Be a Freelance Blogger

There are lots of challenges you never realize you’ll need to deal with when you first dream of becoming a freelance blogger.

Some of them you can brace yourself for if you read blogs like this one — things like how to ask for the rate you want, how to avoid problem clients, or how to occasionally shower before dinnertime so your partner doesn’t come home and wonder, for the 40th day in a row, if you are or are not in the exact same position you were when they left for work that morning.

Other challenges don’t get as much airplay on blogging blogs, but when you find yourself commiserating with fellow freelancers, you realize they’re just as prevalent — and just as much a cause of EOFHL (Early Onset Freelancer Hair Loss).

Which is why I think it’s time we talk about something that has nothing to do with productivity or process or profit. That thing?

The incredibly dumb, ridiculous, silly and annoying questions you will find yourself fielding from friends, loved ones and random strangers when they find out what you do for a living.

See if any of these sound familiar to you…

Landing a client can be a big deal. Like your first kiss big deal. (Judgment aside, this hopefully isn’t how you got the client.)

You’re geeked. You love this client for giving you the chance to prove your mad blogging skills and you’re certain you’ve found a slice of freelance blogging nirvana.

Then, some weird stuff starts going down with client. Still, your sheer appreciation for the opportunity keeps the eternal flame of love aglow. It is in this ardor that you may not recognize that the client could actually be an asshole bad news. After all, love is blind.

So to help you see more clearly, here’s a rundown of six types of clients around whom you’ll want to steer a wide berth.