So, you’ve decided to take the leap and start freelancing full time – congratulations! While it may be an exciting time, it’s also one that has the potential for failure, making it particularly daunting.

And while failure may be the best way to learn, there are some mistakes you can learn not to do without falling into the trap of them yourself.

Here’s our list of freelancing mistakes for you to be wary of!

Mistake #1 – Not knowing know your worth

Sure, you might be a brilliant artist or writer, but you need to build up a roster of clients, so you should charge next to nothing, right?

Entering into your field by charging rock bottom rates is a common mistake many freelancers make.

You may think clients want low rates, but most would prefer to pay for high quality. By lowballing your skills and your prices, you are sure to drive away your best clients.

Mistake #2 – Promising more than you can deliver

Promising clients the moon on the stick and then delivering just a mediocre job is a sure fire way to guarantee that you don’t get any repeat business.

Instead, the common sense method is to under promise and over deliver – if you want to succeed, you should give your client reasonable expectations and then hit it out of the park.

Mistake #3 – Not keeping track of your finances

A huge mistake you’ll want to be wary of when freelancing for the first time is to ignore your finances. Neglecting to set aside money for taxes, losing all of your receipts and never filing your annual returns are potential causes for failure for any freelancer.

By ignoring the financial side of your business you set yourself up for potential HMRC investigations and fines, which can begin a downward spiral of bad practice.

Instead, keep on top of your finances by looking after them yourself with an intuitive cloud accounting solution that allows you to manage your accounts or with the help of a freelancer.

Mistake #4 – Working non-stop and ignore your work/life balance

Never taking any time off, constantly checking your email, working on weekends and holidays, and neglecting the important relationships in your life are all sure fire ways to burn out while freelancing.

Making these mistakes won’t just be detrimental to your business but to your mental health and close relationships. Make sure you make time for yourself and your family and aim to manage your work/life balance effectively.

Mistake #5 – Letting clients treat you poorly, and not setting any limits

We all know that some clients will take a mile when you offer them an inch, and they can get downright abusive at times. Asking for endless, unreasonable revisions, demanding discounts and never paying on time.

Pleasing everyone is a task none of us can accomplish, so rather than making do with unreasonable clients, cut yourself off from them and search for the ones who will thank you for your work.  If you want to succeed with their freelancing career you’ll need to be choosy with your clients and demand a certain level of professional behaviour.

What freelancing mistakes have you experienced? Leave your comments in the section below or get in touch over on Twitter!