6 Things Every Freelancer Struggles with – Even If They Don’t Admit It!

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There are lots of ups and downs to freelance life. It can be hard to maintain stability, look for clients and get separation between your personal and work life.

And the worst thing of all? You deal with everything on your own. This can make you feel like you’re the only one out there struggling – especially when social media is telling you that everyone is more successful than you.

But you’re not alone! There are so many things that every freelancer struggles with, whether they admit it or not.

6 things every freelancer struggles with – even if they don’t admit it

Being a freelancer isn’t all long weekends and flexible hours. A few common freelance struggles include:

1. Finding clients
2. Imposter syndrome
3. Feast/famine cycle
4. Making time for your business
5. Ghosting
6. Sending that first draft

Let’s take a closer look at these things in a little more detail – and a few tips and tricks to manage them.

1. Finding clients

Everyone struggles with finding clients in one way or another. You might struggle to find your first freelance gig, you might go through a dry spell or you might always feel like you could do with just one more client.

Looking for clients can be a tough process. You need to constantly promote yourself and apply for new opportunities.

There’s a lot of disappointment. You might receive a rejection for an opportunity or – much worse – you may just never hear back from a potential new client.

Rest assured that freelancers with 30+ years of experience struggle to find clients, too. It’s not just you!

If you’re struggling to find clients, explore different avenues. Look on social media, ask for referrals from current clients, comb sites like Upwork and tell everyone about your services.

2. Imposter syndrome

Imposter syndrome and self-doubt are a big part of freelance life. Freelancing can be full of questions:

• Am I doing the right thing?
• Do I really know what I’m talking about?
• Who would want to buy my services?

Every freelancer deals with imposter syndrome – and that, in itself, is comforting. Although it’s one of those things that comes and goes, there are a few ways to reduce your imposter syndrome when it hits.

Use client feedback to remind yourself of past successes and talk to other freelancers about their experiences. Everyone deals with it – trust me.

3. Feast/famine cycle

The feast/famine cycle is something every freelancer is familiar with. All too often, you’ll feel too busy or waaaay too quiet.

You might feel overwhelmed by your workload, but then things change and suddenly you’ve got nothing to do… it’s frustrating.

The feast/famine cycle can get you down. It can feel like work will never come your way – or you’ve taken on too much work for one person. Even freelancers with years of experience find it hard to manage the cycle. There’s no quick fix.

However, you’ll find new ways to manage your time as you gain more experience – and you’ll find it easier to bounce back after you’ve experienced the cycle a few hundred times.

Make sure to find freelance tasks to do when you’re quiet, whether that’s taking time off, looking for clients or working on your marketing.

4. Making time for your business

Working on your business means spending time on things like marketing, website content, networking and client outreach.

Many freelancers (myself included) find it hard to make time to work on their businesses. You’re not necessarily getting paid to do the work – and clients always come first.

However, it’s important to keep things ticking over. Establish a client pipeline and show people that you’re there – even when you’re busy. I recommend giving yourself an appraisal to reflect on your work.

Some freelancers like to set aside a certain day to work on their business, whereas others prefer to handle tasks as and when they can. It’s all about finding a system that works for you.

5. Ghosting

Every freelancer struggles with ghosting! Picture the scene. You’ve applied for a client opportunity and they’ve said they’d love to work with you. You send over more information. And then… they disappear.

How many times do you chase them up? How do you move on from the rejection?

It can be hard to deal with ghosting, especially if you’ve got further down the line with your new client. You might even have a start date, and then suddenly they disappear without a word.

It can be frustrating to wonder why they’ve ignored you – and many freelancers will worry they’ve done something wrong.

Try to remember that it’s unlikely to be something personal. There are so many reasons someone might not reply to you: illness, holiday, workload, budget reasons, scheduling issues…

Move on to other client opportunities – and remember that clients who regularly ghost you probably aren’t the ones you want to work with.

6. Sending that first draft to a client

If you’re a freelance writer like me, you’ll understand the fear of sending that first draft to a client. In fact, whether you’re a graphic designer, website developer or translator, you’ll understand just how scary it can be.

• Will the client hate it?
• Will they send lots of feedback?
• Will they disagree with your choices?

Many freelancers struggle with perfectionism when it comes to sending off their work – I know I do. Although I still get nervous three years into my freelance journey, it’s all about practice.

Get into the habit of sending off your work and taking feedback from your clients. It can be scary, but you’ll get there.

What do you struggle with? Do you find it hard to find clients or deal with imposter syndrome? Do you have any tips for managing the ups and downs of freelance life?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Happy reading x