6 Freelancing Truths I Didn’t Believe (But Now I Do)

When I first discovered freelance writing, I had my moments of, “This is too good to be true!”

I didn’t doubt you could work from home, on your own terms, and make six-figures a year.

But, I did doubt it was as amazing as everyone made it seem.

I worried about finding clients, dealing with feast-or-famine, marketing myself … my list went on and on.

Then, I started improving my mindset by thinking positively, reading motivational books, following a proven path, and focusing on one thing at a time.

When I did that, the pieces sort of fell into place.

I remember, more than a year ago, Rebecca Matter told me the writer’s life was going to be even better than I imagined. She was right.

Here are 6 freelancing truths I discovered:

1. You only need a few clients.

When I first heard that I only needed a few clients to be successful as a freelance writer, I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t see how a few companies would need enough writing to keep me busy full-time and pay full-time rates.

Turns out, my clients always have more work than I can do. I have three clients I work with every single month. With just those clients, I exceed my income goals every month.

2. Choosing a niche is the way to go.

When I first started freelancing, I resisted choosing a niche. I wanted to take on every client that came my way. But, since I can only handle a few clients at a time anyway, it makes sense to specialize. With all my clients in the same niche, I am more of an expert, can ask higher rates, and I can get the work done faster. 

3. Your “competition” wants you to succeed — and will help you.

In a lot of industries, you’re constantly trying to outperform your competition. In copywriting, I’ve found that’s not really the case. There’s more than enough work to go around and the better we do, the more business owners realize they need copywriters.

I’ve personally had my peers refer work to me because they already had a full plate. They’ve even helped me with projects and gave me advice without asking for anything in return.

4. It doesn’t take long to become an expert.

When I found copywriting, I looked at the experts and thought it would take forever to get to their level. But I followed their advice, set up my freelance website, and wrote a lot of articles. Now my clients come to me for advice and ask my opinion about their copy needs — instead of just telling me what they want. 

5. Mistakes aren’t that big of a deal.

I didn’t start working with clients for a long time because I was terrified I would mess up and be blacklisted from the industry. But mistakes happen and they’re not that big of a deal. You can always come back from mistakes if you’re willing to learn and grow. And, if all else fails, you could switch niches. 

6. There are no limits.

When I started copywriting, I thought my income would be capped around $100,000 per year. Then I learned about people making $250,000 or more — without much extra work.

The secret is passive income — income you set up once and it comes in day-after-day, even if you’re not working. Once you learn copywriting, the sky is the limit. You can set up Money-Making Websites or create your own products. You can do pretty much anything you can dream.

Now that I know these six things, I no longer feel that freelance copywriting is “too good to be true.” Instead, it really is better than I imagined.

What are some things you think are “too good to be true” about freelancing and copywriting? Join the discussion below and let’s get rid of these myths for good.