How to Freelance Again After Getting Screwed

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How to Freelance Again After
Getting Screwed
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Freelancing is full of gray areas, regardless of
how experienced you are. Without corporate
mandates and the traditional checks and balances
system of a cubicle farm, youre left with a lot
of freedom and a lot of room to get screwed
over. This is especially true when you first
start getting freelance work. Along with the
usual How much should I charge? questions,
youve got other questions like, Should I make
them sign a contract? (hint the answers yes)
and Should I trade services with this person
instead of taking payment? and so on and so
forth. Since these questions all have varying
answers that are situation-dependent, theres a
lot of chance to respond with the wrong answer.
In fact, heres a little secret Youre going to
find the wrong answer, and youre going to make
mistakes. No one can tell you, exactly, how to
freelance. While there are plenty of helpful
articles out there, theyll only take you so far.
Theres no official how to freelance guidebook,
no matter how many people say theyve written it.
So whats the best prevention plan when it comes
to getting screwed over? Arming yourself with the
knowledge that you can get through it. Weve got
a few steps to help.
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Let Yourself Be Pissed Ive been screwed over
before, right at the very beginning of my
freelance career. Rather than providing a
contract, I relied on a verbal trade agreement.
The company I was in agreement with ended up
dissipating and taking their clients (and,
indirectly, mine) with them. Not only that, but
they told the clients it was my decision to do
so. Have you ever seen an angry squirrel trapped
in a hamster ball? Thats how I felt. Furious,
embarrassed, and helpless. I knew I was in the
right. I also knew there was nothing I could do
to make it any better. In these situations, the
best way to survive is to find a safe person to
vent to. Someone you can rant over a beer with
whos not in your professional circuit. Remember,
your emotions are legitimate. Let em out,
man. Damage Control No matter what happens,
youve got to take care of yourself. Check over
your business, your finances, and lets face it
your feelings and ego. They say the bigger
they are, the harder they fall. Having just
started out when I got screwed over, there wasnt
too much damage to my business that could be
done.
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I still, however, had to conduct exit
communications with the clients I had lost,
rearrange my budget, and begin to seek out more
freelance work. Completing these tasks helped me
regain a semblance of control. I also had to
nurse my battered ego. I felt angry about how all
the business went down. I felt scared about the
loss of income. Most of all, though, I felt
childish and silly for not getting a freelance
contract that protected me. Which leads me to my
next point Dont Talk Smack After I got
screwed over, I wanted to find a rooftop any
rooftop - and shout from the top of it and not
in a friendly way. I thought, How can this
person think this is okay? Lets be honest, the
things that were going through my mind werent
really appropriate enough to fit into this post.
Somehow, though, I managed to keep them to
myself at least in public anyway. Im not quite
sure how I was able to maintain that level of
maturity when it felt like my blood was boiling
under my skin, but I did, and Im grateful for
that small moment of mental clarity. Why?
Because This is the part of the story where the
freelancing hero takes the high road, and trusts
in karma (and the villains poor choices) to
teach the offending party a lesson.
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Dwelling on the past and sending out angry tweets
wont help you become a successful freelancer,
will it? It definitely wont make the people
reading them feel confident about hiring you, for
fear of befalling the same fate. Find a New
Purpose Distraction and determination can be a
beautiful thing. After I finished reeling from
the sheer unprofessionalism of my situation, I
gave myself a new goal Finding clients on my
own. I sat down, looked at companies with a need
for my services, and scheduled meetings. I may
not have scored a six-figure income, but I did
get a new client with an indefinite contract and
a renewed sense of confidence. Figuring out how
to freelance after getting screwed over is no
easy task tackling the administrative challenges
is hard to do when youre stuck dealing with the
emotional ones. Setting new goals and finding
something to occupy your mind can help you
overcome them. If youre not in the market for
new clients, you might try mastering a new
techniquein your field or attending a conference.
Anything you can do to light a fire under your
butt will suffice quite nicely. Try to Find a
Silver Lining
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I know. This is super annoying. Its like having
someone try to talk to you about unicorns and
butterflies when youre dressed in black and
making your way through The Cures greatest hits
album. Heres the bottom line, though. Youve
got to find a positive in this situation if
youre going to move on. Maybe you need to watch
one of the five million Ted Talks about learning
from failure maybe you need to talk to your
Grandma about overcoming hardships. Either way,
youve got to do whatever gets you examining and
learning from your mistakes. For me, I learned
that a contract is non-negotiable. I also learned
that I was good at conducting business meetings
and that making my own decisions was far better
than having to ask somebody else when and how to
do things. Freelance Lauren of the Past would
never admit this, but Present Day Freelance
Lauren realizes that she wouldnt be where she is
now, had she not gotten screwed over in the early
days. I learned to trust myself, and thats a
pretty big deal. Learning How to Freelance is
Not for the Faint of Heart Forging your way
through uncharted territory is hard, whether that
territory is made up of jungle vines or
self-employment taxes and industry competition.
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The best you can do is educate yourself on your
industry, focus on self-improvement, and prepare
yourself for unpleasant situations like getting
screwed over. Article Source  https//www.approv
eme.com/freelancing/how-to-freelance-again-after-g
etting-screwed/