Well hello to you my reader chums! Ever since I was little, I always wanted to be a writer. I wanted to write all day every day for myself in a suave little office in my house. That was the ultimate dream and to be honest, it still is. It's a dream I'm kind of living and working my way towards.

Freelancing is something I've been trying to dabble in for years but it's only in the past year that I took it seriously, and embarked on my freelancing journey. I'm still only freelancing part-time and working my way up, building connections and clients, and I'm excited about what's to come, to make a full-time gig out of this.

If you're considering freelancing or don't know where to begin, here are 6 things I've learnt from freelancing so far.

Social media is a great help

Social media is one of the most powerful tools these days for many things including finding opportunities and jobs. Two of my most regular clients I found on Twitter and LinkedIn and honestly, that still baffles me. The more I spend on platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter, the more opportunities I'm able to find and see what's out there. I've learnt how important having a personal brand is on these sites for example because it shows potential clients what you're all about. This is why I've tried to utilise my Linkedin in following the right people and asking clients to leave feedback on my profile.

Social media is also a brilliant hub for freelancers. There are plenty of people sharing their journeys, what they've learnt, and any opportunities they have. It's these people I can learn more from, develop my craft and improve my knowledge as a freelancer.

Freelancing websites are a brilliant start

I found freelance websites a great way to launch myself into the freelancing world, especially Upwork. It was easy enough setting up my profile, adding my rates and sharing the expertise I'd like to focus on. Plus, I loved the pitching process on Upwork. It's easy to filter the jobs I wanted to find and send proposals to potential clients. I've also been a huge fan of The Writer's Job Newsletter for a variety of opportunities in my inbox each week.

The opportunities online for freelancers are endless, it's about knowing where and how to search for the right thing for you.

Believe in yourself enough to pitch

The biggest part of becoming a freelancer is having the confidence to do it. There are so many people out there trying to do the same thing and I've learnt, if I want it, I have to go for it. I have to believe in my skillset that I have enough expertise and knowledge to be a full-fledged freelancer. If you don't send the pitch, you don't know - and that's why it's so important to go for it. 

Rejection or not hearing back is normal

As I said, many people are trying to make it in the freelance world so what I learnt is to not take it personally if one, I'm rejected and two, if I don't hear back. Some clients don't have the time to respond to all of the pitches that come their way and it's okay. Don't put yourself down if you don't receive a response or are rejected.

Feedback is gold dust and can help you more than you think

Following on from this, feedback is something I've learnt to love, whether it's good or bad. Good feedback is great for pride and knowing you did a good job, however, I've found more critical feedback to be useful because I can use it to improve my craft in every way. Also, I've learnt to note down all the good feedback to help give me a boost when I need it and ask clients to share it publically for my full benefit.

To ensure contracts are written up beforehand

This is something luckily I haven't learnt the hard way. But chasing payments is probably the hardest thing as a freelancer and is why it's important to have contracts written up before hand. This helps give you evidence if payments aren't paid on time - and also one of the reasons I like going through Upwork as contracts are in place.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What other things have you learnt if you're a freelancer?

Thank you for reading <3