Why Getting More Clients Is Actually Bad Advice for Beginners
A quiet conversation about freelancing, pressure, and choosing work that does not drain you
Let me tell you something I wish someone had told me early on.
When you are new to freelancing, it does not feel like you have many choices.
Every message feels important.
Every potential client feels like an opportunity you cannot afford to miss.
So when someone says, “just get more clients,” it sounds like the right move.
But honestly, it is not always right.
The lesson nobody warned me about
When I was starting, I heard that advice everywhere.
Get more clients. Do not limit yourself. Try every platform. Send more proposals.
And I believed it. I thought if I spread myself everywhere, something would stick.
So I bought Connects on Upwork, opened a Fiverr account (which immediately felt overwhelming), and created a profile on Freelance.com using my admin experience.
Most of the messages I received were scams.
To be fair, that is just my experience.
A lot of people succeed on those platforms. For me, it was messy and confusing at that stage.
I did eventually get a few clients.
Two from Upwork and one from Freelance.com.
At first, I was relieved.
I thought, okay, this is it. I am doing this.
But I made the same mistake I have seen so many beginners make.
I said yes too fast and charged very low rates.
One client ended the contract suddenly with no explanation. I had already organised a big chunk of the work and lost access to the files afterwards. I still got paid, but barely.
Another client kept requesting revisions even though I followed the brief exactly. The contract ended.
Again, low pay.
By the time everything was done, I was exhausted. Not the satisfying kind of tired. The drained kind.
That is when it hit me. Getting clients is not the same as getting good clients.
What I was actually doing wrong
Looking back, I ignored warning signs. I saw decent ratings and skipped over the negative reviews because I really wanted the work.
I was more focused on landing a project than protecting myself.
And freelance platforms can only do so much. They can verify accounts, but they cannot control how people behave.
That desperation cost me time, energy, and, honestly, a bit of my confidence too.
If I am being honest, chasing too many clients early on usually leads to the same few things: getting overworked, dealing with endless revisions, feeling emotionally drained faster than expected, and sometimes walking away with less than you planned..
None of that helps you grow.
What I would tell you now
If you are just starting out, you do not actually need more clients.
- You need fewer, better ones.
- You need time to learn without the pressure of ten different people pulling you in different directions.
- You need space to make mistakes on smaller, lower-stakes work.
- And you need one skill you can slowly get better at, instead of trying to offer everything to everyone.
- It is okay to say no.
- It is okay to slow down.
- It is okay to choose work that feels manageable instead of chasing everything that moves.
Slow progress with the right clients feels boring at first. But it protects your energy and your confidence in the long run.
Both of which matter a lot more than a full client roster that leaves you wanting to close your laptop forever.
Disclosure: This post was originally published in my newsletter, Just Charmaine. If you want posts like this delivered straight to your inbox, you can subscribe here
If you are working on building a freelance foundation that actually holds, the Freelance Complete Starter Kit was made for exactly this stage.
