FREELANCE FEARS AND SOLOPRENEUR SCARIES

Taking control of your schedule and becoming your own boss is exhilarating. It can also be quite scary. Whether you’re a full-time freelancer or supplementing a 9 to 5, the decision to step outside of traditional employment is a vulnerable one that can dredge up some deep-seated professional and personal anxiety. 

The intimate connection that solopreneurs have with their businesses means that your fears around work don’t just follow you home — they are coming from inside the house. Fortunately, putting a name to the things that frighten you can help you face them head on. Take a deep breath, grab your flashlight, and look under your bed (er, desk). You may be surprised by what’s lurking. 

Energy Vampires

If you’ve been at this for a while, you’re probably well aware that the secret to success in freelancing is focusing on the work that matters. If you aren’t vigilant about sorting your priorities and guarding your time, it won’t be long before faux productivity, people pleasing, and ineffective coping mechanisms start sucking the life out of you. 

Energy vampires never look menacing at first, and that’s what makes them so insidious. What starts out as neglecting self care or bending the rules to accommodate a client can slowly turn into exhaustion and wheel spinning.

The easiest way to identify an energy vampire is its disregard for your boundaries, whether it’s a person who pushes back when you say “no” or an app that’s designed to keep you scrolling instead of sleeping. Treat these suckers with caution and remember that if you give them an inch, they’ll want a mile — so don’t invite them in. 

Mistakes That Go Bump in the Night

Freelancers have no choice but to stand by their work, but being self-employed doesn’t make anyone infallible. 

If you keep at it long enough, some amount of professional embarrassment is unavoidable. You’ll miss deadlines, speak out of turn, misunderstand assignments, and even lose entire accounts. Then, to your horror, you’ll have no choice but to get up the next day and keep going. 

A key part of processing and letting go of a business mistake is identifying what you know now that you didn’t know then. If an error from your past is still giving you nightmares, look for the lesson, make the necessary changes, and go forward without fear. 

Clients that Haunt Us

Scary clients are part of the freelance experience. No matter how good of a job you do at setting and managing expectations, you’ll eventually experience client conflict that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Even after the ordeal is over, soured relationships can have a lingering effect — sometimes to the detriment of future business. 

If you can still feel the specter of failure looming in your current partnerships, recognize the learning experiences without letting them haunt you. Often the biggest benefits of these difficult ordeals is that they teach you how to spot red flags earlier in your future relationships. Trust your gut when it comes to pushiness, flakiness, and unrealistic expectations, and politely exorcise problematic clients before you get in too deep. 

Being Ghosted

Having a client vanish into thin air is many things: infuriating, disheartening, and (from a financial perspective) terrifying. Freelancers are well aware that workloads will fluctuate, but missing out on planned income and carving out time for projects that don’t come to fruition feels like a stake to the heart.  

Unfortunately, occasional ghosting is an almost universal solopreneur experience. Your best defense is a solid vetting process and managed expectations. Before you figure a new account into your workflow, make sure they’re invested. Develop an intake form that requires the client to describe and outline the proposed project to ensure they’ve actually made it beyond the “idea” phase and are ready to move forward with your services. 

Separate the probable ghosts from the viable clients early on, and you’ll save yourself time and disappointment. 

The Curse of the Frankenschedule 

Most freelancers have multiple clients — sometimes a lot of clients. Stitching together an income from multiple sources doesn’t just help grow your business, it also protects you in the event of cutbacks. 

As exciting as it is to feel things begin to scale up, it’s normal to be afraid of getting pulled in too many different directions. The hard work you’ve done to build a reputation can vanish if you overpromise and can’t keep up with demand. 

If you’re overwhelmed by all the pieces and parts, give block scheduling a try. This method of business management allows you to set aside time on a client-by-client basis and cluster meetings close together, minimizing divided focus and time-sucking attention shifts. Remember that when everything’s an emergency, nothing is. Keep client expectations manageable by promising timely — not immediate — responses. 

Bringing Clients Back From the Dead

It’s hard when a good client goes dark, but don’t lose heart. With good relationship management, resurrection after a lull is always possible. 

Ebbs and flows are all part of the freelance dance. If work dries up following a successful season, chances are it’s not personal. Make a point of staying connected to your favorite clients in unobtrusive ways: interact with their social media, celebrate their business wins, and keep them on your mailing list. Stay top-of-mind so the next time lightning strikes, you’ll be first in line to flip the switch and jolt into action. She’s alive!!!

Instead of letting your business fears lurk in the shadows, turn on the light and see them for the very normal challenges that they are. The occasional jump scare is part of the experience, but every anxiety-inducing situation you encounter only makes you more prepared for the next one. 

Here’s to the pursuit of business immortality and more treats than tricks in Q4!