What Holds Back Many Freelancers?

Jeane Level 1

October 17, 2018, 4:02 am

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What Holds Back Many Freelancers?

All people who want to start an online business or find work online often underestimate their skills. They are afraid of making that first move because they aren't sure there is anyone who can hire someone like them. After all, you need to convince someone that you can do your job well enough and if you don't any experience, then it would be hard to convince this prospective client that you can deliver what they want.

The fact though is there are plenty of small business online whose budget doesn't permit them to hire people who will work for more money than they can afford to pay. And these small businesses will for that reason hire anyone who is new to freelancing because they initially won't charge much for their services.

Everyone has to start somewhere. You've heard of the journey of a thousand miles . . .

Regardless of the little you make when you start out as a freelancer, don't mind. As you gain experience, you'll start earning more money.

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overcast

overcast

I think for me I am stuck with slow internet speed. So that limits me on video based projects which I can do better but can't due to internet speed. Also I am good with coding but not a lot of the people out there for the work. And then comes design based projects for which I think often you need to go through a lot of revisions. And that can be good option to work through third party escrow because online clients are not reliable.

6 years ago

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jeffreyjose48

jeffreyjose48

I agree with you. Slow internet is one of the problem of freelancers. Internet speed is very critical in freelancing jobs.

6 years ago

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overcast

overcast

Indeed and doing with the big projects and not able to work around with the internet speed. That can be simply not that easy either. So keeping that aside, I'd say that freelancers need to think about internet connection and also the skills that they need for the work.

6 years ago

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stbrians

stbrians

Wifi is actually the solution for slow internet. It can be used with tablets too and it is very fadt and ideal. Once the wifi is installed it can be used by many people at the same time and it is fast.

6 years ago

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Youngshark

Youngshark

You have never had an instance when you have an article whose deadline is less than two hours yet the internet keeps letting you down. I even go to cyber cafes to try and turn things into my favour.

6 years ago

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overcast

overcast

Yes I had those days with the internet connection. The thing is I can't take big project is same reason. And now the issue is that freelancers need to be thinking about proper getting client and get some regular project.

6 years ago

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Youngshark

Youngshark

I even had to purchase a portable wifi device which will always ensure that this problem is sorted especially when mobile networks have
volatility. The one great thing with it is that I can connect several
devices hence making me submit the work even from a phone or friends
computer.

6 years ago

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overcast

overcast

I have same portable 4G device which gives me 1 GB data per day. And additional has to be purchased. It's pity that I can't work on big projects that can pay me like 1000 USD or so. I have to work harder I guess.

6 years ago

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stbrians

stbrians

Slow internet let's down many people and freelancers too. With 4G internet or WiFi one can do better. However, so many factors may really block our successes

6 years ago

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overcast

overcast

Yes I do have 4G but the things are so much expensive. And that's not easy for someone to get for the earning purely based on the internet. So depending on how that works out. It can be definitely something to consider.

6 years ago

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stbrians

stbrians

Internet is always complicated. I will be forced to install wifi

6 years ago

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overcast

overcast

Yes me too at some point of time. I have bought one 4G wifi unit. And that helps with the moving or transfer. I have learned that it may not be a good idea to rely on the phone. So it can be easier to have Wifi dongle type option.

6 years ago

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mitan143

mitan143

True. Having slow internet connection gives me more stress. It's beyond my limit of how frustrating it is to experience such very slow speed when sometimes my other works depends on how fast the connection. Honestly, I get lazy to do the work when there are frequent problem on the connection but, I have no choice but to deal with it no matter I'm pissed off or not. Of course, I also make sure that I deliver good results. It is just sad that here in my country, slow internet connection is one the major problem in work.

6 years ago

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overcast

overcast

The thing is we can't control that part. And we just are on the mercy of the telecom operator. And something we learn from the experience that internet is not something we can control. But we can only control the type of client we work with. And that amount of money we can make working full time and remote.

6 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

Over here it’s not really the slow internet but the lack of internet access. The best internet access here is the one that is connected by cable. That is expensive compared to the wireless internet connection which is readily available in the store. That is the reason why the internet shop is still popular here because they cater to the people who have no internet connection in their homes.

6 years ago

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overcast

overcast

Yes that seems to be the case for Asia most of the time. I have the same issue here that some places are free from internet. And transferring the data becomes the issue. I think on that note I'd say that we have to let the time work on those things. Because many freelancers are less likely to adjust to such speed issues and lack of internet. I guess we deal with life as it comes.

6 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

I think for many of us it comes down to a couple of key things - time and money. It can be hard to dedicate the time to freelancing if you’re trying to hold down a stable full time job to pay the bills, and it can feel like a bit of a financial risk to quit a stable job to start out freelancing too.

6 years ago

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Barida

Barida

I don't totally agree with you. You can actually make out time as long as you are willing to dedicate some of your time to making it happen. I have had sleepless nights to achieve goals and aims of my freelancing work and this is all that matters to me.

6 years ago

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Youngshark

Youngshark

Actually, as I am writing this I am way past my bedtime but I could not sleep without having finished a task that I was given by a client. The deadline is in the next 20 hours but I prefer delivering as early as possible. I have just completed and now taking a break reading some comments here before I sleep.

6 years ago

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Barida

Barida

This is what I was saying and the good thing about delivering the work given to you by a client is that you can get another work as well from them which is a bonus for being timely. However, we should always try to watch our body condition when doing so as well.

6 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

@Barida I think it depends on your stage of life. I'm a parent with two young children, so unfortunately staying up all night isn't really practical to get something done when I'm going to be up before the sun comes up getting stuff ready for their day.

Quality of life is still important to me. I'm not going to grind myself into the ground to succeed, not at this point in my life anyway! Maybe once my children are older that's more of an option for me.

6 years ago

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overcast

overcast

That's just not true. hustle talks are not realistic. Sleepless nights for 1 decade would cost you your life. And not just that insomnia leads to life loss too. So making time is a hustle talk which is not true. hard work is one thing and realistic things are another.

6 years ago

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overcast

overcast

Time is one definitely one thing that people have to work harder for. And the thing is that some of the time it can be really hard thing to work with as well. I have learned from the experience that time needs to be managed properly for things to make sense. It does not always happen.

6 years ago

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Jeane

Jeane

What you describe - - - -

It is something I've had to grapple with too. Tried to motivate myself to get up earlier and do online work at that time but I just can't do anything at night so I'm stuck with a job I hate, and have to regularly tell myself that I'd get into full time freelancing "next year."

Maybe it would be better to create a digital product to sell. All you have to do is spend a little time to promote the product and hopefully earn a passive income from it.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

A lot of people who are interested in becoming freelancers are having doubts because it's really quite hard to earn good income doing online freelance work. When I say good income, it's the kind of income that can support a family. There's a lot of people blabbing about that they're earning substantial amounts doing online work, well, I've been scouring the net for some time and most of these people are involved in Scams including Investment Rackets, Networking, MLM's, and other quick money rackets or systems. Those who earn good money through legitimate online sources are usually site owners and bloggers who have been in business for years if not decades. As a part-time online freelancer and blogger I'm just earning a modest income and to tell you frankly it's so low that I can't even support myself with it. It does help in paying the bills though. I'm still looking for other freelance sites to make money on to augment my online income.

6 years ago

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amelia88

amelia88

Same as my scenario. I’m freelancing right now while I’m a stay at home mom but if my husband wasn’t earning enough to support the family there’s no way I’d get by with my freelance wage right now. Not to mention the fact that freelancing tends to come in waves. Some weeks I have barely any work to do and other weeks I feel completely swamped. That unpredictability can prove to be pretty difficult.

6 years ago

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Barida

Barida

This is true. I mean that you cannot do anything if you are not patient with life challenges. I could recall when I started, my life activities got tough, but I never gave up and everything is going to work fine at the end of the day. I persisted and believe that I can make it and I am happy that it is working well for me.

6 years ago

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OnPageShot

OnPageShot

In my opinion from our experiences, the following things are holding back a freelancers:
1. Lack of Actual VISION - Needs to be Specific: I met people who wanted to specialize in all areas of freelancing. Finally, they end up with no specialization at all. It sounds nice "I want to be OnPage SEO king" instead of "I want to earn online"
2. Absence of Kaizen Learning: Being a freelancer, you have to believe in incremental learning all the time and have to get things better. This shall freelancers keep ahead of competition to match market needs.
3. Perfect Self-Sale is not present: Even though a freelancer have quality working knowledge than others, he/she will surely fail if fails to sale well. A nice sales pitch, communication with prospective clients, etc are important.
4. Poor after sales Support: After sales support is extremely important to make a good loyal clients base and it will ensure good word of mouth. Most of freelancers (I'm sure not in Seoclerks) have the tendency to avoid queries and problem solving intentions after sales. This is not good for freelancing career.

6 years ago

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anwebservices

anwebservices

Yeah that's true, every beginning is hard and requires much motivation and patience until you succeed in any business. The competition was always hard, but nowadays it's even harder especially for online businesses and freelancers because in most niches competition is very high. That's why most of the freelancers can't afford to keep it running as a full-time job because there is not enough income they can earn. However, it's a good idea to keep doing freelancing as a side job until you realize if you can start making enough money to turn it into a full-time business

6 years ago

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jpk0007

jpk0007

I think the biggest problem that any newbie will have is the complete lack of experience in this field. There are too many doubts that are present in any newcomers mind. however one has to overcome this hurdle and start challenging himself by venturing into areas that they have never ventured. if however, you are afraid of failure then you won't be able to learn much and eventually give up. if you are able to go through this phase without giving up then you will slowly but surely be able to get success in whatever work you are doing. I think the key to success in the field of freelancing is to never give up and keep on working consistently t0 achieve your goals

6 years ago

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thejoyrevolutio

thejoyrevolutio

Maybe freelancers are just nitpick to the available jobs. The job offered to inexperienced freelancers genarally have lower income rate and they don’t supply to the needs of the freelancers. Yes, new freelancers should start with something rather that wait for a job that pays more but they don’t hire you because you are inexperienced. Maybe also freelancers doesn’t have the means to start a job. They don’t have stable internet connection or time.

6 years ago

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Youngshark

Youngshark

I can agree with the part about low wages. There are numerous sites that have jobs for freelancers but unfortunately, a majority of them have very meager income. You cannot earn enough to sustain yourself in the freelancing world without the proper experience.

6 years ago

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superlicca

superlicca

Your statements are very inspiring and I must agree with you. When you are just starting in a freelancing world and you don't have any experience, getting a client is difficult since most of the clients preferred experienced freelancers. But you just need to be patient and trust the journey in the Freelancing world. There are still clients who hire newbies and offer a good salary. Some of them offer a low amount but you can still take this opportunity to gain experience and more knowledge. In this way, you will be able to build a stronger profile that will attract a lot of clients.

6 years ago

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jayjaydimson

jayjaydimson

What holds them back is their confidence in having a successful service online, because they don't have confidence that their services or business will boom or fail.

6 years ago

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beerthooyah

beerthooyah

What holds back many freelancers is the lack of motivation to continue especially if the result of freelancing is not quite satisfying. How can freelancers overcome this stage of lack of motivation?

6 years ago

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superlicca

superlicca

I agree with your statement. And having a strong motivation is very important if you want to be successful in a freelancing world. I think the best way to be motivated is to be with your family, friends and loved one. Those are the people that will keep you motivated. It is also important that you set your goals in your life. In this way, you will know what steps you should take to gradually reach your goals.

6 years ago

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cmoneyspinner

cmoneyspinner

I have a few friends that are freelancers. They will echo the same thing you said. It is not an overnight success but worth it if you accomplish your goal. My freelancer write and earn income from a variety of sources. The opportunities are out there if you persist.

6 years ago

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overcast

overcast

It takes like 10 or 20 years for some to even stabilize. I have not seen any freelancer become overnight company manager or so. I guess it is definitely something many people don't understand that life is a bit complicated. And takes more time for things to work around.

6 years ago

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stbrians

stbrians

Am not a beginner but this fear always crawls on my spine whenever I launch into new fields. Fear often grips me. I need this post for encouragement.

6 years ago

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nrnlss

nrnlss

I agree with you, even if you aren't a beginner the fear is still there. Like fear of failing, or maybe flopping the business and many more.

6 years ago

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stbrians

stbrians

More practice and more success may give you some confidence. With confidence may come either perfection or carelessness. Carelessness may lead to creating some errors that bring fear. Fear brings chills and trembling

6 years ago

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theresajane

theresajane

I agree with you. Though freelancing jobs can be too tempting, we still cannot avoid the fact that there are factors that may become the reason why we lose what we worked hard for.

6 years ago

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jaybee19

jaybee19

Thanks for this very comforting encouragement. I'm one of those struggling freelancers who holds back a lot from many opportunities because I'm afraid I'm not skilled or experienced enough to accept other jobs except from writing. I don't know why I always feel insecure about my skills and sometimes whenever I try to apply for freelance jobs, I always find myself closing the tabs I've opened and always procrastinate about going back to try out again. Maybe I should reflect about your encouragement and start doing what I should do in order to start making use of my skills.

6 years ago

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theresajane

theresajane

It is normal to be afraid. But we have to be courageous to dive into a field that we think would help us earn a living. It could be hard at first, but we always learn everyday. Every experience that we have serves as our teacher so we could excel one day and be successful.

6 years ago

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vhinz

vhinz

For me its the lack of experience and expertise in a particular field. I like to be a content writer but I'm not yet really good on it. I'm not a native English speaker and I just became so interested in writing for just about a year ago.

6 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

You are right with starting small. I also have that ambition to have a profitable site like yours but not exactly now because it is foolish to indulge in something that I cannot give ample time especially for the operation. A commercial site is not a simple matter because you need time and effort that a part time freelancer like me cannot have. Perhaps in the near future I will come up with my own commercial website.

6 years ago

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mitan143

mitan143

Aside from agreeing with one of the comments above of having a problem on slow internet connection which is one of major cause, I'd like to add another experience which is the discouragement of other people especially those who tried to drag me down. I get easily affected of what they wish for me but, focusing on my goals is a great help.

6 years ago

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jayjaydimson

jayjaydimson

What holds them back is whenever they think that their business is going to fail if they start one, they are not thinking positively that's why the output is negative as well.

6 years ago

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focusedwriter10

focusedwriter10

Fear is what holds most freelancers back. In addition, there are other things that hold most freelancers back. For example, beginners get discouraged by some experienced freelancers, making them hold back.

Futhermore, start-up capital holds many freelancers back. You must buy a laptop and pay for good internet. Otherwise, fear is the biggest of all.

6 years ago

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jaymish2

jaymish2

I think fear definitely holds freelancers back.I think when you first start working online you are not sure exactly what you are doing. You are not even sure that this is real and it is something that can work and give you a full time income. Also you don’t realize that you need skills which you can learn by doing. This takes time and most people run out of patience after a few months. I’ve heard that it takes at least a year to start earning a good income online.Most people give up a few months and call freelancing a scam.

6 years ago

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luv2xacosta

luv2xacosta

I think what holds them back is that they are not sure on what they are doing and they are not committed on their. Some of them also might lack of skills while the others are not really familiar on the the job that are being offered. There are also a lot of site that are just scamming to freelancers so some of them hesitant and scared that they were just scammed.

6 years ago

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jessie271

jessie271

I think what holds back freelancers is lack of experience. A person may be knowledgeable on something and may have the skills required but due to lack of experience, he or she may feel afraid and may not have the right confidence for the particular job or task.

6 years ago

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