How to earn more as a freelancer

In order to make more money as a freelancer, you have to be willing to leave money on the table. You have to be able to say no to money when it’s offered to you.

How do you get to this point?

You need to have all your bases covered. You need to know you can make rent, pay taxes, slice off a social budget, and put away a little savings. There’s no wisdom in turning down money when you need money.

So when should you turn down money?

I recently got to a point where I’ve earned more this year than I did last year with two months left in the year. (Last year I took most of May and September off, so it all adds up). When I realized this, my motivation to make more money disappeared. I know I should try to earn more than last year, and I probably will, but I’m not extremely motivated to.

You should only turn down money when you don’t need it.

The most successful freelancers I know seem like they don’t care about money. Projects come and go, and they seem unbothered by either prospect. Yet somehow, they make killer day rates and work on great projects.

With a disposition like this, when someone really wants to hire you, you can hike your rates. Because you don’t care! It doesn’t make a huge personal difference to you either way when you have your bases covered.

When you raise your rates, and still get hired? Then you’re equipped to do more excellent work. And a new normal is established. And you work on those rates for a while, and then you want to make more money, and then you scroll to the top of this blog and read it again.