5 Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Up A Freelance Business
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THE TERM “FAIL FORWARD”. THIS CERTAINLY APPLIES WHEN SETTING UP A FREELANCE BUSINESS FOR THE FIRST TIME. TRIAL AND ERROR, YOU HOPE TO LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES. IN THIS POST, I WILL DISCUSS HOW YOU CAN LEARN FROM MINE.
My location independent pathway was setting up a freelance business as a copywriter. While I got educated, I supported myself by driving Uber. This turned out to be a great marketing and networking tool as many passengers would ask me what else I did. I would tell them how I quit my job to become a location independent freelance copywriter. And sometimes I’d be asked for a business card. So, I decided it was time to set up a freelance business. Except, I didn’t have a clue about starting or running a business. And boy, has it been a learning curve. Once you’ve chosen your location independent career you will need to set up your own freelance business. Please don’t make the same embarrassing mistakes I made.
MISTAKE NO. 1. GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR BUSINESS IDEA & DOMAIN NAME BEFORE SETTLING ON IT.
I rushed out and had business cards made with the business name, Cool Copy. Then followed these three main steps in setting up a freelance business:
I had the logo designed by a graphic designer on Fiverr for $6.34.
I bought the domain name “coolcopy.com.au” for $20 for one year from Cheap Domains.
I registered the business name with The Australian and Investments Commision (ASIC) for $35 for 1 year.
All up I spent $71.34 in setting up a freelance business (without a website). But after getting feedback from friends and family it turned out Cool Copy wasn’t so cool after all. Ironically, because it included the word “cool” apparently made it extremely “uncool”. So, I ditched Cool Copy, cut my losses, and started again. Awesome.
I checked if killercopy.com.au was available. To my surprise it was. And my friends and family approved of this name, except for mum because it had the word “killer” in it, but I went with it anyway… sorry mum. I bought the domain name killercopy.com.au, and registered the business Killer Copy Creative.
MISTAKE NO.2. DON’T CHOOSE A WEB DEVELOPER BASED ON HIS/HER LOOKS.
I decided the logo would set the tone for the website. I was happy with my logo design through Fiverr so I decided to stick with them for a web developer. An attractive woman’s profile called Sarah caught my eye. Sarah claimed she could build me an SEO Optimized & responsive website for $289.81. She had good ratings and reviews and the turn-around was only nine days with 9 revisions. But let’s be honest, I chose her because she was hot. BIG MISTAKE. Fast forward two months later and Sarah had still not completed my website. She gave me numerous excuses as to why it was dragging on. But it was when she told me her village was under attack that I knew something was definitely off!
MISTAKE NO. 3. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FLIRT WITH YOUR WEB DEVELOPER AS THEY MAY NOT BE WHO YOU THINK THEY ARE.
The problem with Sarah’s village under attack was that her photo was of a white western woman🤔. Something was amiss. It turned out that not only was she not white, she was not even a woman! In fact, Sarah’s real name was Sandeep and he was from a remote village near the border of India and Pakistan. Crickey, no wonder my attempts at flirting had gone down like a lead balloon - I’d been chatting up a dude this whole time!
You see, this was Sarah/Sandeep’s strategy to get clients. Sandeep lured guys in with a hot avatar called Sarah. And I was a sucker who’d fallen for it. Righto, no more Mister nice guy.
“Sandeep. I. Need. This. Finished. Now.” I demanded.
Eventually, I had a website that was far from perfect but it would do for the time being. Sandeep had the nerve to request I tip him for all the time and effort put into it! This was after it was delivered over two months late!
“Yeah, I’ll give you a tip Sandeep. Change your profile photo and name to your real identity, deliver on what you promise and on time! Otherwise, you’re gonna end up in San-deep shit”. I offered him.
After I gave Sandeep a negative review he messaged asking me why and explained how much he relied on good reviews to earn a living. I now felt compassion for him. Sandeep obviously doesn’t have the opportunities afforded to most of us western folk is just trying to make a buck and feed himself and maybe his family. I amended his review and even gave him a small tip. Besides, he taught me a valuable lesson in setting up a freelance business:
MISTAKE NO. 4. ALWAYS DELIVER ON WHAT YOU PROMISE!
Okay, this is a lesson for when you start working for your own clients but I’m gonna write a whole other post on this topic because it’s THAT IMPORTANT.
MISTAKE NO. 5. JUST SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY ON A LOCAL WEB DEVELOPER. SERIOUSLY.
If I added up all the money I spent on fixing my website it would cost more than had I just hired a local web developer to get it right in the first place. There’s great value in being able to sit with someone, in person, and have a proper conversation in English about your vision for your website. Your website represents you and your brand to the rest of the world. Invest your time and money into it.
One of the most important aspects of your website is having well-written SEO optimized copy that converts readers into paying customers. To see how I can help in this department at the most competitive price enquire here.
AND TO WRAP IT UP…
So, there you have it. Just a few of the lessons learned from setting up a freelance business as a location independent copywriter. And there will be many more lessons to come, I’m sure. The reality is that taking the leap and going out on your own is just one massive learning curve. 
You fail forward. The trick is to view every mistake you make as a lesson learnt that allows you to grow and move closer to your location independent freelance dreams. I’d love to hear about the mistakes you’ve made when starting out on your own. What’s the biggest thing you would have done differently so far in your journey to becoming a location independent freelancer?