-and-after trap of freelancing.
It’s always a bad idea to compare yourself to others. We are all on our own journeys. It’s sort of like comparing your “chapter 1” with someone else’s “chapter 17.” Your success is in your hands, and cannot be measured by anyone else’s standards.
Being able to admit that you’re brand new is an important first step. The key is being comfortable in not knowing everything at the beginning of the course. You couldn’t speak conversational Spanish on the first day of Spanish class, could you?
4. You WILL master freelancing if you stick with it.
Failure is a myth. Generally, it’s when we give up right before we’re about to breakthrough.
Take a deep breath and get ready to dive into everything you need to learn to begin your full- or part-time career as a freelancer. Do the work to become successful.
Instead of thinking about “failure,” consider one approach isn’t working. So, what new approach can you take? What have others who are successful at freelancing done to achieve their goals?
For students in the Freelance Success Framework, ask questions of your fellow students in the students-only Facebook group. Get feedback on the challenges and opportunities you encounter. Put yourself out there to land clients.
It’s okay to feel unsure of yourself, especially at first.
As grown-ups, being open to learning new things is one of the most important lessons we can learn (or, in many cases, re-learn).
Your turn! Are you willing to give yourself the patience to learn? (I mean really.) Let me know in the comments below!
Last Updated on July 1, 2023.
