So you’re all excited to start out and make a name for yourself in the freelance world.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of pitfalls. I mean A LOT!

I was so gung-ho to start that I had blinders on for a long time. It takes a big mistake to open your eyes to the realities. So here are a few things I wish someone had told me before I started on my freelance journey.

Create your own goals

So you want to be a freelance writer? Believe me, when starting out, you’ll be tempted with enticing blog titles such as “Make 50K in 2 Months Only Working 3 Hours a Day.”

It is pure bullshit!

If you’re making that type of money, then tell me where this magical land is at filled with unicorns and lollipops. Yeah, it doesn’t exist.

The truth is making quick cash by writing just doesn’t happen that fast. It is easy to fall into the fantasy world where you can sip Mai Tais and work for an hour a day.

Slap yourself and wake up to reality!

The biggest problem (and where most people fail) is setting unrealistic goals. So let’s say you set the “50k in 2 months” goal. What happens when you don’t reach it? Are you going to feel proud of your accomplishments or feel like a failure?

When I first started, I did the same thing. I wanted to replace all my monthly income from the office job in one month. Let’s just say it did not happen. I felt downtrodden and, in fact, I did give up freelance writing for a while.

My unrealistic goal almost sunk my freelance career before it even started.

What did I do? I regrouped and set a more achievable goal for myself. I decided to make a goal of getting three new clients and/or 1k for the month.

Did it work? I came close. But not completely reaching the goal did not feel like the end of the world. I was able to look back and saw all the hard work I put in for the month. In the end, I felt disappointed but knew I was making progress.

Stop judging your success against others

When I first started, I joined a lot of online writers groups. On the one hand, it is a great experience to hear from other people. Plus groups often lead to networking (i.e. job) opportunities. Who doesn’t want to share in other people’s’ successes?

Well, when you are in the doldrums of finding work and nothing is turning out. It can be disheartening.

How many of us see how Suzy Writer won 3 clients just simply by fixing up her LinkedIn profile with two easy steps. She gives everyone her tips. Then you implement them only to have nada coming in. It feels really shitty.

That urge to compare yourself to someone else sometime cannot be avoided. It is easy for people to share successes but how many disclose their failures? Hey, there’s a reason that Facebook leads to depression. Social media presents all the shiny and happy. When you first start out and hit a wall, it can feel like the dream is slowly fading.

But let’s get real!

Remember that everyone has failures. Walt Disney failed, Thomas Edison failed, and of course, Bill Gates failed too. Failure is part of life. But the important thing to keep in context is not to get discouraged. Don’t think for a minute that little happy Suzy Writer didn’t hit a few bumps along the way. She did but how did she overcome them?

Not everyone is going to have the same results. What worked for one person might not work out for someone else. Just keep everything in perspective. So if Suzy’s way didn’t work out, then there will always be another way. It doesn’t mean you cannot find success. You just need to find another path down the road.

It is easy for people to share successes but how many disclose their failures?

There will be a lot of work

I think this goes without saying, but you’re going to have to put a little elbow grease into your business. Success doesn’t happen overnight. We already explored that the mythical “50k in 2 Days” doesn’t work.

Let’s kill another fantasy floating about:  Working for yourself is a dream come true (or a nightmare depending on your point of view). What do most people think about freelancing: Some of the positive responses include:

• Make your own hours
• More time at home
• Be your own boss

Those pluses can also be downsides as well.

Making your own hours means you can work anywhere from 8 to 17 hours a day. Work doesn’t come easy either. It is a lot of networking, cold emailing, and job board hunting. Being your own boss means making tough decisions. There’s no “passing the buck” in the business. Your successes and failures all come down to you.

I wish there were some magical pill to jump-start into a successful freelance career. But there is not. I know that’s difficult. As millennials, we want everything instantly. If that is the case, then this is not the career path for you.

Let me throw out the old tired saying: Rome wasn’t built in a day.

So let’s apply that here. Most of the successful freelancers and writers worked extremely hard and sacrificed for their business. Keep that in perspective. If it is that easy, then everyone would quit their job and work from home.

Don’t pick the lowest hanging fruit

You know all that cold emailing and networking finally paid off. You get a call, and someone wants to work for moi.

Dreams have finally come true! Then you get their proposal, and it’s significantly lower than you expected (think content mill penny per word prices).

Do you accept the work or find someone else?

If you’re living in a cardboard box and need food, then yeah. But for the rest of us, pass on it. I can’t tell you how many clients I accepted right off the bat that turned into living nightmares. It’s funny how the higher paying clients are professional, while the lower end spectrum can be assholes.

My first customer was horrible. Constant emails and phone calls (yes, even after business hours). There were requests to add this or that for free. Um, I have a set contract. It felt like I was back in an office while an overbearing manager. Completely not worth it!

I learned from that mistake and decided I was going to market myself as a high-value freelance writer. So I stopped the content mills and shady job boards. I started running my business as a first-class endeavor. You know what, I began to find better clients who treated me with respect.

Know your value and don’t settle for anything less. You want to work for pennies than the clientele is just going to see you like a cheap alternative. Yes, it is hard to pass up (especially in the beginning). Believe me though, it is not the trouble of dealing with clients who want to treat you like a writing slave.

I could have avoided a lot of heartache

I wanted to set the world on fire with my freelance career. But I almost walked away because I set unrealistic goals. For me, I regrouped and focused on what was important. Remember it takes time and hard work to build the business you want. Any “get rich” scheme just isn’t going to sustain a thriving business. Keep these points in mind. You can strive to create a successful career and not set yourself up to fail.

What do you wish someone would have told you before you started your freelance business? Let me know in the comments below. I’m interested to hear others views on the issue.