There are 2 basic stories you can tell yourself (and/or other people) about freelancing.
Option A:
- It’s hard to find clients.
- There’s too much competition.
- There aren’t enough high paying clients.
- I can’t compete against people with more experience, more credentials, etc.
- Clients always want to pay the smallest amount possible.
- I can’t compete against people who charge less than I do.
- Good clients are hard to find.
- Clients don’t want to pay me what I’m worth.
Option B:
- Great clients are literally everywhere.
- I decide how much I get paid.
- Most clients are happy to pay more for quality.
- There are tens of millions of great clients waiting to meet me right now.
- Clients say their number-one challenge is finding good freelancers to hire! They’ll be thrilled to meet me.
- I can get tons of great clients without ever competing on price.
- Clients don’t really care how much experience I have as long as I do good work, care about helping them win, and make their life easier.
- There is an enormous and ever-expanding supply of great clients for anyone who wants them.
- Clients like to pay more if they know they’re getting quality in return.
- I can make a fantastic living freelancing with just a handful of great clients.
Two things to keep in mind:
- You can choose whichever story you want to.
- Whichever one you believe will be the one that is true for you.
Which story do you want to choose?
Leave a comment below and tell me your thoughts.
(Flickr Creative Commons image via Phil Shirley)
I was Option A when I started on Upwork in February (really just signed up to see what was out there), but I’ve been Option B since I started taking Upwork more seriously in August and I can say that it’s done me wonders! I came across your website after some searching and love your content. As someone who started seriously taking gigs on Upwork in August, I’m already making more than half of my full-time salary (but only doing 1/4 of the hours!) and have been constantly making this on a monthly basis since September. It’s so exciting how… Read more »
I have just started freelancing. Thanks Danny for your read..I choose option B. I am sure I will be back here with a testimony..
Well, I can share both the stories as I have been through all of them. Its been a year that I am working as a freelancer and have dealt with both the type of clients.
Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks??… woof woof, your article taught me a few..thanks Danny!!! U R AWESOME!!!
Option B is the only option, if you’re serious!!
Reality is what you choose, life is only gray if that’s what you choose. Life is what YOU make it. It’s up to you. Carpe Diem!
Brian
Dude, I just copied the B list into a document to read whenever I start bullshitting myself with items from list A 🙂 Thanks for the post!
I will select Option B. Clients require their work to be completed as per their requirements and in return I get paid accordingly as settled between me and the client
Option B
reality is between these two options life is mostly grey
I chose option B,” what you think is what you become ” I have always beleived this to be true. You must think highly of your worth, otherwise no one else will.
Option B sounds a bit unrealistic but if someone have a firm belief in himself, its very much closer to reality.I always keep my face towards the sunshine, so that i cannot see the shadow. Always optimistic and determined. Thanks Danny.
Used to be A. Now I’m stepping in to B..
Nothing’s impossible 😉
Still a student, haven’t statred my freelancing journey yet, but want to start with full motivation so I choose option B, I know B sounds bit unreal but hardwork can def make it happen. So option B for me from the very begining…
Thanks Danny for the awesome post!!
Currently stuck in Option A. Sadly, I think there is a ceiling when it comes to Upwork and I honestly do not believe there is an option B. I’ve been soaking up information from so many people who claim to know what they are doing but I am getting nowhere, even backwards. I’d like for Danny or someone who has been reading his blog for awhile to show me the way because right now I’m very doubtful and dangerously close to giving up. I’ve made only $3000 since I joined Upwork in February of last year. If I don’t get… Read more »
I will go with B.
Good post Sir
Hi Danny
pls how can I share links to previous clients reviews into my proposal.
Thanks
Thank you for this! I have been toying with the idea of leaving my corporate job to join freelancing and have been scared to jump ship. I feel freelancing could help with stress and overall happiness of the work I do. Looking at Option B is making me want to jump right in to the work instead of just dipping a toe into it!
I just hand-copied OPTION B into my notepad! Great insights, I’m devouring your website post my post!
Thanks for the great post, Danny.
I definitely choose option b, but am a stay home mum with no experience .I really would love to know how I can kick off my freelancing career.
Just Awesome! This is one of the best inspiration for freelancer. Very informative and nice guidelines. You are the best one.
Option A
B, B, B!
Good, then we are in it together. Thanks for your support.
Danny How Can I get in touch with you and talk about your course I really need your course
Email support [at] FreelanceToWin [dot com]
Thank you so much for the reminder to stick to positive vibes. Sometimes, it is super easy to just complain forgetting through this we are just planting seeds that will be eaten by drought leading to us missing out on their harvest.
Our thoughts are powerful.
You are welcome, could not agree more with what you said. Thanks for weighing in.
I will go with option b
Awesome, me too! Good for you my friend.
Obviously, its Option B 🙂
Nice! Happy to hear from you.
Option A
Option B fits me perfectly! 😀
High-five!
Hi Danny,
Really thrilled to get your poetic e-mail once more. I prefer option B to weed out the negatives envisaged by the option A. In fact, there has been enough of rhetoric on my part — let me do some real thing but please keep me motivated like this with your aspirational tips about the ins and outs of copywriting. Until next time …
Thanks for letting me know you find it helpful. There’s more coming…lots more.
I will go with option b
Good for you!
There’s too much competition.
This post got me right on the edge. To be honest, option B is true but for a beginner, option A will hit you first and brutally too. I’m all about option B, though. All you just need is to get that first client who gets so hooked up with your style and gives you the confidence you so desperately need… But getting that first sale can take some gruellingly agonizing time. When I got my first client, she was so fascinated and excited by what she got that she gave me another project immediately… It gave me all the… Read more »
No Doubt that option A was dedicated to me, However, I have being a taking a good Step toward option B
We all start somewhere, congratulations on looking forward toward the next step.
I do not believe that in choosing something it will become true. But, what good is it to work with a negative attitude? Yes, it is difficult. Yes, there is too much competition. That is life. The upside is that competition makes it better. One becomes smarter and more efficient. Keep on keeping on. Always ask how to do it better next time. I have signed up a month ago, after being out of my area of work for more than a decade. I have had some interviews that looks promising. Although no work yet, I have learned tons! It… Read more »
Very good points.
Hi Danny, thanks to your tips, I’ve got a phone call with a client tomorrow. In the past, speaking with clients has not been my strong point. Could you make a post on how to speak to clients on the phone/Skype?
Option : B
I am part A of the story. I have not agood experience with well-known clients.
I am all for positivity and all that wow energy, much karma, such optimism. Now, I am not gonna have an opinion, because I am at the very beginning, and I plan to put some efforts in before I can say either or. For the time being, I’ll appreciate what others, more experienced, have to say. But I am all for a balanced approach and I am sensing some comment-bait with this post (not saying it’s bad, just saying what the vibe is). Could the author be so kind to answer Irfan’s comment?
I choose option B. With the world wide web being as connected as it is in this time, you can connect with almost anybody in any country. How can you not find great clients anywhere in the whole world? Additionally, locally, there are so many ways to meet and connect with clients. Through, friends or family, your reputation, networking, canvasing, community events. The hardest thing is just putting yourself out there, and having confidence in your skills. You get what you give too. If you don’t believe you’re going to meet or find great clients, you’re probably not going to.
I see it exactly the same way Matthew. Thanks for taking the time to encourage others too.
Honestly speaking Danny, I don’t think that I can split it in to Black and White just like that. I believe that: B- Great clients are literally everywhere. A- But its hard to find a good client B- I decide how much I get paid. A- Clients always want to pay the smallest amount possible. B- Clients don’t really care how much experience I have as long as I do good work, care about helping them win, and make their life easier. OO- There is an enormous and ever-expanding supply of great clients for anyone who wants them. (That’s not… Read more »
Thank you for your thoughtful comment Irfran. It seems to me like you are trying to look on the positive side of things — good because, from the perspective of successful freelancers there is much to be positive about! Let me help you by pointing out something curious about the way you split up your A’s and B’s: Notice how you said you believe that A) “Clients always want to pay the smallest amount possible”, while you also believe, at the same time, that B) “Clients like to pay more if they know they’re getting quality in return.” Do you… Read more »
Concentrate only good client rather than clients who negotiate more and more. They don’t have capacity then how can they give money to me.
Excellent point Sagar. Great to hear from you this morning.
I am experiencing option A right now and struggling but very soon I’ll be going through B, that’s for sure!
Great starting point Nel. Good for you!
Hi, at the moment I’m a part of story A but I’m striving towards story B! 🙂
Good. You start where you are at and move forward from there. You can get there, maybe quicker than you think. Then things get easier and more fun.
I’ve shifted my mindset to Option B over the last year. Also, during that time I’ve managed to double my income as a freelance writer. Also, I LOVE my work more than I ever have before.
Coincidence? I think not.
Ah this is like music to my ears. Thank you so, so much for stopping by and letting me know about it!!
Hey Danny, Throughout my freelancing career (a bit over 1 year as of now… I’m still only 20) I’ve always felt like freelancing is incredibly easy. It’s always been option B for me, all the time. Still, I’ve got friends in the business and even more outside. Some of my freelancer friends had it mixed (and still do). All my non-freelancing friends view it as A. I never believed that freelancing can be something hard or that clients are all shit, but because it’s never (well, rarely) happened to me, I’d keep it in the back of my mind as… Read more »
Exactly. This reminds me of something I heard a long time ago when I read a book trying to learn how to win at poker… It explained that all of the players — you and everyone else — will all (over time) get the same number of good hands, bad hands, winning hands, losing hands, etc. Yet professional players who do well will take those exact same cards and win big, while others will break even or lose…with the same cards. So the pros aren’t lucky, they are just taking making better decisions.
I choose Option B and preparing myself towards charging premium rates right out of the gate (haven’t started yet, still finishing my thesis). If Option A is the reality and I will struggle even with really low rate, might as well charge premium, go crazy, and see what happens. I’ve got nothing to lose anyway.
Right now I am facing story A in my freelancing career. But I dream to step in option B, of course in the near future. Not sure how to reach there?
Start by reading all of the comments here.
Wow! What encouragement. I was nearly ready to give up but
now I’ll keep on truckin’ – Boy, did I ever need this today – Thanks Danny.