The 7 Mistakes Novice Freelancers Make When Trying to Land Clients

First impressions are everything

When you start as a freelancer, it sucks. There I said it! And I had more success than a lot of other freelancers out there. I regularly get asked by beginners freelancers online why they aren’t getting clients, and when I look at their profile, I see a ton of red flags.

Let’s look at them to see what you can change. Some factors are in your control, and some aren’t, but I wanted to address them.

Now, many people in places like Asia are at a bit of a disadvantage here when they want to work with clients in North America. Part of the reasons might be problematic because of cultural stereotypes, but another reason is just the location and timezone difference.

When you have a client who is 12 hours behind you, that makes communicating difficult. It is just easier if you are in the same hemisphere, and while you can’t always control that, you can perhaps shift your focus to local businesses or countries closer to you location-wise.

A lot of freelancers set their rates fairly low. Honestly, that’s okay! If you’re a beginner, you shouldn’t be charging $50 per hour because the client will likely be disappointed when you can’t deliver on your promise. That can mean bad reviews and loss of any future work with them.

Still, if you go too low, then you are going to attract terrible clients. That’s not ideal either because no matter what, you can’t please them.

So now I’ve confused you, I’m sure. I would suggest that you pick a minimum income you will work for and go from there. My minimum desired wage was $20 per hour, and I did go down to $18 to land my first client, but it paid off immensely as I made over $500 with him.

You need to stop seeing yourself as a freelance and start seeing yourself as a business. A lot of beginners don’t realize this. If you want it to be a side hustle, that is fine, but it’s still good to think about things more professionally.

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