In September 2016, I was desperate to find a way to work from home that didn’t involve network marketing or taking surveys online. On a whim, I created an Upwork account and decided to give freelance writing a try.

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At first, I didn’t even tell my husband about my plans because I was afraid he would tell me I was being ridiculous. I had always enjoyed writing and had always been complimented on my writing.

But I didn’t have a background in English or journalism and I had no writing samples to show anyone. I mean, who wants to hire a freelance writer who doesn’t have any writing samples?

My initial goal as a freelancer was simply to earn $1,000 per month. That was all I wanted and honestly, I thought it would be a miracle if I was successful.

I dove into the freelancing world regardless, mostly due to a lack of other options. Four years later, I can honestly say it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

4 Things I’ve Learned as a Freelance Writer

I have made tons of mistakes over the years (that is another post all in itself) but I have done a few things right, too. And most importantly, I have been able to support my family while working from home.

I always get nostalgic come September because I think how lucky I am that I took a chance and decided to start my business years ago. And with that in mind, I want to share four lessons I’ve learned over the past four years of freelance writing.

1. Keep it simple

There are two things you need to do to be successful as a freelancer: you need to look for work and you need to do the work.

Seriously, that’s it.

And the only tools you really need are a decent Wi-Fi connection and a laptop.

During my first six months as a freelance writer, I didn’t even have a website set up.

Since the day I first signed up for Upwork my plan has been simple: I send proposals daily and I do client work five to six days a week. Consistency will pay off over time, I promise you.

2. Problems are a good thing

Early on, I took on some very low-paying work. I was new to freelance writing and I still wasn’t sure if I was that great at it.

In the beginning, I felt nervous every time I sent a client a blog post I had written because I honestly didn’t know if it was any good. So it kind of felt like bottom-of-the-barrel jobs were the best I could get.

One week, I got hired to write a 2,000-word blog post for $20. I remember sitting on my bed still working at midnight, wondering what I had gotten myself into.

I pushed through my frustration and finally sent the blog post off to my client, relieved to be done. They responded and told me I needed to upload it to Wordpress, format it using the Thrive content builder, and find 10-15 stock photos.

Needless to say, that job took an eternity and I earned way below minimum wage when it was all said and done.

And at that moment it hit me that I needed to raise my rates. I simply didn’t have the bandwidth to spend ten hours slaving over a $20 blog post.

That was a turning point in my freelancing business. I raised my rates substantially and the following month, I tripled my income.

Most of us want to avoid problems but sometimes, they can be a blessing in disguise. That one frustrating client was the motivation I needed to take my business in a new direction.

3. Clients don’t hire you for your experience

So many freelancers email me worried that they’ll never land a freelance writing job because they don’t have enough experience.

And my response is always that most clients don’t really care about your experience.

I realized pretty early on that I couldn’t really compete with other freelancers as far as experience goes.

I am a strong writer and I produce quality work but let’s face it, there are tons of great writers out there.

I will fall short nearly every time in terms of experience. But what I have learned is that my clients don’t continue to work with me because I am the best writer.

I continue to get work because I constantly look for ways to over-deliver for my clients. I answer my emails right away, I always turn in work on time, and I take feedback well.

Just being a good writer isn’t enough on its own -- you have to find those little ways to set yourself apart.

4. No matter what you believe, you’ll prove yourself right

Like I already stated, my first few writing jobs were super low-paying. And there are a lot of different ways I could have taken that.

It would have been really easy to look at that $20 writing job as proof I couldn’t be successful as a freelance writer. And had I quit after that one job, I would’ve been right.

But I didn’t believe that. Instead, I raised my rates and went on to (eventually) built a six-figure freelance writing business.

I constantly have new freelancers email me and tell me they’re afraid of failure and that’s why they aren’t looking for work. And then they prove themselves right and fail ahead of time by not trying.

Or they tell me it doesn’t seem “realistic” to earn over $100K as a freelance writer. And then they prove themselves right by quitting before finding even one client.

I don’t know if freelance writing is the right path for you. But I do know this -- if you want a different kind of life then the one you have right now, do yourself a huge favor.

Believe that it’s possible.

Final thoughts on freelance writing

At the end of the day, I believe my freelance writing business took off because I went all-in on it.

I didn’t use my lack of experience as an excuse but simply a hurdle to overcome.

If you want to learn more about the steps I took to build a successful freelance writing business, you’ll definitely want to check out my free webinar.

This webinar will teach you the five things you need to know to find high-paying clients and build your freelance writing business.

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