When you’re a freelancer, stupidity can be expensive. It’s better to learn from the mistakes of others in order to avoid common pitfalls. Leif shares a few of the stupid things he’s done (or seen others do) so that you might avoid the same fate.

Stupid #1: “My rates are lower than the market norm.”

Yes, you’re very clever. Every designer in your area charges £50 per hour, but you charge £25 and the work is flooding in. Brilliant. This may seem like a cunning plan, but you’re an idiot and you’ve made a huge mistake.

Why? Because now you are “that cheap guy” who knocks stuff out for less than everyone else. You’re Mr Poundland. You’re the TK Maxx of design. That may be fine for now, although you may struggle to afford tax, overheads and seasonal lulls, but whatever. Then, in a year or two when you realise that working for less than everyone else is degrading and unsustainable and you need to raise your rates… good luck.

It can be very hard, even impossible, to shift the way people think about you. Never put yourself and your work in the bargain bin, because you’ll have a hell of a time climbing out of it.

New freelancers and the inexperienced may want to offer rates at the lower end of the market, but never use low rates as a strategy, because it won’t help you in the long run.

If you’re struggling for work and you don’t have a website, don’t be surprised about your lack of work and don’t complain about it.

It is so easy to get a website these days – and it doesn’t require much money or technical expertise. You have no excuse. The only thing holding you back is your inertia.

Stupid #3: “I don’t protect my cash flow.”

The biggest killer of freelancers is bad cash flow. You might be doing lots of work, but if you have no cash you may as well spend all day on a trampoline or yodelling. Protecting your cash flow isn’t hard. You just have to do regular maintenance. Ask for a deposit before you start, send the invoice as soon as you can, chase it as soon as it’s late (or even the day before) and be persistent with anyone who doesn’t pay on time.

Stupid #4: “I don’t get out and meet people.”

People hire people. People buy from people. People are more likely to buy a piece of your time if they know who you are. Ergo, if you want lots of people to buy your time, you need to know lots of people.

Networking might seem scary, but if you’re scared of networking it’s probably because you haven’t done much networking. As with all things, repeated exposure to the source of fear dilutes and eventually removes the fear. So if you’re scared of networking, remember that it’s not scary, it’s not a test, you’re not being analysed, and you’ll soon get better at it.

Every time you meet someone you don’t have to be incredibly witty or charming or erudite. Just be there. Just say hello. Just give out your card if someone wants it.

Stupid is as stupid does as stupid is…

Of course all freelancers are human, and we’re all destined to fail. I suppose the trick is to recognise our failures (or spot the mistakes that other people make!) and learn from them.

By Leif Kendall, freelance SEO copywriter and trampolinist

So what other stupid things have you seen freelancers do? What is the stupidest thing you’ve ever done as a freelancer?