7 Reasons Why Freelancers Should Find a Mentor

As mentioned by countless articles and blogs, one of the benefits of freelancer careers is independence. According to an analysis by FlexJobs, 56% of the 1,000 freelancers they’ve surveyed say freedom is a factor that led them to do freelance work. So if being a freelancer is your plan for your future, you might finally achieve the work-life balance you’ve always wanted.

7 Reasons Why Freelancers Should Find a Mentor

Freelancing can improve the well-being and security of a person but isn’t without its dynamic challenges. These challenges will make it difficult for you to make decisions as a newbie freelancer. You have to fend for yourself and face obstacles on your own. Because of that, you need to find a mentor. It may sound contradictory to the independence that freelancing brings, but you need someone who can pave the way for you. So to convince you, we’ll discuss with you seven reasons why you’ll need a mentor in freelancing.

Receive In-Depth Guidance

You can do extensive research on freelance websites, learn about the patterns and trends of the freelance market, but nothing compares to the knowledge of a freelancer who’s been in the industry for a long time. A tenured freelancer, or shall we say your future mentor, know the insides and outsides of your chosen freelance field. They can provide you with in-depth guidance that can cater to your goals in earning more money and achieving a steady income.

Although the information that articles, surveys, and statistics about freelancing provide are credible, they somewhat provide generic guidance. A mentor’s guidance, on the other hand, can be tailor-made based on your strengths and weaknesses.

You Can Learn from Their Experience

Throughout your freelance career, you’ll encounter situations that can lead you to make ill-advised decisions. These decisions can affect your online reputation and your income, which definitely doesn’t bode well for your freelance business.

However, you can avoid making terrible decisions with the supervision of a mentor. Most likely, your would-be mentor had made impractical business moves that led to consequences. So if you’ll face major crossroads as a freelancer, they can give you reliable advice on which path you should take based on their experience.

Do you want advice about planning a budget for a project? A mentor can do that for you. Do you want to boost the promotion of your service? A mentor can show you various strategies to get more work, and so on. It’s through a mentor’s experience that he or she can guide you in doing the right things when you’re facing dilemmas in your freelance career.

Find Clients Easier

A FlexJobs survey report, connected to the one we’ve mentioned earlier, states that 65% of freelancers say that tracking clients is among their biggest challenges. Well, that shows that even though you have a good portfolio and engaging marketing tools, you might still struggle to attract clients. That’s because many freelancers like you are also targetting the same clients. In other words, you have heavy competition in the freelance market.

But if you have a mentor on your side, signing your first batch of contracts from new clients might just be one phone call away. Your future mentor can give you referrals to start growing your clientele. And, if you’re having difficulties, your mentor can recommend his or her trusted clients to you, especially if you’re the more suitable freelancer for the clients’ projects.

Due to your mentor’s longevity in the industry, he or she has many connections from different people. With just one send of an email, your mentor can help you find the right clients.

Receive a Second Opinion

Indeed, there are many uncertainties in freelancing. For starters, you need to estimate your quotation range as a new freelancer, which is crucial because it concerns money. And as your career progresses, you need to write a proposal at times to obtain a client. In such situations, you need to weigh in the pros and cons. You can do that independently with your instincts and intuition; however, second opinions from a mentor are always welcome.

You need the second opinion of a mentor on how you’re going to step up your career. They’ve been through where you are right now, and they made it far enough in the freelance economy. That means they can give a strong insight in dealing with uncertainties as a freelancer.

To Have an Accountability Partner

Your mentor can be your accountability partner. What is an accountability partner? Well, it’s someone who ensures that you’ll accomplish your objectives checklist. An accountability partner does so by monitoring your progress and checking if you’re doing things on schedule.

So by having a mentor as your accountability partner, you’ll have someone who can help you focus, deliver projects with high quality, and meet deadlines. Yes, you may be a responsible person and capable of achieving objectives independently, but we all need someone who can remind us of our goals.

They Can Provide Resources

One of the essential tips for freelance workers is to invest in resources for better productivity. If your finances aren’t enough to purchase quality resources, you can always count on your future mentor to lend you some of his or her. However, it’s best just to borrow them for the meantime. But, anyway, the point is your mentor will always have your back if you need something to optimize the quality of your work. Your mentor is more than willing to provide you with resources. After all, the primary purpose of his or her relationship with you is to help you. Just make sure to return the favor at a later time.

Boost Your Career Progression

With a mentor guiding you along the way, you can bring your freelance career to new heights sooner than expected. As you may have realized by now, a mentor knows best how to structure your roadmap to success. He or she knows which is the most strategic path you must take. When your career reaches the next level, you can do many things to improve your livelihood. You can increase your income, meet bigtime clients, purchase better resources, and many more.

So, before you commence your journey as a freelancer, contact somebody who can mentor you. It could be your friend, your former colleague, your former boss, or any reputable freelancer that you’re acquainted with. Build a strong relationship with your would-be mentor, and he or she will bring you at the top in return.

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