Essential Truths All Freelancers Should Know

The author working from the beach.

This year (2023) marks my five-year anniversary as a full-time freelancer. After another initially promising career imploded and left me jobless and homeless with six mouths to feed, I sort of fell backward into freelancing — I had to find some way to earn a living. I had some writing skills and experience, so I began searching online for ways to use what I knew.

I worked evenings and weekends for four years until my freelance work grew to replace and supplant my full-time job in education. Since then, it has grown and blossomed, and I’ve never once regretted it. I went into more detail about my freelance beginnings in another article written one year into full-time freelancing, so I won’t rehash it here.

6 Things I Learned in One Year of Full-Time Freelancing

I do want to share some wisdom I’ve gleaned after nine years as a freelancer (four years part-time and five years full-time). These are essential truths all freelancers should know, regardless of their specialty. I’m a digital copywriter, editor, and ghostwriter; however, these truths apply to every freelancer.