What I wish I knew before becoming a social media manager!

We can all agree that becoming a freelancer is a dream we all have while working in a 9 - 5, and for me, with the skills I had, becoming a social media manager was a no-brainer.

There are so many articles out there on the skills you need to become a social media manager; I even did a blog about it just last week. BUT what are the things no one is sharing with you?

To be honest, my freelancing journey has not been what I expected...AT ALL! When I first started in 2020 (when I first started thinking of this as a real job opportunity), but it was everything I needed.

One of the things I learned from the get-go is there is no map on what to do when and when to turn down a different lane. The number of times I wished I could open a handbook, look at the index and turn to the page where I could find the solution to what I was looking for...I don't have enough fingers to count!

When you work at a 9 - 5, you always have someone you can ask; there is only you as a freelancer! Because I was still learning, I did not have any process in place. However, as I learned more and more, I was able to streamline my processes.

Remember: No one said it would be easy!

If you thought being your boss was easy...think again!

You have to be a self-starter and be very dedicated to getting things done. The amount of times I would rather stay in bed in my PJs and not do anything is scary, but this is not what I wanted to do. So I have a start time and end time, I focus on the money-generating activities that help me attract clients into my biz.

One tip I can give you here is to always set goals and deadlines for yourself.

This one is all over social media at the moment...undercharging for your services and overwork to achieve your money goals.

I was so desperate to get clients that I was signing all the low-paying clients, if I had to think back there was one client I charged less than my lowes package and the work was the same as my highest package.

Yes, this is normal and a lot of us start here coz we are not confident in what we offer or even know.

P.S: I have a freebie to help you in 6 steps on how to confidently price your packages.

Yip, nightmare clients don't just exist in blogs or entrepreneurial stories. The biggest thing is to be of them and to stand up for yourself when confronted by one (hahaha I just made them sound like a wild animal).

These are the type of clients that become a pain in the ass, micro-manage everything you do, and always has just one more revision to make. They are the ones that never pay you on time or doubts your expertise the entire time...yet they hired you!

Yes, you can fire your client!

Just because they are on your top paying package does not mean you have to work with them as your client. Can you imagine all the time they take up and now you don't have the time or energy to work with someone else...you could be working with 2 clients paying the same high ticket pricing but you are working with just this one that drains the energy out of everything you love.

You deserve more money and more hours to serve your clients!

If you left your 9 - 5 thinking you are going to work less...guess again.

As you start your business and building your awareness you will be working harder than ever before and let's be honest this will only get better once you have the systems in place.

Working from home, the work/life balance can be harder.

Having a healthy work/life balance takes effort, and sometimes it takes a lot of it. But it is SO important.

If you don’t put conscious effort into your life and happiness outside of work, you risk burning out. Burnout is a real psychological thing and it affects your entire life.

It happens to everyone...more often than you think!

If I had to think how many times I felt like an imposter and thought to myself that I should just go back to my 9 - 5! And let's be honest some of the biggest names out there also still experience imposter syndrome.

You have to remember the more you know and learn the more you will feel like an imposter, but find a way to manage this coz we both know you are AMAZING!

And stop comparing yourself to someone else, they might not even be on the path you want to travel or they might be months ahead of where you are.

STOP WAITING UNTIL IT IS PERFECT!

As you start your journey you are going to suck most of the time and this is normal. This is where your mindset will be key!

When I look back at the work I have done for clients in the past (yikes), it was bad but at the time My clients loved them and they paid me for it, and to be honest. this is only visible to me now coz I have leveled up.

You will never get better if you don't start!

Investing in yourself should be a no-brainer, this does not always mean money, your time is also an investment.

Joining a group coaching program or signing up for a course on Udemy, Skillshare, etc will help you learn a new skill and hone in on existing ones. One tip (ok more than one) I have for you when it comes to finding the right group coaching program for you is to:

- Find a coach that is where you want to be

- Just because the chars $6000 does not mean the course is worth the paper it was planned on

- If they seem too eager to just close the sale and tell you to get a credit card to pay...RUN!

Harmless plug: If you are looking to crank up your social media business check out Sociale Media Academy!

🤓 P.S: As I exposed myself more and more to the world of becoming a freelancer, I slowly became more empowered to embrace the idea of becoming a social media business coach.

With small and patient steps and a boost in self-confidence, I changed careers yet again and Sociale Media Creators were born!