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I like many budding freelancers out there started working in an agency, you learnt the tools of the trade - you felt like you did well at the job and wanted to make a name for yourself. However, you quickly realise there is more to freelancing than just doing the work and with that came with a lot of hard lessons along the way. I'm going to share some of those with you, so you don't have to.
So here are 10 things I’ve learnt the hard way as a freelance web designer. No fluff, no guru advice. Just the kind of stuff I wish someone had told me early on.
1. You can’t ignore tax and expect it to go away
Let’s get the most boring one out the way first. Tax. That beast that lurks in the background while you’re enjoying all the perks of being self-employed.
I used to bury my head in the sand when it came to taxes. When looking at that tax return it's easy to get overwhelmed with how many fields and tickboxes there are and one fault move could land you a knock at the door from HMRC.
I tried out an accountant who I didn't really know and they messed up my form which costs me a huge amount of money in taxes as the rates were incorrect (I did get it back) but it put me in a difficult situaton whilst purchasing a house and saving for a wedding (yikes!)
I now have an account that I trust to fill everything correctly and it's something that I no longer have to worry about in terms of filling. I use Monzo Business and it allows me to set a percentage of my money recieved into a separate tax pot so I dont even have to worry about the future tax bills.
2. Clients will take as much as you give (and then some)
Scope creep is the silent killer. What starts as “just a simple landing page” ends up as an eCommerce site with login portals and a bloody newsletter funnel.
I used to say yes to everything. I didn’t want to seem difficult and always wanted to please. But then I’d find myself doing hours of unpaid work because I hadn’t drawn a proper line around what was included. These days, I’m a lot clearer. If it’s not in the original scope, we talk about it and agree on more time or budget. Simple as that.
And no, a “quick change” is never quick.
3. Money can dry up fast. Be ready for that
Freelancing isn’t a straight line. You can have a month where you invoice more than you ever did in your 9-to-5, and then go six weeks with tumbleweed.
It's not always through lack of work coming in. I had a large website project with the payment terms as 50% up front and final amount due on completion. The website was a big one and took some time to complete. This left me during a long period without payment. Mortgage needs to be paid and food needs to be on the table - so always plan for times when cashflow is slow or work is slow. When times are good, keep atleast 3 months of salary on hand for a buffer.
4. You need to actually take time off
I quite often take my laptop on holiday with me. The 'what if' always played in my head. What if a website has any issues or something needs to be completed instantly. I would take my laptop for the what if - but ended up working in the evenings or first thing in the morning whilst my wife got ready and it always felt like I wasn't fully switching off.
Holidays are supposed to be a break. That means not replying to clients, not checking emails “just in case”, and definitely not sneaking in a few edits before dinner. Plan ahead, finish your projects, and set a proper out-of-office. If a client can’t respect that, they’re probably not a good one.
Have someone as backup whilst you are holiday who you can trust to fix any issues that pop up.
5. Saying yes to everything is the fast track to burnout
When you're new, it's tempting to grab every job going. The feast feels like a blessing after famine. But juggling too many projects at once? It's a nightmare.
I’d take on five things at once, thinking I'd just "work a bit harder". But projects would start slipping. Quality dropped. I was tired, snappy, and drinking too much coffee. Now, I space out work properly. It’s not about doing less, it’s about not doing everything at once. Weirdly, saying no has made me more profitable.
6. People don’t always pay on time
This one hurts. You do the work, send the invoice, and… nothing. No reply. No payment. Silence.
I used to just wait. I'd send polite reminders, then stress about chasing too much. One guy didn’t pay me for three months. Since then, I’ve added late payment fees to my contracts and I ask for deposits up front. Doesn’t guarantee everyone behaves, but it helps weed out the flaky ones early.
And if they ghost you? You can take legal action in small claims.
7. Friends are not clients
Helping your mate out with a site might seem like a nice favour - until they start acting like a client but without the budget, boundaries, or deadlines.
I’ve learnt to draw the line. If I want to do a favour, I do it on my terms. If it’s a job, they pay. No blurry “mate’s rates” and no “I owe you a pint” deals. Keeps things way less awkward.
8. Self-promotion feels weird but it’s part of the job
I used to cringe at the thought of putting myself out there. Writing blog posts, sharing my work, saying “Hey, I made this” - all felt like showing off. I still struggle with this side of promoting myself on Instagram. As someone who isn't massively into social media I struggle to find the motivation to manage this. In which case, maybe get someone else to do it.
But if you don’t tell people what you do, how will they know? The work won’t just fall into your lap. You’ve got to get visible. So now I post regularly (even if it’s just a quick behind-the-scenes thing), update my portfolio, and send out the odd email to old clients. It doesn’t need to be salesy — just visible.
9. You don’t need to be everywhere
Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest - yeah, no. I tried keeping up with all of them and ended up doing none of them well.
Now I pick one or two platforms I actually enjoy using, and stick to them. Less pressure, more focus. And it feels more like a conversation than a content machine.
10. You have to protect your time because nobody else will
When you work for yourself, time is the only thing you really own. And if you’re not careful, everyone will want a piece of it.
I used to take calls whenever, reply to emails at night, and let meetings spill into my deep work time. Total productivity killer. These days, I block out focus time, set limits on calls, and leave emails until the afternoon. It’s not rude - it’s just the only way to actually get stuff done.
