Recently, we talked about why freelancing is the best thing that’s happened to your career. Today, we’ll cover its worst aspects and how to protect yourself.
Freelancers Are Vulnerable
The main goal of this article is your financial and emotional safety. The biggest downside of remote work is how exposed you are to the client. And how commonly deals are made based on verbal agreements in our culture. Here’s what could go wrong:
We have real-life examples and simple rules of conduct for each of these scenarios. Also, check out our article on how to create a client avatar. The tips there will help you identify whether a particular person might cause problems.
We Won’t Pay You
The story is simple. You – the client and the contractor – find each other on a freelance platform, social media, or via mutual contacts. The project is usually one-off: design or code a landing page, create a logo, do naming, and so on. You’re the hands in this equation. The “we won’t pay” scenario can be very unpredictable. Someone who seemed polite and friendly when discussing the project might stop responding after getting the first version. They might send 100 hryvnias instead of 100 dollars and vanish. Or say your work is bad and doesn’t deserve payment – no matter how many hours you spent on it.
What happens to the work after communication breaks down is unknown. Maybe the client genuinely doesn’t like it and is looking for a replacement. Maybe they’re just trying to get free work.
The solution: set clear rules. Work via freelance platforms. They reserve the payment and offer dispute resolution through arbitration. Also:
The brief should clearly specify the timeline and scope of work. Your task and the expected outcome must be detailed. It’s better to work through a platform: if your work doesn’t match the brief, the client has the right to ask for revisions. But if the feedback is like, “We think red would look better than blue,” or “Let’s rewrite these five paragraphs,” then the client can do that themselves. Of course, this only works if you’re on a freelance platform.
You're Fired
Imagine working on a long-term project. Almost like being in a company, just remotely. You've been working together for over six months, and then one morning your boss or team lead messages you: “Hey, I’ve been thinking, our visions don’t align, let’s part ways.” Right now. Starting today. Sure, you may truly have different visions, and the boss may have a valid reason to let you go. But it should never happen suddenly. In companies, employees are warned 2–4 weeks in advance. If someone is let go without notice, they receive severance – a full salary or part of it. Only in freelancing can you be dropped instantly, even after a long and successful collaboration, just because the boss had a change of heart.
The only way to protect yourself here is a contract. Register as a sole proprietor and sign contracts. If the collaboration is long-term, put everything in writing: salary, termination terms, penalties. Same goes for financial matters. Make a contract and outline the relationship. You can find contract templates for every field online. Just customize the sections “Subject of the Agreement” and “Rights and Responsibilities of the Parties.”
Don’t rely on verbal agreements and don’t let anyone twist your arm. You’ll learn more about client communication and freelance business practices in the coaching program “Freelancer: The Big Game.” Register Now