There are 3 sides to working for yourself. Mastering the following 3 areas will absolutely help you make a success at freelancing.

The Technician:

Most of your time is going to be spent as the worker bee. Going about daily tasks, answering the phone, dealing with client problems, and writing the code. This is the easy part, as most freelancers know their job well and are highly skilled in this area.

How to increase your technical skills:

Online forums & tutorials, training courses and degrees, asking people in the know for tips. [Recommended website: webdesignfromscratch.com]

The Manager:

This is where most people (including myself sometimes) slip up. It can be very easy to focus all your attention on being a Technician, because you suck at the business/accounting/marketing side of things. I for one find most of this stuff boring as heck, but if you don’t get this area handled you are going to wake up one day with a mountain of paperwork and debt you don’t know how to deal with, or no clients at all because you didn’t market yourself enough.

How to increase your managerial skills:

Experience in the real world is by far the most effective way, but also materials such as marketing or sales books and learning how to deal with people by studying psychology. This can help a lot when working with clients, even if you have no employees to manage. [Recommended: How to Win Friends & Influence People]

The Entrepreneur:

Another side of working for yourself often overlooked. Have you ever thought about the long-term goals of your business? Where do you want it to be in 5 years time? Being the Entrepreneur means keeping track of your direction, and keeping the passion alive. You can be working on a difficult project all day, but if you’re excited about waking up to go to work in the morning it stops being hard work and turns into playtime – all the time.

If you find yourself lacking focus, like wandering off to check your email and watch a couple of funny YouTube videos in the middle of a job, you need to work on this area. It will help keep your attention hyper-focussed on your long-term goals, and short-term gratification will melt away.

How to increase your entrepreneurial skills:

Motivational books are great for inspiration and to make you passionate about life. Get into the habit of reviewing your personal and business goals.
[Recommended: Think and Grow Rich]

Closing The Gap

Don’t worry if you really suck in one of these areas, if you don’t have the time or just hate maths like I do, hire an accountant for example. If you don’t have an artistic bone in your body but need a flashy website, hire a designer. It will save you countless headaches and allow you to work to your strengths, not your weaknesses.