Many creatives like graphic designers and content creators and other employees prefer working as freelancers or prefer to take freelance projects along with their full-time job just to increase their income. As much as freelancing sounds comfortable because you get to be your own boss, it’s not.
As comfortable as it is, many freelancers go through many struggles while working on projects to an extent that they decide to work full-time. These struggles are mostly caused by the clients.
So, if you’re a client who works with freelancers, or if you’re someone who wants to be a freelancer, here’s the struggle freelancers go through.
1- Clients Think They’re Available 24/7
One of the struggles freelancers face is that everyone thinks they’re available and have a lot of free time in their hands, which is not true.
Some clients tend to keep sending tasks and edits because they know that this person is not working a full-time job, so, they think they are always available to do any task! Some freelancers are forced to accept this situation because they worry about losing the client and money.
2- You’re On Vacation?
Some people including clients think it’s weird when a freelancer takes a vacation.
Since freelancers work at any time and from anywhere, it makes clients and even people think that they don’t need a vacation because they’re not that stressed. In fact, It is completely the opposite!
Freelancers share the same stress and pressure just like any other employee, therefore, they need a break and go on a vacation.
3- Payment Issues
Many freelancers struggle when it comes to clients’ payments.
This is a very common problem! Some clients refuse to pay if they had a disagreement or if they decided not to work with this freelancer. This is why some freelancers require a deposit to guarantee they’re getting part of the money but again, some clients refuse to pay.
Also, some clients don’t send the money right away and some freelancers spend weeks just to reach them on the phone.
4- They Don’t Work With Just One Client
Another issue faces freelancers, which is clients always think that they only work for them.
This is the reason why some clients send many requests or edits and the reason why many freelancers struggle with the job; clients think they are the only ones freelancers work with or their project is the only one, which is not true.
In fact, a freelancer could be working on more than one project at the same time and have a lot more than just one client.
5- Money Is Not Stable
This is one of the main struggles, it’s not always profitable.
The most common problem when it comes to freelance jobs is money. Due to the differences that happen with clients and that some don’t pay or delay payment, money is not stable. Also, there are times when a freelancer can’t find projects to work and sometimes, they could spend months without work or earning money.
6- Working With Weird Clients
The problem with clients is that some of them don’t understand how freelancers work!
This is what causes most of the problems above; not understanding the concept of freelancing or how freelancers work. These problems include the client thinking that hiring a freelancer is cheaper, or they can finish the task faster, which makes them argue about the price rate.
A freelancer is just like any other employee, they have a social life that they want to keep, they dedicate certain times to work. So, clients need a better understanding of how freelancers work and what is their work system.
What other struggles did you face while working as a freelancer?