The Coming American Freelance Dilemma- Start Preparing as a Freelancer Now

What’s coming isn’t necessarily suitable for most people unless they adapt fast.

Most freelancers know it can be lucrative, but we know it’s not easy. There are a lot of intricacies involved with finding and retaining clients. Harder still gets paid a fair rate, and those who have established themselves as the best even get laughable offers.

It never ceases to amaze me to see a job or freelance advertisement proclaiming how great the company is and how they want the best writers; then, the rate is about three cents a word. Psychologically, people tend to overvalue their work but undervalue everyone else’s. This value dynamic happens so much in freelancing because people who have less empathy than successful freelancers think “it can’t be that hard to do.”

If someone offered me five or six cents a word to write for them, I’d politely decline and tell them they need to debate if they want to save money or have content that engages people and fosters action. If they asked what I’d charge for something like that, I’d gladly tell them at least five times more. They probably wouldn’t use me, but I’d hope that makes them better appreciate the contributions of whoever they do use.