A couple of years ago, I wrote a post called “8 Ways Freelance Editors Can Act More Like Business Owners.” Recently, Matt Beardmore asked me on LinkedIn to expand on one of those points:
A business owner decides what the work is and how it should be done.
It’s a fair question. When clients come to us with projects, how can we be the ones deciding what the work is? Let me break this down into two parts.
Advising the Client on What the Work Should Be
Let’s say a client contacts you asking for proofreading. You ask some follow-up questions and learn that they just finished the manuscript, and no one else has seen it yet. You review a sample and, as you suspected, it’s nowhere near ready for a proofread. Maybe it needs line editing, copyediting, or even developmental editing.
As a business owner, you have a choice. You can tell the client what you think the manuscript actually needs and why. You can offer those services yourself or recommend someone who offers them if you don’t. Or you could perform the service the client asked for—preferably after explaining why a proofread alone is unlikely to get them where they want to go.
Either way, you are making the choice about what work you’re willing to do. The client chooses what they’re willing to purchase. That’s a business relationship between equals, rather than an employee following directions.
This can feel uncomfortable, especially when you’re newer to freelancing. But advising clients honestly—even when it means telling them something they don’t want to hear—builds trust and positions you as a professional, not just a pair of hands.
Controlling How the Work Gets Done
The second part of “deciding the work” is about process. By definition, freelancers and contractors supply their own equipment, set their own hours, and determine the steps required to fulfill a service.
A client can’t tell you which software to use, though it makes sense to work in the same format they give you the manuscript in. They can’t dictate how you approach the edit. If your process is to run PerfectIt; then edit the headings, figures and tables, the body, and citations; and then run spell check and PerfectIt again, that’s your call. A client can’t demand you do it in a different order.
Clients can certainly request that you follow a specific set of steps. But it’s up to you whether to follow them. And if a client makes a task that you don’t want to do a condition of hiring you, you can turn down the work.
That’s a freedom employees don’t have. It’s also a responsibility. Owning your process means developing one that works—and being able to explain why it does.
The Mindset Shift
Both of these points come down to the same shift in mindset: You’re not waiting for someone to hand you tasks and tell you how to complete them. You’re running a business. You assess the situation, make recommendations, and deliver results using your expertise and your methods.
It doesn’t mean ignoring what clients want. It means using your professional judgment and making intentional decisions about what you’re willing to do and how.
Struggling to make this shift? I offer business coaching for freelance editors who want to build confidence in running their businesses. Let’s talk.
