The Real Secret to Freelance Success
Why do so many freelancers fail while others who face even greater obstacles succeed? Is it natural talent? Is it hard work? Is it sheer persistence?
I find these questions absolutely fascinating. That’s why I’ve spent a great part of my adult life studying freelance success.
But it wasn’t until I recently read Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers that much of what I had learned came together into one unifying principle:
Success only happens at the intersection of preparation and opportunity!
To better explain this, let’s take this discussion outside of freelancing for a minute because there’s a fascinating lesson here.
Talent Is Overrated
Did you know that in Canada, arguably the most hockey-crazed nation in the world, nearly ALL top players are born (get this) in the first three months of the year?
Why is that?
Gladwell explains that it has nothing to do with astrology or magic. Quite simply, the eligibility cutoff for junior hockey leagues in that country is January 1. That means that a boy who turns 10 on January 2, for example, will be playing with kids who won’t turn 10 until November or December.
Why does that matter? Well, as you probably know if you have kids that age, in terms of physical maturity, a 12-month difference in age is huge. In sports, it means you have a great advantage over the younger kids.
Now here’s where things start to get interesting. Canadian coaches begin selecting players for their all-star teams around the age of 9 or 10. And guess which ones they tend to pick? That’s right, the older kids, who, when compared to those just a few months younger, appear to be bigger and more coordinated.
Once a kid is picked for the all-star team, he gets better coaching. He has twice the number of practice sessions. He also plays in more games. And his teammates are better, which pushes him to improve continually.
By the age of 14, what started out as a small advantage (mainly in size and coordination due to his age) is now a huge advantage over the younger kids he left behind 4 years before. And now this young man’s chances of making it to the Junior League and into the big leagues are very high.
Gladwell found the same patterns in American baseball, where the cutoff date for almost all nonschool baseball leagues is July 31. As a result, more major league players have birthdays in August than in any other month.
Opportunity Is Only Half of the Equation
Is it luck? Call it what you want, but I say it all boils down to the intersection of preparation and opportunity.
These older kids were all given a chance (opportunity). But had they not prepared — or, more important, had their parents not signed them up for the junior hockey league — they would NOT have succeeded.
Once selected to the all-star teams, had they not worked hard, practiced day and night and loved what they were doing, they would not have made it to the majors.
I don’t know where you are today in your freelance career. I don’t know if you’re just getting started or if you’ve been at it awhile. But regardless of your current situation, if you want to succeed, you must continually practice, upgrade your knowledge base and work hard to become better.
In other words, you must constantly prepare.
That means refining your craft. Developing smarter prospecting approaches. Experimenting with better pricing strategies. Learning basic negotiation skills. Sharing best practices with some of your peers (especially those who are more successful that you). Adopting a healthier mindset. And much more.
Only then will you be able to take full advantage of the opportunities when they come your way. (And they WILL come. They always do!).
Earl Nightingale once said that if a person does not prepare for his success, when his opportunity comes, it will only make him look foolish.
Pay the price. Prepare today. Success is worth it.
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Hi,
I totally agree. Hard work is necessary to achieve success and we must prepare constantly.
I really like the statement/quote “Success only happens at the intersection of preparation and opportunity!” I think this is true in life.
Kindest,
Nabeel
Thanks, really inspirational post.
Lack of preparation has certainly made me look a little foolish in the past – although there is *so much* that needs to be prepared I’m kind of accepting a certain amount of looking foolish as an occupational hazard
Great Article! I’ve been thinking about this alot lately. It’s a good time
to reflect on how to better co-ordinate preparation & opportunity.
Thanks for that!
Good article, made for an interesting read. Preperation is everything!!!
Alex
I read about this in Wired Magazine, it’s really interesting how much difference when you are born can make. It makes you wonder, what other ‘hidden’ connections are there that we haven’t thought about yet?
I think one of the key components of “Opportunity” is networking. I seem to have booms in work flow right after networking events or even after social events like, for instance, I was able to get three opportunities for my graphic design business after attending a family reunion.
I’m totally agree with you. We are not alone, we need a network.
It’s been my experience that the old phrase, “It’s not what you know, but who you know”, picks up at opportunity.
You can have all the skill, experience and know how from all that preparation. But if you don’t get out and network with people and let them know you have all this skill, experience and know how. You’ll be sitting around waiting to put it to work for awhile.
Wait, did I just tell on myself?
Man, I need to get out more, but I’m too busy!! LOL
It sounds like you have read (or maybe need to read) SuperFreakonomics. This book is a real eye opener and explores the real ‘truth’ behind events that do not appear to have logical reasons as to why they occur.
Life is crazy. You don’t know how it’ll drive you. Work hard, but think of it first. I mean, you need to plan before working. You can work hard, moving sands from A to B all the day or year and it has really no benefit.
Put a clear strategy and work hard. If something went wrong, probably your strategy wasn’t well-planned or may be something will happen while on track (like health issues). Don’t let things under your control get out of your control and forget about things not under your control, because you’ll never control them and uselessly make you afraid.
I think one of the best parts of that book in addition to those points is about 10,000 hours, where in order to be really successful, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.
Do you really think talent is overrated?
I mean honestly, how can we ever get anything done WELL without talented people? Many great talents are the worst self-managers and live and work in total chaos, but if they harnest their talent they produce great things that move the world forward.
I thought the secret was Russian Roulette.
I think whoever owns that hand in that picture needs to cut their fingernails. They’re bordering on becoming claws.
Travis – totally agree with you on the networking thing. It’s key!
Chris – I haven’t read Super Freakanomics, but I read his first book and it was fantastic! Need to pick this one up. Thanks for letting me know.
Bret – the 10,000 hour thing was brilliant! I had actually heard this before from someone who was writing about it 10 years ago. His 10,000 figure was a guess. Little did he know how right he was!
Guy – my point is that our definition and perceptions of “talent” are incorrect. What we sometimes perceive as natural-born talent is actually a combination of great preparation, opportunity, taking action and sheer determination. I truly believe that’s the case for most people we consider to be “naturally talented.”
“But regardless of your current situation, if you want to succeed, you must continually practice, upgrade your knowledge base and work hard to become better.”
WOW, I was guessing I could be a successful freelancer without doing this!
Thank you so much for giving away this secret!!!!
Federico – you’d be surprised how many people think and act otherwise.
They shouldn’t work as freelancers then
My business has become a success not because I am the best editor, indexer, and proofreader, but because I have been persistent. Immediately after obtaining my bachelor’s degree, I worked to complete three field-related certificates. While doing so, I worked in-house for a magazine and also began my business during this time. My first client came from a guest speaker in one of my classes who I periodically touched base with. But that still was not enough for me. I then went to get a master’s degree in publishing to further my knowledge in my field. I have always been very persistent in pushing my business toward success by making it and myself look professional.
I like to think that I have stayed successful in my freelance career by making sure i answer emails/calls quickly (and politely), going above and beyond the task/project, being professional, and networking… outside of my actual skill set i think those are the reasons i keep getting work (mostly referral). great post!
I think it helps to know what you’re good at and passionate about, and do that. Chasing opportunities for which you are not well-suited can be a recipe for failure.
You’re exactly right. Freelancers need to always be learning and perfecting their craft. While working as a freelancer, however, it can be very difficult to keep up with this, especially when you are busy with work, when that focus can get lost. It’s kind of like college where you are supporting yourself and working toward your degree at the same time. It’s hard to do both.
I always have a quote by Newt Gingrich, though, that I keep going back to whenever I need to get that focus back on learning. I’m not a fan of the guy but it’s a hell of a quote:
“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”
One thing I like about freelancing over working for an agency is the freedom to continue learning and the ability to implement what I’ve learned. I dedicate a portion of every week to seeing what is new out there and figuring out how I can improve my process or skill set. It just wouldn’t be that easy in a traditional corporate environment.
I love how you say opportunities come and always do – and how much a good preparation is needed to grab said opportunities.
I am just starting and I know I have lots to learn and there are times when I thought No, I don’t want to do this, I’ll have to do some studying and it’s going to take too much time.
One client however (my first actually, to whom I still stick), puts me through assignments that get me to learn things without my even realizing it. When opportunities come, I thought to myself Wow, if I hadn’t agreed to do that project for Client #1, I wouldn’t be able to bid for this one.
I agree, just like Oprah Winfrey said it
“I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.”
What a brilliant example! and what a huge lesson… I do feel that constant learning and preparation helps you gain more from each experience.
I couldn’t agree more with you on this, opportunities tend to be elusive for the unprepared.
Thanks for sharing
I agree that talent is overrated. Time and time again in my life, I have witnessed persistence trump talent time and again. Constant relentless pounding toward goals is the surest way to achieve them. I also agree about luck being at the epicenter of preparation and opportunity.
Something that has always rubbed me the wrong way ever since Gladwell’s book came out, though, is the 10,000 hours thing.
First, I don’t believe all expertise takes 10,000 hours to master. Some skills can be mastered in a day. Others may take 20,000 or 30,000 hours.
Second, I find it paralyzing to hear that it’s going to take 10,000 hours to master my craft. That’s a wayyyy long way off and much too daunting a figure. I don’t even know if I HAVE 10,000 hours. I may be dead by then. Here’s the way I prefer to look at it:
“Today I’m a little bit better than I was yesterday.”
“Tomorrow I will be a little bit better than I am today.”
Does anyone else feel this way?
I agree, John. I can’t remember how he put it in his book, but Michael Masterson, the author I first heard talking about this ideas, said that it takes about 1,000 to achieve competence in a skill. It then takes a total of 5,000 hours to achieve mastery. AND… a total of 10,000 hours to achieve VIRTUOSITY.
I like that breakdown (and those terms) better. They make much more sense. Plus, Masterson gets into more detail about how to accelerate your progress. He mentions that many types of hands-on training (as well as good coaching, etc) can double the effect of the time you put in.
I love this article and this site, I just started my membership today. I’ve heard really good things though. Hopefully my opportunities increase so my hard work can pay off (=
I agree completely. Great article! Being prepared for those unexpected rush projects or something outside the norm of your normal project scope can really drive success for a freelancer.
Ed,
You blew my mind away with that quote from the book. It is is simply amazing that success in life can depend so much on something as arbitrary as your birth date!
BTW – I am also reading your book and learning a lot from it. I think it is one of the best books for freelancers I have read (and I read 1-2 a month, for work).
Yoav – Wow! Thank you so much for the kudos on my book! So glad you’re getting great value from it.
Ed Gandia thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
In freelance business preparation is the key to avail Opportunity and its really worth it.
keep sharing your vision .
Ed, excellent job of encapsulating and driving home this concept.
Outliers is a truly fascinating read. I highly recommend it.
Another aspect of this is learning to recognize opportunity when it does arrive.
As for preparation, I find that many freelancers simply refuse to invest in themselves in the areas that will generate the greatest return.
Thank you for your expertise, sir.
really inspirational post….though things have been told many a time here but the method to express it again was cool
I agree with this. It’s important to come to prepared so you don’t look like a fool when the opportunity is given. At the same time evaluate yourself and make changes in your business structure. If you write your own contacts then get a lawyer to write one for you. Some of us are great at what we do but it’s the business aspect that may hinder our progress.
so true! 99% have talent for something. the key is to find your path, to follow your dream.