Freelancing is not just working for yourself, but also working on yourself—developing personal qualities without which it’s hard to reach your goals or desired outcomes. Sometimes it requires combining seemingly incompatible skills. Most of it comes from personal experience and trial and error. But we decided to make things a bit easier and share the most important qualities every freelancer should develop.
Professionalism
This quality should be a top priority not only for freelancers but for anyone providing services. Still, some people neglect it.
Professionalism is something you learn. No one is born a professional. It’s a result of continuous self-work and skill refinement in a chosen field.
Being able to perform your job effectively under any circumstances—that’s professionalism. Yes, its level may vary depending on experience, practical skills, and other factors. But it’s wrong to think professionalism is only about how much you know. It’s more of a mindset and a way of life.
Your portfolio is one of the key indicators of your work. It’s how people evaluate you when they first get to know you. But true professionalism means every piece you create (like a website design project) is good enough to be added to that portfolio—each one completed to a consistently high standard.
All the other qualities we’ll mention below also define you as a professional. They shape the image of a freelancer that clients want to come back to.
Self-learning ability
Self-learning involves a desire to grow, persistence, attentiveness, self-discipline, and the ability to find and absorb new information.
Without a drive for self-education, you might get stuck at the same level of professionalism and income with which you started your freelance career. Even if you took a course in the beginning, you’ll still need to learn new things as you take on real projects.
In today’s world, where information is so abundant, the challenge is not finding it—but filtering out the most useful and relevant bits.
Freelancing is a highly competitive field, and only those who can learn constantly—and more importantly, quickly—will survive.
Adequacy
This is perhaps the hardest quality to define. But clients run from inadequate freelancers, losing faith in all others along the way.
In our view, a freelancer's adequacy is reflected in their willingness to discuss a task thoroughly before taking prepayment or promising results in 20 minutes. Answering a client’s questions—even if they seem silly to you—is also a sign of professionalism. Remember, a client ordering a website for the first time doesn’t know the technicalities. Your job is to at least give them a general idea of what they’re paying for.
Ability to work in any environment
One of the main perks of freelancing is the freedom to move around. But not everyone thinks about the real challenges that come with it.
Let’s say you take a day train to another city and plan to work during the trip. But your train car turns out to be noisy and chaotic. Not exactly ideal conditions—but the deadline is tight. You have no choice but to adapt and focus.
Such situations are common for freelance travelers. That’s why it’s important to learn how to stay productive regardless of your surroundings.
Andrey Gavrilov, founder of WAYUP, shares more about combining freelancing and travel in this video.
Strong time management skills
You’ll only reach your goals if you learn to manage your work time efficiently. Use planners, set priorities, and track your progress.
Freelancing doesn’t come with a fixed schedule like office jobs do. You’ll need to manage your own resources—to avoid both procrastination and burnout.
It’s also crucial to value your own time. Just like freelancers can be inadequate, so can clients. After some time freelancing, you’ll begin to sense those red flags from a mile away. Avoid them. These clients can waste not only your time but your emotional energy.
Ability to sell your services and know your worth
It might sound blunt, but a freelancer must be able to sell themselves and their services.
What helps with that? First and foremost, your portfolio. Then, how you communicate with clients—what you write, what they read about you on your website or freelance profile.
You’ll learn more about how to present yourself as a professional during our coaching program “Freelancer: The Big Game”. It’s designed for anyone who wants to succeed in freelancing and increase their monthly income.
Why is it important not only to sell your services but also to know your worth?
As your level of professionalism grows, so should your rates. That’s normal. You invest time and effort into improving your skills, gain experience, and your projects get better. You should not keep charging beginner prices. Some freelancers forget this, continue working for low fees, and unintentionally undercut the entire market.
If you feel your rates are too low for your current level of competence, watch this motivational video by Andrey Gavrilov about confidence—you may find the answers you need.
Taking responsibility
As a freelancer, you are your own boss, worker, and project manager. The outcome of your work depends solely on you and the qualities mentioned above. There’s no one to blame if you miss a deadline—because it was you who didn’t plan properly, forgot to call the client, or send that email.
Accept this fact and take full responsibility for your actions. Don’t blame external forces for your lack of efficiency.