Being a freelancer can be a great job. There is a level of freedom that is hard to get with other jobs. But there are some downsides that people don’t like to discuss, especially if they are faking it until they make it. Here is the darker side of freelancing that nobody wants to talk about.

Social Media Is Everything

In order to grow your freelancing business, you need to make connections with people who would be interested in using your services. Using a social community platform can help streamline how you use social media but it can still be a time-consuming task that eats up part of the day. If you neglect your social media accounts, you could get lost in the algorithms and can hinder the reach of your business. Always put some time to the side so that you can work on reaching the people who matter.

You Are Your Own Boss

This sounds great on paper but unless you have a decent level of knowledge, a lot of self-discipline, and are willing to put the work in, your freelance business is doomed to fail. If you are looking to be your own boss because you hope you can kick your feet up and do nothing, you are in for a real shock. Being lazy is not an option as a freelancer. There are plenty of late-night and early mornings that can be a real shock to the system. And, the buck starts and stops with you. If everything fails, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Not Very Glam

One of the big draws to the world of freelancing is that it appears to be glamorous. In fact, there is a good chance that the freelancer that you follow on social media is working hard behind the scenes in her tatty old PJs, hair in a messy bun, drinking cold coffee while she works out how she is going to get all of this work done and bring in enough to cover next week. That’s not very glamorous but it is an idea that keeps people coming to the freelance community. Although, working in your PJ’s isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Unstable

If there is one thing that is guaranteed, the world of freelancing is tough and very unstable. There are freelancers that build relationships with companies and have a steady stream of income heading their way. Trust us, they count their lucky stars every day for this opportunity to have work coming in regularly. The rest of the freelancers find themselves scrambling for work and trying to build those relationships. If you start freelancing in an industry that you know, you may have connections already. If you are starting fresh in an industry, it might take some time to build up the resources and connections to make your business work.

Overall, being a freelancer isn’t a bad job but it is important to understand that it isn’t an easy job. Arm yourself with the facts and be prepared for some hard work.