Can Freelancers REALLY Make 6 Figures a Year?

I won’t keep you in suspense. The answer is yes.

There’s a lot of hype about this, of course. And unfortunately, the hype has caused many would-be freelancers to be cynical about their earning potential.

Some years ago, while speaking to a roomful of writers at a local conference, I encountered one young man who kept rolling his eyes during my presentation. When I asked if he had a question or comment, he told me that he just didn’t believe that you could earn lots of money from writing. He said it all sounded like a scam.

I can’t blame him for thinking that. I see all those “get rich quick” ads on the Internet too, and they make me roll my eyes. Freelancing is not a quick way to riches. You have to have skill. You have to be willing to work at it and stick with it, often for several years before you start earning big money.

But you can make a lot of money at it. I used to earn little more than five dollars an hour. And now I earn more like $500 an hour. That’s no scam. It’s just the truth.

But it begs the question: Why is it that most people never seem to earn much money from writing or design? Or to ask it another way, what’s the difference between high earners and low earners?

High earners approach their work as a business, while low earners approach their work more like a hobby.

High earners go after lucrative writing and design work for businesses where there is little competition, while low earners compete with millions of other writers and designers trying to get articles published or dreaming about becoming the next Van Gogh.

High earners act like professionals, which low earners act like employees.

High earners are wiling to take a little risk working for themselves, while low earners want the security of a full-time employer calling the shots.

High earners are willing to put their skills to the test and compete for business, while low earners generally just want to punch a time clock and cash a check.

I’m not trying to be insulting here. I’m just telling it like it is.

If you prefer to work in a job situation, that’s fine. But you’ll probably never earn as much as the high-end freelancers. And if you do freelance, you must get rid of your employee mindset or you’ll always earn low fees and experience a lot of frustration.

I’ve seen this from both sides of the fence. I used to be a full-time employee and didn’t want to do anything like freelancing. I didn’t even like the idea of being in business. In fact, I was shocked when I realized that I was in business when I did some freelance work early on. But I made the transition and have seen how an shift in point of view was essential to my success.

Yes, you can earn six figures a year. The only thing holding you back is the way you think about your work.