How Expert Help Will Fuel Your Freelance Success

expert help Getting help from experts who’ve been in your shoes makes it much easier to build and sustain a successful freelance business. You’ll be able to build your business faster, without learning by trial and error, and with a lot less stress.

If you’re like most freelancers, building and sustaining a successful freelance business is really hard. You have the skills to provide your freelance services. But you don’t know much about running a business. And you may not know much about the freelance marketplace and the best opportunities for you.

“As a freelancer, you have to wear all the hats needed to run the business, especially when you are first starting out,” says Crystal Herron, PhD, ELS. Crystal runs Redwood Ink, which helps researchers and other professional writers transform complex scientific and medical language into clear, concise, and compelling writing.

These hats include establishing the right business structure, managing your time, marketing, nurturing client relationships, dealing with contracts and other legal documents, information technology, accounting and financial planning, building your systems and processes, setting rates, continuous learning, and much more.

Experts Save You Time

“You don’t know what you don’t know,” says Abigale Miller, MSc. “Someone might feel really prepared, but then an unexpected problem pops up and it can be hard to know how to deal with it.” Abigale hosts The Anthill, a virtual coworking community for medical writers.

What you don’t know early in your freelance career includes what’s normal for freelancers. “If you don’t know what others are going through, it can feel like you’re the only one having trouble, when really, parts of the experience are pretty universal,” says Abigale.

“Without help in the form of a mentor, coach, or trusted colleague you can spend a lot of (wasted) time flailing trying to figure it out on your own,” says Morgan Leafe, MD. Morgan provides career counseling for physicians who want to transition into medical writing.

“Many freelancers try to learn all these things on their own, which is challenging and time-consuming. Take it from me—I learned the hard way through a lot of trial and error,” says Crystal.

Build Your Business Faster and More Easily with Expert Help

Experts can help you overcome obstacles, seize opportunities, and build a successful and sustainable freelance business. While new freelancers usually benefit most from expert help, sustaining a successful business also takes work.

expert help

“Experts can provide feedback, reassurance, and benchmarks about what is and is not acceptable. They should also be able to point freelancers to relevant resources and help them make connections with peers and sometimes clients,” says Alexandra (Alex) Howson, PhD, CHCP, FACEhp.

Alex is the founder of WriteCME Pro, a professional development and resource hub for medical writers who specialize in CME writing, and host of the Write Medicine podcast.

Working with an expert early in your freelance career “gives you a better chance of getting things right on the first try and avoiding some of the delay involved in a ‘trial and error’ approach,” says Abigale.

“An expert can give you ongoing support as you adjust to life as a freelancer and continue to build and pivot your business in a way that aligns with the business you want to create. With this support, you can confidently create a business that you love in less time and with a lot less effort,” says Crystal.

Learn What’s Normal in Freelancing

You can learn what’s normal in freelancing and in your industry and manage the challenges that are part of freelancing by working with an expert. “Experts can help freelancers who are new to the field see potential potholes and navigate the terrain with a little more ease,” says Alex. “Having someone flag up potential challenges ahead helps you be more prepared.”

“By working with someone who has already traveled the freelance path and learned from their own challenges, you get the benefit of experience without the trial and error,” adds Morgan.

Also, experts can provide a reality check for how long things should take or how much work is involved. They can help you understand and deal with common situations and challenges that most freelancers face and solve challenges that are less common.

More confidence is another benefit of getting expert help. “It’s normal to lack confidence when you are starting out as a freelancer. After all, you are embarking on a totally new path, and not everyone has the courage to do that,” says Morgan. “Enlisting expert help as a freelancer builds your support network and confidence in your ability to build your own successful business.”

How to Identify Real Freelance Experts

Real experts use a proven process, deliver realistic results, and care about your success. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fake and instant experts out there. Fake experts are con artists who don’t have the expertise they’re selling. Instant experts don’t have the experience or expertise to teach other people.

“An expert is someone who has comprehensive knowledge, lived experience, and authoritative leadership in a particular area. They often have unique perspectives and advice, and they monitor trends so that they can adapt to changes in their field,” says Crystal.

For example, Crystal has dedicated herself to learning about writing and productivity and synthesizing information to identify trends and develop new ideas. She is a long-time educator, former scientist-in-training, and clinical researcher who struggled to write well. “I’ve overcome some of the same challenges that scientists and clinicians face when shifting to a career in writing. I can share my own struggles and how I overcame them to become an editor and writing coach,” she says.

Experts Understand Freelance Challenges

Understanding the challenges freelancers face, offering high-quality resources for learning, and being respected by other experts is crucial to Alex. “An expert works to understand the client’s experience, listens carefully and asks questions to gather information from the person seeking expertise. This helps the expert target their support, coaching, etc.,” she says. She also identifies experts based on the recommendations of other experts.

Alex built a CME-specific freelance writing business from scratch and sustained the business for almost 20 years. She is well-connected in the CME field, has published peer-reviewed publications in CME, and teaches in the University of Chicago Medical Writing and Editing Certificate Program.

Look for Experience and Success

Morgan looks for experience and success in experts. “While the amount of experience and the definition of success are variable, it’s important to know that an expert’s accomplishments are in line with what you want for yourself,” she says.

As a former pediatrician, Morgan traveled the same road as many other physicians who consider leaving clinical medicine. “It was a tough and emotional journey, and I am incredibly grateful that I discovered the field of medical writing, which is really a perfect fit for me,” she says. Now, Morgan counsels other physicians who want to transition into medical writing.

Abigale also looks for experience in an expert, including with the ups and downs of freelancing. “That helps reassure me that the person is an expert,” she says.

As a medical writer since 2007 and a freelancer since 2016, Abigale knows both the business of medical writing and freelancing. She has been running The Anthill since 2020.

And I’ve been freelancing since 1997. Through marketing I built a 6-figure freelance business in 18 months—and have sustained it since then. I started teaching other freelancers about marketing informally through articles and presentations for professional associations in 1999. In 2014, I wrote my first book on marketing for freelancers. Since then, I’ve written 3 more books, launched the Freelance Success blog, and helped hundreds of other freelancers build stable, successful businesses through my online course, Finding the Freelance Clients You Deserve.

Crystal, Alex, Morgan, Abigale, and I each have years of experience as successful freelancers. All of us freely share our knowledge and experience with other freelancers. And all of us truly want to help other freelancers succeed.

How to Make Sure Experts are Really Experts

Always evaluate the experience and expertise of any expert you’re thinking about working with, even if someone you trust recommended the expert. If you found the expert on your own, be even more thorough in checking them out.

“When I look for an expert to help me in my business, I want to feel confident that their expertise is deep and they have a record of helping other people with similar challenges,” says Alex. “I don’t want coaching from someone who has only been in my field for five minutes,” she says.

Seek Recommendations from People You Trust

One of the best ways to find real expert help is by asking people you trust for recommendations. Reach out to other freelancers who have worked with the expert you’re considering.

Abigale suggests asking some very specific questions of people who have worked with the expert:

What did you get out of the course or product?
Would you buy it again?
Who would you recommend or not recommend the course or program to?

Many of my students tell me that they took Finding the Freelance Clients You Deserve after another freelancer recommended it to them. Most of Crystal’s clients and the students in her Scientific Writing Simplified are referrals from people she’s worked with or taught before.

Evaluate the Expert’s Experience and Expertise

Look for experts with a proven track record of success in their field, relevant experience, and positive testimonials and case studies from freelancers who’ve worked with them.

“If you’re like me, you won’t even buy a new shampoo from Amazon without reading the customer reviews, so don’t treat your professional development any differently. Look for customer testimonials and stories of success on the expert’s website,” says Morgan.

Review the expert’s LinkedIn profile and activity. Their profile will show you how much and what type of experience and training they have. “Browse their posts to see what they are contributing to others. Check out any other social media profiles to learn about the expert,” says Crystal. Also, explore the expert’s website.

Follow the Expert Before Buying Anything

Before buying anything, follow the expert for a while. Read, listen to, or watch their blogs, podcasts, videos, and other content. Most experts have e-newsletters that make it easy for you to get their latest content.

Follow the expert on LinkedIn. Read and comment on their posts. Look for useful, supportive responses to your comments, and to the comments other people make on their posts.

Ask Questions and Expect Good Answers

Before Alex works with an expert, she likes to have a quick conversation with the person to see if they would work well together. It’s great to do this, either by Zoom, phone, or email. Ask questions about the course, coaching, or program.

“Be wary of anyone who gives you the runaround or makes you feel bad for asking questions,” says Morgan.

For example, I always encourage freelancers to ask questions about my course. My course webpage and LinkedIn posts mention this and include my email address so they can easily do this.

If an expert won’t answer your questions about working with them, they won’t be generous with their guidance and support. You don’t want to work with them.

If an expert can’t answer your questions or acts frustrated by them, it’s because they don’t fully understand what they claim to be teaching and can’t explain it any better. Find a real expert to help you.

And if an expert knows “everything” about their field, be careful. “A true expert is upfront about the limits of their expertise. It’s a red flag if someone talks as though they know the answer to every possible scenario, or that their ‘system’ or course will help everyone,” says Abigale.

Walk Away from Outlandish Promises of Success

“If anyone promises you a specific income level or outcome from using their services, I would walk away. This is unrealistic and a tactic used by salespeople, not true experts,” says Morgan.

In marketing a freelance business, for example, I’ve seen promises like “Get all the clients you need in 30 days” and “Make $250,000 a year as a freelancer.” No freelancer will ever get enough clients in 30 days. And few freelancers will make $250,000 a year. I’ve even seen outlandish claims promising freelancers that they can make 7 figures a year.

“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” says Abigale.

When You Might Not Need Expert Help

There may be times when it doesn’t make sense to hire an expert, or when working with an expert is a way to avoid focusing on what’s most important in building your freelance business. “Signing up for too many courses or programs at once can spread you too thin, and make it difficult to make the most of each investment,” says Abigale.

Also, sometimes freelancers take courses or sign up for programs because this is easier or less scary than doing the hard work that’s necessary to build their freelance business. While you should always be learning, you need to make building your freelance business the priority.

Get the expert help you need to build your business. Once your business is stable, you can take more courses and join more programs to help you with other aspects of freelancing.

Expert Help: Your Shortcut to Success

Seeking expert help will fuel your freelance business, making it easier for you to overcome the challenges all freelancers face and seize more opportunities. You’ll be able to build a successful and sustainable freelance business faster and with less stress.

About the Featured Experts

***Crystal* Herron, PhD, ELS, *Redwood Ink***

Crystal is an editor, educator, and coach who helps scientists, clinicians, and other professional writers communicate with clear, concise, and compelling writing. In 2017, she founded Redwood Ink to equip researchers and other professional writers with the principles, resources, and systems they need to write compelling manuscripts and grants that strive to improve health and health care.

Crystal’s LinkedIn profile

Abigale Miller, MSc., The Anthill

The Anthill is a tight-knit group of members who support each other through the ups and downs of running a freelance business. We celebrate, commiserate, and troubleshoot. And it’s fun! The community includes:

An online platform for questions, resources, and chats
Regular calls for discussions about issues in medical writing and freelancing
Events like weekly planning and book club
Coworking time.

Abigale’s LinkedIn profile

Alexandra (Alex) Howson, PhD, CHCP, FACEhp, *Write CME Pro***

Membership in WriteCME Pro provides strategic guidance, a clear framework for success, and a deep understanding of the CME landscape through ongoing support, access to industry experts, and practical skill-building sprints. Members meet at least three times a month for group coaching, portfolio building, and expert perspective sessions. Members also get personalized guidance from Alex via Voxer.

Alex’s LinkedIn profile

Morgan Leafe, MD

Morgan offers career counseling for physicians who are interested in pursuing a career in medical writing. She helps aspiring physician medical writers accelerate their careers by offering clear and concise guidance on the medical writing field.

Morgan’s LinkedIn profile

Lori De Milto, The Mighty Marketer

The Mighty Marketer helps freelancers get the clients they deserve. Lori uses a proven process, based on what works best for freelancers, to help other freelancers build stable, successful freelance businesses. She shares this process through the Freelance Success Blog, how-to guides, and courses.

Lori’s LinkedIn profile

Lori’s freelance website