A freelancer’s job can be very rewarding because you get to deal with a lot of international and ‘remote’ clients. Not only do you have the opportunity to learn different cultures, but you’re also open to the opportunity of learning new ways to do business.

Yes, there are a lot of great benefits in being a freelancer and the job is pretty exciting, but there are also some challenges that come along the way. In this post, take a look at some of the common concerns freelancers face. Some are easy to handle, while others could become real problems. I’m sure you’ll be able to relate with the things I’ve going to say.

Time zone difference

Picture this: you work while your clients sleep. And you sleep while your clients are awake.

Differences in time zones can be a huge challenge for freelancers. You’ll want some human interaction every once in a while, but if you’re placed in this situation by the very nature of your job, how do you deal with it?

Before you accept any freelancing job, you need to come to terms with this challenge. It also helps to be honest with your clients and inform them of the exact time that you prefer to work. You should also make sure you know the time zone of your client.

Sometimes you’re waiting for a response from your client before you can proceed. This ping-pong communication can really get frustrating since it can sometimes take days. Make sure you’re prepared for this and ensure that your client knows this too – that way you can create a more realistic schedule for your project.

Language difference

Always remember that your clients may not be that fluent in your mother tongue. Even if they know your language, there may still be some misunderstandings along the way. Be patient. It helps if you honestly ask your clients to explain themselves if you didn’t understand what they mean, and vice versa.

Currency

Whenever you take on a freelancing job from a client abroad, it’s presupposed that you’ve already checked on the different currency rates. Remember that you need to come to an agreement with your client. You also have to be quick in converting the agreed amount to your own currency. This one is quite manageable to handle. Have your handy calculator with you or you could always go to http://www.xe.com.

Skills

Clarify the skills that you have and advertise. Sometimes it’s tempting to take on every job available to avoid “droughts” in your career. More often than not though, this opens you up to bigger problems. You should be able to know your skills and present this to the client. If you take on a job that requires a skill that you don’t have, problems will eventually come your way.

If you really must take on a job that you’re new to, make sure the client is well informed. This will certainly avoid problems later. Don’t think that this will look bad though – people often won’t mind you learning on the job as long as you tell them in advance and are honest. It also shows you’re honest.

Competition

Let’s face it, because the whole world is your workplace, you logically deal with global competition. Suddenly, you feel that there is just a lot competition out there it becomes too overwhelming. Who doesn’t get this feeling? It’s just normal.

The best thing to do is to become as patient as you can be. If you are just starting your freelance career, take on the jobs that you can confidently finish. And then try to build your portfolio. Pretty soon, you’ll be taking on more jobs than you have now. And if you’ve been in the industry for years now, you know well that somewhere out there, a job surely waits for you. So take it slowly. Build from the ground up.

But also, you can flip it round. Since the whole world is a global marketplace, there are more clients to go round too!

Doubts

This point can be linked with the last two. If you’re challenged on the aspects of skills and competition, your doubts begin to set in.

Just say No. Say no to doubts! These are career killers. You wouldn’t want your career to go dying down just because you “think” you can’t do it, or that you are not at par with others.

It’s best to sit down, take a pen and paper, and write down every strength that you have. Believe in them. After all, when you don’t believe in yourself, who else will?

Distractions

There are a lot of distractions at home. I can’t stress this enough. Add the fact that you’re working in a place where you can be too comfortable sometimes – or most of the time. You need to remind yourself that although you’re at home, this is still a job and you have to focus. You should learn to separate work from leisure. If you’re finding it hard to focus, don’t forget to check out my previous article: Focus or fail.

Support Systems

As a freelancer, you’re basically on your own. Hate to break it up to you, but it’s often true. This may sound really scary, but you don’t have to worry. Although you need to manage almost everything your end, there are plenty of tools to help you with your freelancing business. If you need an easy way to manage your projects, use Clutterpad (yes, it’s the best project management tool ever – and not just because I’m part of the team ). And if you need something to help you communicate well without borders, use Skype for voice calls and webcam conferences. Another great tool is Team Viewer which you can use to share your desktop with your client. This is especially good to get instant feedback.

You may have friends who are freelancers themselves. You could get some help and advice from them too. And need I say more about the Internet? Use it to your advantage. It isn’t called “the information highway” for nothing.

Your thoughts

What do you think? Have you experienced any of the things discussed above? How did you handle the challenge? What are other things that you’d like to add? What kind of stresses do you have as a freelancer? How do you deal with them?

Let us all know in the comments!