Career Guidance

This simple mindset shift will transform your freelance career

Tired of feeling like a burned-out, paycheck-chasing, starving artist? Here’s what you may be missing.

For many, self-employment looks less like a dream and more like a trap. It is often viewed as a desperate stopgap taken after a layoff or by graduates facing a frozen job market. The reality can seem grim: chasing clients, hounding for payments, and working late nights for meager returns. Given the struggle, why would anyone choose this path voluntarily?

However, freelancing does not have to equate to precarious "gig work." In fact, a growing number of professionals, particularly among Gen Z, are deliberately choosing independence. If you are struggling to make ends meet or feel skeptical about the freelance model, the solution may not be working harder—it may be a mindset audit. The key is to stop thinking like a paycheck-chasing hustler and start thinking like a CEO.

Here is how to shift your perspective and build a sustainable business.

 1. Abandon the Scarcity Myth

There is a pervasive stereotype of the "starving freelancer," similar to the struggling artist. But self-employment does not inherently mean a lower income. Treasa Edmond, a freelance business coach with 20 years of experience, notes that she now earns more working 20 client hours a week than she did in her full-time brick-and-mortar role. She knows others who sustain a full-time living on just five billable hours a week.

There is a catch: those high earners spent years refining their business models and working non-billable hours to build stability. According to Edmond, the foundation of this success is how you perceive and communicate your value. If your pitch sounds like begging, you need to reframe it.

"You have to understand where your value comes from," Edmond says. "It has very little to do with what you actually do. It's the return on investment the client can get on the work that you do."

Freelancers who undervalue their expertise will struggle to secure sustainable compensation. Approach client conversations with the confidence of a CEO offering a solution, not an employee asking for a task.

 2. Balance Your Business Personas

Successful freelancing requires more than just completing assignments; it requires managing a company. As a solo operator, you are responsible for sales, marketing, billing, and execution.

Caroline Beavon, a digital artist freelancing since 2009, manages this by adopting specific personas. She channels her "inner CEO" (imagining herself in a bowler hat) when handling high-level tasks like networking, pitching, and strategy. However, she recognizes that she cannot be the "Queen Bee" every day.

"There are some days when I wake up, and I am not Queen Bee," Beavon says. On days lacking focus or energy, she switches to "worker bee" mode to grind through production work.

Balancing these roles is vital. Lean too hard into worker mode, and you may run out of future projects. Lean too hard into CEO mode, and current work may go unfinished. Beavon recommends financial discipline to maintain this balance: keep business income separate, pay yourself a set salary, and maintain a buffer fund. This reduces stress during lean months, allowing the "CEO" persona the mental space to thrive.

 3. Banish the Employee Mindset

Even without prior corporate experience, many freelancers inadvertently adopt an employee mindset. This creates lopsided relationships where clients dictate terms like bosses.

To succeed, you must view yourself as a business owner, not a substitute employee. You set the terms, prices, and workflows. The client is the expert in their industry, but you are the expert in your service.

"We're working with them, we're collaborating with them... But we're not working for them," Edmond explains.

Clinging to an employee mindset stifles your inner CEO, turning you into an overburdened middle manager rather than an empowered advocate for your own needs. Breaking this habit is difficult; Edmond notes that some people freelance for 15 years without making the shift.

However, it is never too late to rewrite the rules. The ultimate benefit of freelancing is in the name: freedom. By designing a business structure that serves you, you gain the liberty to choose the working conditions that fit your life.

As Edmond puts it, "You are creating the business you need so that you can live the life you want."