Are you starting the process of building a successful freelance business? Are you hoping to find a silver bullet that will catapult you to the echelons of success? While there isn’t a magic potion you can take to guarantee success, there is an extremely powerful trait you can develop to make your wildest dreams come true.
Now, I didn’t say it would be easy. The fact is that building any kind of business is challenging. There’s just no way around it. Fortunately, there is a step-by-step plan you can follow. But in general, human beings are just not wired to push past our comfort zones.
Part of the reason we dislike learning and change is our (completely natural) fear of rejection. And while you’re building your business, you will definitely have to face rejection.
Not everyone will be ready or willing to work with you, even if you send the greatest pitches on the planet. You won’t see eye-to-eye with every single client.
So, What’s the Secret to Building a Successful Freelance Business?
Resilience.
You will multiply your success so much more quickly if you can work on building resilience as you work on building your business.
What do I mean by resilience? Well, here are some examples:
- It’s realizing that you will experience setbacks.
- It’s being able to get back up even if you’ve been knocked down.
- Resilience is about finding lessons and opportunities in less-than-ideal situations.
Notice what I did not mention? Toughness. Thick skin. It’s understandable and expected to be disappointed when a discovery call or interview doesn’t go well. But if you don’t develop resilience, you might allow that experience to push you out of the game altogether.
Resilience, on the other hand, will help you figure out how to use that experience to grow into a more successful freelancer.
Resilience is Finding the Silver Lining
As you’re building a successful freelance business (because I know you can!) remember to seek out the feedback which will help you improve. Reach out and ask to have those difficult conversations: “What could I have done better?”
As you work on developing your resilience, you will face rejection. And when you do, find ways to use those “no’s” and “not now’s” to continue learning about your craft, your business, and yourself.
Your turn! How has resilience helped you? Or, how have you been working on building it? Let us know in the comments below!
Last Updated on July 1, 2023.
