Want to start a freelance business, but not sure if you can actually make a living as a freelancer? Don’t worry—you’ve TOTALLY got this! Today we’re going to bust some common myths about freelancing that might be holding you back from starting your business… 
Myth #1: I’m don’t have a graphic design background, so I can’t build a beautiful website.
Myth #2: I don’t have a photographer boyfriend, so I can’t get any nice professional photos to use on my website.
These are two separate myths about freelancing that have a lot of overlap, so we’re going to bust them at the same time!
Okay, let’s be honest: a lot of the most popular entrepreneurial bloggers seem to have a graphic design background and/or a boyfriend who happens to be a photographer. And this means that they have GORGEOUS websites which look super professional (which, I can tell you from personal experience, makes an enormous amount of difference in terms of people taking you seriously and being willing to pay you what you’re worth. Don’t skimp out on the good design!).
BUT. That doesn’t mean that YOU need to have graphic design skills or that you need to have a significant other who happens to be a professional photographer.
On the contrary! My graphic design skills leave a lot to be desired—I’ve never had any formal (or informal) training. My designs were really bad when I first started doing them and it’s only been in the last few months that (in my opinion—the professionals might not agree ;)) they’ve gotten decent.
I’ve done 3 things to manage the issue of not having a graphic design background:
First, I hired a web designer as pretty much the first investment in my blog. I hired my friend, so she kindly gave me a discounted rate. Then, when she had too much work and couldn’t continue doing my website (an AWESOME problem to have!), one of my besties took over and we’ve exchanged skills ever since.
Second, I hired a graphic designer to create the worksheets and cheat sheets for my e-course in the spring. This was a GREAT thing for me because I lacked both the skills AND the time to do it myself.
Third, I prioritized learning the basics (and by “basics,” I mean “the BASICS of the basics”) of graphic design over the summer, just by playing around in Canva and InDesign myself. And voila! Now I can do blog images that don’t look terrible and I can also design my own materials for my e-courses.
Now, let’s address the issues around Myth #2: my common-law husband, Mr. Science, is not a professional photographer.
That being said, he IS admittedly a very good photographer! He’s completely self-taught and just really enjoys taking photos and he does a beautiful job of it.
But here’s the thing: what he loves to take photos of, and what he’s really good at taking photos of, is nature.
(Like, seriously. One of these days I’ll convince him to do a show featuring some of his photos. They’re good enough to sell.)
What this means is that when I first started to get him to take photos of me for my blog, they weren’t the greatest 🙂 So how did we get around that problem? Basically, the first few photo shoots we did, I’d stop him after every couple minutes to take a look at the photos, to point out what I did/didn’t like, and direct him to exactly what I wanted.
And now he takes amazing pictures of me! He knows which angles I like and don’t like, and we come up with photoshoot ideas together.
The other thing I’ve done to manage the photography side of things is to just experiment. All the photos you see on my blog, Instagram etc. that AREN’T of me, are ones that I take myself. While I’m nowhere near a professional level of photography, I’ve improved vastly over the years, just by critiquing my own work and continuing to take more and more photos on a regular basis.
The last thing I want to mention when it comes to photography is that I recently did a beautiful photoshoot with my friend Dano, a local photographer—so if you don’t have a friend or family member that you feel comfortable with doing lots of photoshoots with until they get good enough that you’re satisfied, you can always go the professional photography route!
I recommend seeing if there’s an opportunity to exchange services, and/or talk to students at your local college—they might need to do a project for school, and taking photos of you for your website at a reduced rate could be perfect!
Myth #3: I don’t have any background in business, so I can’t own my own business.
We all start somewhere!
In this particular instance, I lucked out somewhat because the mother dear has her own business. But you know what? She only decided to start her own business in the last 10 years or so—I didn’t grow up with it as a kid.
Besides that, what she has is a veterinary clinic. And that is a VERY different kind of business from mine! So that means that even though I had a vague idea of what I was getting into when I started my business, and even though I had her as a resource to talk to when I was trying to get on my feet, I still had to pretty much figure it all out on my own.
If the idea of starting your own business fills you with panic, I recommend you get some business coaching to help you out!
These freelancer programs are an awesome resource for empowering you to start and build your dream business.
Myth #4: I feel too overwhelmed & don’t know what to focus on
There are so many different experts out there telling you that you NEED to have a blog, you NEED to have an email list, you NEED to be on Pinterest, you NEED to do live video…
Talk about feeling overwhelmed!
But here’s the truth: NONE of those things are the magical be-all end-all that will change everything for you.
Nope.
Sure, they all have their merits—but not using any one of them isn’t going to be a dealbreaker for the success of your business.
What you need instead is to identify what’s right for YOU, your business, and your ideal client.
And the only way to determine that? To ask yourself the right questions and create your own customized strategies.
With the freelancer programs in the SaganMorrow.com School, I’m not going to tell you that you absolutely need to be using one platform over another.
Instead, I’m going to show you the exact steps to take and questions to ask to identify which platforms are right for YOU.
Maybe you’ll realize you just need a blog and Twitter. Or perhaps Instagram and a newsletter are perfect for you. Or maybe you’re going to fall in love with LinkedIn, Facebook, and Pinterest.
If you don’t want to use a particular social media platform to market your business, that’s okay! We’ll find a totally different one for you. (And if you don’t want to use social media AT ALL, that’s okay too! You’ll also get tips for in-person marketing strategies.)
I’ll help you to get more focused AND to reduce the overwhelm that you’re feeling, thanks to the clear lessons, practical worksheets, and actionable steps in this group coaching program.
Myth #5: I don’t know about ____
Lack of confidence, fear of moving forward, and confusion about what to work on are all problems for freelancers… but it’s all about a mindset shift!
In Productivity Powerhouse, you’ll get access to pep talks, lessons, and trainings for working through any confidence issues you might have.
You are not alone—and we’ll absolutely get you to a place where you feel confident and increase your knowledge and skill about any and every area that you personally need to improve upon.
Great post! I appreciate this post, as I’ve considered looking into freelance writing, but never feel like I have what it takes! You put my fears to rest! Have a great day!
~stopping by from SITS Sharefest
Thanks Patty!