Freelancing is still an emerging niche that is yet to be fully embraced as a lifetime career. Even with that said, the freelancing business is growing at a fast rate and it is only a matter of time before it receives global acceptance. Perhaps one of the reasons making people fear getting themselves into thebusiness relates to the many challenges faced by freelancers. As a solo creative professional working on a global arena, there are bound to be many challenges coming your way which if not taken care of, can discourage your from venturing into the business.
Every business venture has its own challenges. It is how one deals with these challenges that determine whether they’ll be successful or not. This piece has highlighted some of the most common challenges faced by freelancer and the best possible ways to overcome the challenges.
Most common challenges
Ask any freelancer and they’ll attest to the fact that at one point in their profession, they have faced either of one these challenges.
a) Not having enough work
One of the biggest problems that have been so common amongst freelancers relates to the inability to get consistent work from their clients. Since most of the time you’ll have to depend on your clients for work, your work schedule will tend to revolve around their demand. If they want more, you will most definitely get more work from them.
Sometimes freelancers also have a tendency of falling short of clients hence end up not having any work at all. In particular, this can be frustrating especially for those people working as full time freelancers.
b) Unpredictability of your finances
New freelancers are the once who are most vulnerable to this problem. The main reason is attributed to the fact that they are inexperienced hence always finds it a problem to distinguish between credited employers and those who pose as scams.
As for veteran freelancer, they always identify trustworthy employers but the financial problem arises in a situation where your client runs short of finances hence end up affecting you. The challenge is exemplified by the fact that some of the freelance platforms do not guarantee payment in case your client defaults.
Available solutions to the above identified challenges
As for the above identified problems, you can always find solutions to help you overcome them. For example, in a scenario where a freelancer from Nigeria does not get clients to supply him with work, he can can always advertise by posting free ads in Nigeria through the available online channels. Most of these channels are free and can be used by anybody. Classified sites are one of the best online marketing channels that a freelancer can use to showcase his professional skills to potential clients.
In relation to unpredictability of finances, always make sure that before contacting a potential client, take some time to research their past interaction with other contractors and make your judgement based on their track record.
