The first 100 days of freelancing feel like standing on the edge of freedom (and maybe panic). You’re finally your own boss, but suddenly everything depends on you.
The next few months will make or break your business.
Most people don’t fail because they lack skill — they fail because they bring the wrong habits from employment into freelancing.
I’ve made those mistakes myself, and I see them repeated every day.
What mistakes did you make in your own first 100 days?
I didn’t offer service packages soon enough. Every project I pitched for required a custom quote. I thought I was being flexible — tailoring every proposal to each client — but in reality, I was wasting hours reinventing the wheel.
Packages make you predictable. They save time, signal professionalism, and give clients clarity. The earlier you define what you sell, the faster you’ll start making consistent money.
Which mistakes do you see repeated most often in communities or forums?
The same five, over and over:
- Pricing too low out of fear of rejection.
- Overinvesting in branding (fancy logos, perfect websites) before testing the market.
- Taking every client, even those with red flags, “for experience.”
- Skipping systems like CRMs, time trackers, and invoicing tools.
- And of course, confusing activity with progress.
Freelancing is a business, not a hobby. The earlier you treat it like one, the smoother your growth will be.
Why do new freelancers tend to undervalue themselves at the start?
Because freelancing strips away the psychological safety of a salary. When no one tells you what you’re worth, it’s tempting to charge whatever feels “safe.”
There’s also a myth that low prices make clients say yes faster. They don’t — they attract clients who don’t respect your time.
What most new freelancers forget is that they’re not just selling their skills. They’re taking on risk, taxes, administration, and accountability — things a regular employee never has to worry about.
Those responsibilities deserve higher compensation, not less.
How can someone avoid being “busy but broke” in the early months?
Stop glorifying busyness. You’re not paid for effort; you’re paid for outcomes.
Focus only on revenue-driving work — anything that helps you find, serve, or retain clients. Everything else can wait.
Create a minimum viable offer — one thing you can sell easily and deliver well. Don’t build an empire; build momentum.
And start tracking your numbers from the very beginning. Know what you earn, how long things take, and which projects actually profit you. That data will become your compass.
If you could give one “do this, not that” rule for the first 100 days, what would it be?
Do this: Build one repeatable offer you can sell confidently.
Don’t waste your first 100 days “building a business.”
Your primary task early on is to build your ability to attract and retain clients.
Everything else — systems, branding, automation — comes later.
The freelancers who survive aren’t the busiest — they’re the ones who focus, price fairly, and think like business owners from day one.
