While freelancing is an exciting and rewarding way to make a living, it can also be stressful.
You’re responsible for setting your own rates, managing your own taxes, and finding clients on your own. If you want to succeed as a freelancer, you have to protect yourself from failure.
This means protecting your career from personal lawsuits and professional setbacks that could end up costing thousands of dollars in legal fees or lost income.
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Here Are The Five Best Ways To Protect And Secure Your Career As A Freelancer
Here are some ways you can protect yourself:
1. Make sure you’ve got leads in the pipeline
If you want to be successful as a freelancer, it’s important that you’re always working. Don’t wait for work to come to you: instead, make sure that there’s always work lined up in the pipeline. If a client won’t pay his or her bill, keep looking for new clients who will.
One way to do this is by reaching out directly to potential clients and asking them if they need any help with project management. This can give you an edge over other freelancers who are also after these same gigs—but don’t think of it like an interview; instead, think of it as simply being helpful.
Your goal should be warm introductions rather than cold sales pitches—that way when someone does decide they need your services. There won’t be any awkwardness about whether or not the two of you will work well together once the business gets started.
Another great way to get leads is by networking at meet-ups and events geared toward freelancers just like yourself—you never know where those connections will lead.
2. Get health insurance for freelancers
Don’t think you can just go without health insurance, but even if you’re paying out-of-pocket, it’s worth it to invest in a good plan. You need to learn how to get health insurance as a freelancer. The landscape of health care is changing rapidly, so trying to navigate an uncertain future without coverage is risky—especially if you know that your freelance career could end at any time due to illness or injury.
If you don’t already have access through a group plan through an existing employer or spouse’s job, then consider joining an association or other professional organization with whom you share interests and goals. Most associations offer memberships that include some kind of basic health coverage as part of their dues package—and often much more than just basic coverage.
3. Make sure you have an emergency fund
Avoiding credit card debt is one of the most important things you can do to protect your career as a freelancer. Credit cards are very tempting, but they can be problematic because they are seen as a way to pay for things that you don’t have cash on hand to cover. This can lead to bankruptcy if used irresponsibly and not paid off within 30 days, which tends to happen with interest rates on credit cards.
To avoid this pitfall, it’s important for freelancers who work from home or by themselves to have an emergency fund set aside. This should be enough money so that if something unexpected happens—like a leaky roof or broken water heater—you won’t have to worry about how it will affect your finances going forward.
4. Ditch burnout and procrastination
This means making sure that you get enough sleep and exercise so that your body and mind are refreshed for your work each day. It also means taking time for yourself—time to relax, or do something fun or creative that doesn’t involve work at all.
It’s important not to burn out from working too much (or procrastinating) because if that happens it can lead to poor performance and make it harder for your clients to trust you with their projects in the future.
5. Improve your time management skills
Time management is one of the most important skills for freelancers to learn. As a freelancer, you are responsible for managing your own time and deadlines so that you can deliver quality work on time. You need to learn how to prioritize tasks so that nothing falls through the cracks.
Also, be realistic about how much time each task requires and if there are any obstacles to completing it on time (e.g., other commitments). That way, you won’t end up working 14 hours straight because something took longer than expected or had some unexpected complications pop up along the way.
Conclusion
Congratulations. You have just taken the first step towards a successful career as a freelancer. As you know, it’s not easy to start a freelance career. The market is tough and competition is stiff. But with a good strategy, perseverance, and hard work, you can make your dream come true.
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