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The day I hit 100 rejections in my freelance editing job, I actually felt relieved instead of defeated.
I kept a running tally for 18 months in Columbus, and crossing that number made me realize each no saved me from wasting time on clients who never valued my work; has anyone else found a specific milestone that flipped your perspective like that?
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carter.gavin27d ago
Kept my own tally back when I was freelance editing in Austin and hit 73 rejections before I landed my first retainer client. The thing that flipped it for me was noticing the pattern in those nos. Around rejection 50 I realized every single one came from people who wanted me to match a lower rate or do a free sample edit. Once I started charging more and stopped offering freebies, my yes rate went way up and my rejection pile barely moved. You probably already know this but a "no" from someone who was never gonna pay you fairly is basically free market research. Those 100 rejections just saved you from 100 future headaches.
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Respectfully, that's a weird way to look at it. 100 rejections means 100 times you put yourself out there and got turned down, which shows you were actually trying. But I'd rather focus on the ones that said yes instead. Two big clients that stick with me for years beat a hundred small gigs that needed constant convincing. Those numbers can trick you into feeling like you're winning when you're really just collecting bruises.
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brooke7671mo ago
Ha, fair point but I think you're missing a huge piece of the puzzle. Those 100 rejections taught you what not to do, what kind of clients to avoid, and how to spot a dead end before you waste months on it. You don't get that from two steady clients. Steady clients let you coast. Rejections beat the crap out of your ego but they sharpen your instincts way faster than any yes ever will. Plus, if you never get rejected, you're probably aiming way too low.
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