Hi,
I am writing this on a stressful Sunday.
How are you today? As for me, I am not really feeling fine.
I had a crazy muscle pull at the gym earlier in the day, and thank God people were there to help.
I contemplated not writing to you this week, but I didn't want to disappoint you.
Last week, I sent out the ultimate guide on Upwork for beginners. I have had several thank you messages and a few DMs on my Twitter. Glad you are part of those who got value. If you missed it, you could read it here.
This week, the newsletter is on myths surrounding Freelancing. I know you may have heard some things about freelancing meant to scare you.
Once upon a time, someone told me I couldn't make money as a Nigerian on Fiverr, but I went on to become a level 2 seller.
As a freelancer, you will hear a lot of things. It's essential to do adequate research before believing them.
There are different myths associated with Freelancing, but I have mentioned 5 and debunked them.
Let's dive in!
5 popular myths about Freelancing
You can't make it as a Nigerian
When I started freelancing, people told me that, as a Nigerian, I couldn't make it as a freelancer, especially on Fiverr and Upwork. Have you heard it before? If you haven't, you will do that later.
However, it is not largely accurate. Success in Freelancing depends more on your efforts, commitment, and creativity than your nationality.
Admittedly, there are a few instances where clients may not want to engage you because of your nationality.
To overcome this issue, you only need to stand out by creating unique portfolios and garnering experience.
Next time someone tells you that you can't thrive as a Nigerian freelancer, tell them that's not true!
Freelancing is easy money.
I have had people come to me and say, "Peng, please come and teach me this Freelancing. I heard I will start making dollars immediately." Honestly, I am always bewildered because Freelancing is like other businesses that need time to take off.
If you are not ready to do the work, don't bother going into Freelancing. You will be more broke like I said here. (link)
Freelancing is not a stable source of income.
I have heard this before too. In fact, I spoke with one of my old mentors before I got married to ask about this. I wanted to know if Freelancing is stable enough to build a family on. He answered in the affirmative and cited many examples of freelancers who have created successful businesses through Freelancing. The endpoint is freelancing can be a stable source of income, but it depends on you. You are your own marketer, business developer, CEO, and other things you need to build a sustainable business.
You need your degree to thrive as a freelancer.
People have asked me at different times if they need a certificate to work as a freelancer. The answer is you don't need a certificate to work as a freelancer. You only need the right skills and determination to thrive in the jobs you get.
Check here if you want to learn the right skills for your freelance career. (link)
Freelancing is not stressful as the everyday job.
Usually, people think of freelancing as some play toy they can do whenever they want. That's why many people believe it is not as stressful as the average job.
However, Freelancing is sometimes as stressful or more stressful than the 9-5 jobs. Because you are the only one in charge, you need to track your contracts, reach out to clients for briefs, monitor and send invoices, and source new clients. All these can take a toll on you and lead to stress if you are not careful.
Freelancing is an incredible source of income for those who understand how it works and has been able to build a transparent and automated way of doing it. Even though some of these myths are true sometimes, please don't believe them at face value as it tends to affect your commitment and decision-making. And they may likely impact your freelance growth and relationship with your prospects.
There you have it. Hopefully, this new information will help you build a successful freelance career.
What are the common myths you have heard before about freelancing? Drop it in the comment section.
Cheers to your freelance growth.
PS: Kindly share this newsletter with your friends and network to help us grow. If we get to 200 subscribers before the end of the month, I have a special gift that will aid your freelance growth. Leggo!
If you have questions about Freelancing, remote working, marketing, and small business, you can always ask me. Send me a message by email talk2freelancerpeng@gmail.com or tweet me at www.twitter.com/peng_writer.
Till next week, fam.
Love and light,
Peng.
Thanks for sharing 👏