So you want to be a freelancer huh? Make your own hours, set your own rates, be your own boss? Yes please! Sign me up. But before you quit your day job, there are a few things you should know. For example, did you know that the average freelancer only makes about $21k per year? If you want to be a part of the elite 10k/month club, (of which there are only 2.2% of us), here are a few things you need to know that they don’t teach in school.

You need to hustle…and then hustle some more

The biggest myth about freelancing is that it is easy. Yeah sure, setting your own hours is great, but those hours tend to be longer than the traditional 9-5. If you want to make real money as a freelancer, you need to be prepared to hustle. And when I say hustle, I mean really hustle. You need to be prepared to work long days and late nights. You need to be prepared to sacrifice weekends and holidays. You need to be prepared to hustle harder than you have ever hustled before. But trust me, it will be worth it when those big paychecks start rolling in.

You need to get comfortable with rejection—a lot of rejection

When you are first starting out as a freelancer, chances are you are going to get rejected—a lot. And that’s ok! It doesn’t mean that you are a bad freelancer or that your work isn’t good enough. It just means that you haven’t found the right fit yet. Don’t get discouraged and don’t take it personally. Keep sending out those proposals and eventually you will find the right client who appreciates your work and is willing to pay you what you deserve.

You need to become an expert in your field—and then become an expert in another field too

If you want to make real money as a freelancer, you need to become an expert in your field—and then become an expert in another field too. The more skills and knowledge you have, the more valuable you will be to potential clients, and the more likely they will be willing to pay top dollar for your services. So if you want join the $10k/month club, start studying up and expanding your skillset today!

🍩 Just the sprinkles

Mary Oliver once said “the only thing that could make a person able sit down day after was either love or money”–if she had known about the $10k/month club she might have amended her statement accordingly 😉. Making this much money as a freelancer takes dedication, hard work, and determination–but it is so worth it when accomplished! Follow these three steps and before long,…you too could be raking in the $10k/month dough!