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3 Lessons from My First Year as a Freelance Writer

Mansura Ghaffar

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That’s me!

On Halloween 2019, a few months before COVID-19 arrived in the United States and uprooted our lives; I made a bold and difficult decision to leave a successful career in public relations and set-off on a path to become a freelance writer. Scary, right?

Part of a two-income family, I was acutely aware of the safety net I was risking by making this choice. Voluntarily bidding farewell to a steady income and benefits, in hindsight, may not seem like the wisest choice as our economy continues to stumble through the pandemic. Still, I had reached a crossroads in my life and found myself needing to make this decision despite the uncertainty that came with it.

Although I haven’t reached the financial goals that I set out for myself initially, considering what we’ve collectively had to experience in 2020, I’m happy to say that my first year as a freelancer hasn’t been a complete wash. Three lessons stand out as I navigate these uncharted waters. Although they may seem obvious, freelancing reinforced these truths in a way working for an employer never could. I’ve accepted them as the golden rules of business, and when respected, they can translate into immense success.

Your network is your core clientele

90% of my work is thanks to people within my network. When I kicked off freelancing…

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Mansura Ghaffar
Mansura Ghaffar

Written by Mansura Ghaffar

SEO Content Writer + Strategist || Freelance hustler by day, fiction writer by night | www.mansuraghaffar.com

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