Have you ever been told you can never make real money working from home? This is just one of the many freelancing myths everyone should stop believing right NOW!
There’s a big caboodle of misconceptions that can ruin the image of a successful freelancer. Or the expectations of a stay-at-home mom. Or the desire to keep working after you retire.
From envy, to shock, to sincere encouragements, I’m sure every freelancer, ‘newbie’ or ‘veteran’, has lived through them all. These are just few emotions people express when they hear you say “I’m going to earn my living working from home!“.
Freelancing myths and misconceptions are a dangerous combination. Especially when they affect aspiring new entrepreneurs. People often cannot understand that you can earn real money by side hustling or you can even make a decent living by opening up a successful online business and working from home.
Friends and families can be affected as well. Not everyone fully understands what side hustling and freelancing imply, so your loved ones might worry you’re making a mistake.
The important thing to remember though is working from home is not “play”. You’re not just aiming to earn pocket money and a freelancing career it’s definitely not for the lazy!
Here’s a more “complete” list of common freelancing myths you need to stop believing right now:
Freelancing myths imply freelancers work for pennies
I began freelancing while in college. It was the only way I could afford to pay for an education without student debt and pursue my passion for traveling in the meantime.
I explained all of this and more in my interview on PFToday.com: Freelancing Success Story: Studying and Focusing on Volunteer Work.
For a beginner freelancer who didn’t understand much about working from home, paying for 3 years of college and traveling each semester is quite an achievement.
Not many become rich while freelancing, but they shouldn’t get discouraged by the freelancing myths that imply side hustlers only earn few pennies per gig.
So, don’t become a pessimist because of a misconception! Hard work and perseverance always pay off.
Freelancers have so much free time
Many think that, if you work from home, you must be free all the time. Boy is that a misconception!
If anything, freelancing while juggling college or parenting or even a full time job leaves you with little “me” time.
This may be considered as one of the downsides of working from home. Whether it’s a full time job for you or just a side hustle to earn extra income, freelancing is going to be time consuming!
On the plus side, you learn a lot about how to be productive, without even being aware of it. And on top of it all, you’re freelancing gigs should imply working on something you love.
Freelancing is not a real job
“You’re freelancing until you find a real job, right?“, is a very common reaction from people who don’t understand what it means to earn your living from home.
The problem with this misconception is that it affects both the freelancer and their loves ones.
It affects aspiring work-from-home entrepreneurs because it’s true, freelancers don’t earn big money right away. Hearing day after day that this isn’t a real job might just make you wonder, is this the right lifestyle choice for you?
But this can also affect loved ones and immediate family. It can get frustrating to see your husband/your daughter/your girlfriend struggling to make ends meat as a new small business owner those first few months.
If you don’t believe working from home is a real job, then you probably think your loved one is wasting their time because they’re lazy… Which brings up the next misconception!
Some freelancing myths imply working from home means you’re lazy
Have you ever heard someone say they’d love to stay at home too, and get paid for doing nothing? Or worse, being told “you’re just not used to a 9 to 5 work schedule“.
Truth be told, if anyone chooses freelancing because they think it’s all fluff and games, they’re probably going to fail fast.
Which means working from home is really not for the lazy!
Freelancing means you have to work hard to convince potential clients to hire you. And once you do, you have to work, work, work to get the job done right. You probably also have a deadline, so you can’t waste time.
Basically, a successful freelancer shouldn’t find the time to get bored!
Freelancers are always lonely
So many people have chosen to work from home also because they are introverts. So, being alone and focusing on work shouldn’t be a problem.
But what about those who are socially active and, all of a sudden, find themselves ‘trapped’ inside their own home?
We live in the era of communication, so it can’t be that difficult to organize a night out with friends or invite someone over. Maybe invite yourself over at your friends’ house, when they’re free.
And you know what the great thing is? As an entrepreneur, you get to say “I can move my stuff around and work around your schedule“.
Freelancers can’t save for retirement
This should be interesting enough to describe in a few words.
Investments. Private pension plans. Simply putting money aside starting now.
Just off the top of my head, these sound like good alternatives to a traditional retirement savings plan!
The truth is, retirement is serious business and it’s only natural that your loved ones will worry about you ending up old and broke.
However, if you do your research starting as young as possible, you can start working on your pension plans right away.
These are just 6 of the many misconceptions about working from home that are out there.
However, freelancing myths or not, these misconceptions probably exist for a reason.
If you aren’t motivated to do any real work, you’ll probably end up having way too much free time. You’ll end up lonely because who wants to hang out with the person who complains about working for pennies. And ultimately, you’ll never be able to save enough for retirement!
If you’re looking to earn a side income or start a real business working from home, remember not to fall victim of these freelancing myths.
