Over the years, my freelancing experience has taught me a few things. Here are ten tips I’ve learned about the freelancing life that I wish someone told me when I first started… And I share them with anyone who is thinking about becoming a freelancer.

1. Being your own boss is a curse and a blessing. On those days when you’re on top of your work and you decide to hang out on your back deck in the sun, it’s a blessing. On those days when you catch yourself procrastinating by mindlessly browsing the internet for hours (while there’s a stack of deadlines due), it’s a curse.

2. Freelancing requires more selling skills than most people realize. I would venture to say (and this is completely anecdotal) that an inability to effectively sell is the number one reason that freelancers fail. If you can make it past the first full-time year as a freelancer and you earn enough to live on, you’ll probably be okay.

3. Hire an assistant. Do it early. Yes, earlier than you think you need one. They’re worth what they’re paid and they can do more than you realize. You’ll maximize your time and if you do it early enough, you’ll embed good practices quickly.

4. Partner, but partner wisely. You’ll get lots of opportunities to partner. (I get a couple a month – half of them are not worth my time). I’ve learned to turn down 98% of them but that lesson was an expensive one.

5. Invest in your business. This is often thought to be something that other businesses do but not freelancers. I’m not sure why. Invest in systems and software and even R&D of new products or services. If you’re still using a free ad-supported web host, buy a web host as your first to-do tomorrow morning.

6. Take a break. Even when you’re busy. This was also a tough lesson for me to learn. However, I’ve found that I’m far more productive if I take a 15 minute break after a couple hours than if I try to push through: I’m more creative and I work faster.

7. Focus. Treat your business just like a “real” business (hint: because it IS!!!). Create a business plan, implement a marketing plan. Stop working at the kitchen table. My productivity skyrocketed when I moved out of a spare bedroom in to my own office.

8. Specialize AND make sure you enjoy what you do. When I first started, I did general freelance work and found I liked some things but not other things. Then I specialized (in the things I liked doing) and earned more money. Then I specialized even more and found that I had narrowed my specialty too much. The money was incredible but I no longer enjoyed myself. I pulled my specialty back to the sweet spot where I could specialize AND where I enjoyed my work.

9. Take time to smell the roses. It’s easy to get caught up in the stresses and pressures of your freelancing work. I know I do. When I’m not having a great day, I just call up one of my friends who is “stuck” in his 9-5 job (actually, it’s an 8-6 job) and I listen to him for about 5 minutes. Then I remember all the awesome things about being a freelancer.

10. Work hard and treat your customers well. Yeah, you’ll have some late nights. You’ll overbook yourself some weeks and underbook yourself other weeks. Just do a good job for your customers and you’ll build up a base of solid, well-paying customers.