Competitors, Collaborators and Colleagues - what do they mean to a creative freelancer
It’s no secret that the competition for freelance contracts is fierce. Every day I hear stories from our freelancer network, telling me how the competition is growing. More and more skilled professionals are freelancing, whether full-time or part-time, and the market for their talents is worldwide: you’re not competing with your own community, city, or even country, but the whole world. Some freelancers will offer their services at cheaper rates – all of sudden a hardworking freelancer can find themselves undercut. It’s a tough business to be in, to be sure, but ultimately what I find myself reminding our freelancers is that it’s not fundamentally much different than many other businesses in the global economy.
Just like a larger business, freelancers need to define their unique skill set – what a company would call a value proposition. What makes you different? What do you offer? How is your talent different from someone else’s? Two writers (or photographers, or videographers, etc) can be equally skilled but produce very different results – what’s your particular strength? And just like companies that partner together to create a product, supply chain, distribution system, or another model of delivery, you will have more value if you know how to work with other freelancers.
In other words, don’t treat them like your enemy, but as your colleagues. You are in this together, and you have the unique capabilities that clients need. Imagine how much stronger you would be if you offered value as a community, rather than a series of individuals! You are a member of an ecosystem, and the best thing you can do for your career is learn how to partner together.
In order to set yourself up, there are a few pieces of advice I give to freelancers who struggle with this tension between community and competition:
1. No secrets
Almost everything you do professionally will leave some kind of digital footprint, so ultimately the idea of keeping secrets from potential clients and the freelancing community is a nonstarter. But nonetheless I see a great deal of secrecy amongst freelancers: the competitive instinct to hold your cards close, and never reveal any information you feel might give you a head start, or a leg up in the market.
The reality, however, is that holding knowledge from your fellow freelancers – whether about a client’s preferences, available contracts, or feedback you’ve received – doesn’t help you. In fact, it will hinder you from making connections with other freelancers who might be able to work with you to manage a project. Remember, the client is assessing the end results of your projects, so why would you limit your capacity to deliver? Open up, be secure in the skills you bring to the table, and you’ll actually find your opportunities multiply.
2. Go together to go far
There is a proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Building trusting relationships with your colleagues rather than adversarial ones puts you in a position to learn, grow, and work with those same colleagues on projects where they may need your help. Yes, you read that right: being less competitive and more collaborative will land you more contracts! Learn to leverage each other’s skills and talents. Community is your friend! Being a part of a network like CreativesAtWork will expose you to that many more opportunities – and then it’s up to you to capitalize!
3. Competition keep you on your toes
Fact: the best people, organizations and companies learn from their competitors. As a skilled professional, you have an obligation to stay at the forefront of your field, and that means knowing what other players in your field are doing. Staying well-informed is essential to your career, and the best way to do that is to treat your competition well. Remember, competitors are actually a part of your community, so don’t treat them like enemies, but as collaborators. You’ll end up sharpening your own skills as a result, and clients will notice.
There’s no question that competition can make freelancing a challenging career, but approaching it with a healthy and community-minded mindset can make all the difference!
To learn how to work together and grow your freelance business, come and join us in our Freelancing Bootcamp in October 2018. You can sign up here.
Category
Recommended Readings
