In recent years, there has been a huge increase in the number of freelancers emerging from Africa, especially in Nigeria. Unfortunately, their freelance career fades out before it even begins. So many negating factors befall Africans aiming to build a brand and earn a living from the freelance market.
WARNING
What I’m about to share may be distasteful but surely, it’s for your good, trust me!
In this article, I’m going to tell you why you shouldn’t think of becoming a freelancer as an African if you haven’t done your homework properly. You’re simply going to add to the already massive list of those who tried and failed miserably.
Why African freelancers fail
There are several typical reasons why African freelancers tend to fail.
Societal acceptance
Freelancing has been around for over a decade but it wasn’t until recently that it started getting recognized in Africa. Youth in Nigeria will bear witness that there are set out qualifications and degrees that are highly revered in the country. Others are simply seen as ‘meh!’
You can’t even categorically tell someone you are a freelancer. They are going to give you the, “what on earth are you talking about” look.
I still remember the first time I introduced myself to a friend’s father, back in 2013.
“You’re a what?!” Then poor man echoed.
“I’m a freelance writer, sir. I write for a living.”
To date, that man never believed it was possible to earn a sustainable living ‘writing’ for people I didn’t know.
This scenario still plays out daily between young freelancers and their colleagues, family, and friends.
One thing is certain, freelancing is just recently being accepted as a means of livelihood in Africa.
If you don’t have a clear vision of what you want to do or where you want to go, you’re going to succumb to the pressures of seeing freelancing as a side hustle with very little pay.
Stereotype
Let’s face it, stereotyping exists in many freelance platforms especially when it comes to young unestablished freelancers. A client is likely not to hire a Nigerian freelancer because of the nation’s record with fraud and internet trickery. Here’s something really cool; even Africans don’t hire themselves as a result of this stereotype.
With such “Africans cannot be trusted” belief seated comfortably at the back of a client’s mind, when they eventually hire you, it wouldn’t be as stress-free as it should be. This is why you see so many freelancers;
✓Accepting jobs way below their rates.
✓Choosing client satisfaction over their feelings.
Since you aren’t the cause of the stigma, how then can you get by?
Keep reading, I’ll give you a precise answer to this shortly.
Finding clients
While this is more of a general problem with young freelancers everywhere, it’s worse amongst African freelancers (for obvious reasons; see 2nd point).
The art of finding clients on freelance platforms is truly well underrated. So many freelancers stay weeks and even months without getting an interview.
It’s not that they don’t send out proposals and bids, they do. Most even exhaust their monthly proposal allocations without getting a message from any client.
Basically, this is what happens when you rush into the freelance market without a plan. Freelance platforms average over 10 million users, you might think getting a job should be straightforward.
Well. It’s not!
Like I said earlier finding clients is an art that needs to be mastered.
Don’t get me wrong, of course, clients will find you, some will even engage you. But, when you master the art of finding the exact clients you want, you’d understand why many people quit their day jobs to become full-time freelancers and later on solopreneurs.
Motivation
✓Wake up in the morning.
✓Log in to your favorite freelance platform
✓No messages.
✓Send out some proposals/bids
✓Wait for messages/interview
✓The day runs out, goes to bed.
✓Next morning; Repeat yesterday.
How long do you think this guy will do this before running out of patience? Obviously, with each passing day, his motivation level will drop lower until he can’t take it anymore. Before you know it, he starts forgetting to log into his account, and soon, you’ll see him settling for something else (unhappily).
Here’s what you’re going to hear from such people.
“I tried that freelance thing, it wasn’t for me”.
“Fiverr sucks!”
“Upwork/PeoplePerHour sucks!”
“I did my best, they just didn’t want to hire me”.
“There are no successful people there!”
This is the life of an average freelancer with no plan. They struggle with motivation. They don’t know where to go, what to do nor whose footsteps to follow.
They just stay online (for those that do), doing nothing, waiting for jobs to come, till they give up.
Time management
In Nigeria, like most places in Africa, time management is a big factor. Ending the day’s work, beating traffic, and completing your freelance task might prove too stressful most times. This is especially true for part-time freelancers. Bear in mind that most of your projects will be coming from clients in different time zones.
Unstable power supply and poor network reception also play major roles in how you’re able to beat deadlines. If you don’t master how to utilize your time, you’re going to have a lot of;
✓Late deliveries
✓Missed messages/interviews.
✓Missed job opportunities
Of course, these are only going to frustrate you even more and before you know it, you’ve quit freelancing for good.
HOW NOT TO FAIL
So basically, I’ve told you in detail why you’re going to fail as an African freelancer. Allow me to show you how not to fail.
Warning: This is the really hard part!
I’ll try and match each point here with a corresponding point in the problems section above
Figure out what you want
Really! What do you want?
Why do you want to become a freelancer?
Are you in it because your peers are doing it?
Are you in it because you heard there’s so much money there?
Are you in it because you want to solve problems?
If you can’t tell yourself in all honesty why you want to become a freelancer, you won’t survive when ‘societal unacceptance’ comes breathing down your neck.
I mean, what are you going to tell your favorite uncle, when he asks you why you don’t want to work at a firm (9 AM – 5 PM).
Understand that there are freelancing opportunities for virtually every skill on Earth. You just have to decide it’s what you want and you’re ready to face the music and carry your cross.
I usually tell African freelancers on the verge of giving up to persist, because, in the next 3 years, freelancing would be the new 9 – 5 in their country.
Create an irresistible profile
68% of the time a client goes through your profile, they only need 30 seconds to decide whether to hire you or not. “What of the stereotypes/stigma you talked about?”
Granted, some would think twice about your nationality (African/Nigerian) but trust me, if your profile reeks of professionalism and expertise, they’d want to have a chat with you.
Your profile should be able to bring you out as a skilled professional, who is ready to solve their clients’ problems.
Having a weak profile as an African is a recipe for disaster.
“I am a good writer with great English command, I will help you write quality copies, please contact me let me write for you”.
Or
“As a skilled writer, I’ve written copies for major agencies across the fashion industry that have massively increased their sales.
Which of these profiles would you be interested in contacting?
Trust me, in as much as the stereotype exists, if you can prove without a doubt that you’re a master of your domain, clients wouldn’t mind where you’re from.
Skill-up and become a master – Master client searching
As I’ve said before, so many freelancers rush into the industry without a good plan. Yes, you’re a good designer, you have the skills. But are you willing to get even better? Are you willing to become a master?
Of course, you don’t have to level up as soon as you get started. Rome wasn’t built in a day after all. But, you can intentionally strive to become better at the niche you’re skilled at. The more skilled you are, the more clients find you irresistible.
Oh, wait! I haven’t told you how to find clients yet?
Every freelance platform has search options. Upwork even has specific filters where you could find high-paying clients in different industries. Learn to cold pitch like a pro.
I know you probably dread that phrase but trust me, so do a million other freelancers in your niche (which is why you should do it). With a good pitch and expertise to back it up, clients will be pleased to work with you.
I can’t stress this enough, make sure you’re ready to get better at what you’re already good at. The competition out there is real, so you have to give clients irresistible reasons to hire you.
Persist – Stay motivated
I’ll always tell colleagues that the only reason to lose motivation in something you wanted to do, is because you never really did your homework.
When it comes to freelancing, persistence is key. To persist you need to be motivated.
“How do you stay motivated?” I can’t answer that question now as an established freelancer who has earned thousands of dollars, with so many friends in the industry.
Let me answer this question Instead. “How did you stay motivated?”
Starting as a young freelancer in the industry, I told myself I was going to earn $100 in my first 3 months ($100 was a lot of money for a young Nigerian back then).
While I didn’t know so many things I knew now, I was able to leverage the availability of pros in my industries. I studied them and implemented their approach, tweaking and adjusting every day till I got my first gig. It was a translation project for a lady from Myanmar. She paid me $113.
With the availability of materials, coaches, and mentors in today’s world, it’s heartbreaking when I see new freelancers giving up.
Platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter have made access to these things very easy. Yet you don’t wish to leverage? There are so many successful African freelancers in the world right now. A lot of them have built 6-figure brands and businesses solely from their freelance earnings. 91% of them started with no support whatsoever, yet you want to give up?
You know what? Staying motivated is a choice. Do what you want!
Think like a brand
The moment you become a freelancer, you’re no longer just an individual. You’ve become a brand; think Coca Cola, Apple, Amazon.
As a Brand, you are obligated to meet your clients’/customers’ needs at all times. Meaning you need the right workspace and tools.
Try as much as possible to create a work area around your home. This should be a ‘no distraction’ zone.
Make sure the right tools are accessible to you as well. Most freelance platforms have mobile apps. With this and proper timezone research, you won’t miss any messages or interviews.
If you’re suffering from poor reception or power supply, find a way to get backup batteries, an alternative supply, etc.
This is a brand, make provisions for the proper functioning of your business.
If you can implement these as early as possible, you’d be well on your way to success as an African freelancer.
Some successful African freelancers
Here are some inspiring examples of African freelancers who are totally crushing it on freelance sites!
PenPrince, a Nigerian PR and outreach expert, has completed over 1,800 projects and has helped over 500 clients on PeoplePerHour. These are insane numbers!
Sherif Lawal, a virtual assistant from Ghana, has earned over $20,000 on Upwork and the rare Top Rated Plus status with just 33 jobs!
Also Alex Wanja from Kenya has the Top Rated Plus status on Upwork. He has earned over $11,000 from just one client – a true virtual assistant rockstar!
Olaniyi Musediq from Nigeria is a Top Rated Plus freelancer too with over $20,000 earnings and is currently doing several long-term content writing jobs on Upwork!
Emmy Dave, a brand awareness copywriter from Nigeria, has finished 266 projects on Fiverr with great client satisfaction!
Praise Ohanwe from Nigeria can earn thousands of dollars by writing just one e-book on Upwork!
If these examples do not convince you that you can indeed go join a freelance site and make a killing when working for foreign clients, I don’t know what will!
