Freelancers start businesses for so many reasons. Some have received the layoff notice from their job. Others received the courage by reading books or websites that talk about becoming a freelancer. Successful freelancers even talk about it. They made their career change in the blink of an eye for whatever reason. Then, they learn from their mistakes.

1. Keeping the employee mindset. Once you are free from working in a corporate job, you are just that – free. You have no boss, no co-workers, no set time to get to work and no traffic to drive through. There is a disadvantage to being free. You also have no money coming in and no work present for you to do. What many freelancers do is find a way to make money quickly. Some work for content mills, which is good because work is steady and freelancers receive pay weekly or monthly.

You also don’t have to prospect for work. The mistake comes from not getting out of your comfort zone. Some freelancers stay stuck in this employee mindset because they can pay bills.

Inspiration: Start getting clients.

2. Going forward without a business plan. Many freelancers dive right into business and finding clients that they do not plan. A business plan can set your work in motion towards having a successful company. Any time you feel off-track, look at the business plan and remember your goals for the business.

Inspiration: Go to the SCORE.org website and download a business plan template. Write out your freelance business plans.

3. Spending too much time online. Marketing online has its place, but it takes awhile to set up and connect in the online world. When you become a freelancer, most of your clients will come from offline connections.

Spend time contacting friends, family and former colleagues to tell them about your business. They will send clients your way to support you. If you need to connect, join the local Chamber of Commerce and Meetup.com groups. You can network with other businesses and peers to become a freelancer.

Inspiration: Connect today. Waiting will only delay potential clients from meeting you.

4. Missing opportunities. Many freelancers don’t consider all of their skills. It is essential to specialize. But, how can you use your skills for other target markets? Many customers come to you with problems and interests in your niche. Can you create a product or offering for this target market?

If you create websites, any target market could benefit from that. You might build major websites for large companies and still be able to create header designs for jewelry designers.

Inspiration: Look for other ways to make money with your skills. You might be leaving a lot on the table.

5. Wasting time being unproductive. Social media is still a mystery to many freelancers. Some feel they have to post on Facebook and Twitter every hour. Are these tasks you could give to someone else? Delegating in your freelance business is important for success. If you are bootstrapping, you might not have the resources to delegate. That’s okay.

Limit time spent on these sites and come up with a schedule. If you have so much email, you can find a way to rank those that come in so you can spend more time finding clients.

Inspiration: Focus on building your business and cut back on unnecessary tasks.

6. Spending money too much. When you start making money, feeling the temptation to increase your lifestyle is natural for anyone. Before you do that, check your business plan. If you list innovation or more service offerings as one of the goals for your business, roll your extra money-back into the business.

Taking a class for that extra certification or hiring a contractor to offer that service is worthwhile to bring in more money for you in the long run. Instead of buying that 50” television that would take you away from your business, spend more money on your goals.

Inspiration: Roll money back into your business for a longer gain.

Many more mistakes could make this list, but these are some of the top ones. Do you have any to add? If you have learned from a mistake when becoming a freelancer, write about it in the comments section.

photo credit: RobeRt Vega