Entrepreneur or freelancer? You have to pick one

You can either be a successful freelancer or a successful entrepreneur. You can’t be both.

Successful freelancers have one or two main skills that they work hard to refine and master. The better they get at their main skills, the easier the rest of their business gets. If a freelancer becomes the best option in their niche by a mile, then marketing, sales, and profit largely take care of themselves. When freelancers try to expand too far beyond their main skills, and grow their operation into a strange “entrepreneur-envy” middle ground, they reduce their chances of success. 

Successful entrepreneurs have no main skills that are essential to the operation of the business. The better they get at outsourcing, upgrading, empowering, and hiring out the key actions of their business, the easier the rest of their business gets. If an entrepreneur has a team that can execute marketing, sales, and profit without them, they’re well on their way to becoming the best option in their niche. When entrepreneurs try to get too far “into the weeds” by doing everything themselves, and expanding into a “freelancer-envy” middle ground, they reduce their chances of success. 

Both are great business models, but they are virtual opposites in their approaches. One sinks in, while the other flies above. Choose one, and don’t get them confused. There is death in the middle ground.