Business can be cruel, especially when competition is at play. When you're a freelancer you'll undoubtedly come across some toxic characters who ruin your day with their negative drivel. You might encounter these people on Twitter or even at networking events. No matter how you cross paths, it's certainly not nice discovering how bitchy the business world can be.
But why do freelancers and other businesses get nasty? Why can't we all just live in a world where we all look out for each other? Especially when many of us are isolated, working from home and need all the help and support we can get? Now don't get me wrong - I'm talking about a tiny minority of people here. Most of the freelancers I've come across are fantastic, hard-working people who love helping others and are warm and friendly. It's just always that tiny minority who ruin it for everyone else.
How you tackle these people is what's important and this is where you should learn to ignore them. That's right - ignore. Block, hit delete and eradicate them from your life because life is far too short to worry about people who don't matter. But if you still need to rationalise their bad behaviour, then read these top reasons why freelancers turn nasty and hopefully you'll feel a lot better and quickly move on with your life...
You've made a success of yourself
The number one reason why freelancers might dislike you? You've made a success of yourself. In business, many egos are at play. If you've done better than they have, they'll be jealous. Simple as. What they don't realise is how incredibly hard you worked to make a success of your business. They might not know how many hours you put in. Or the difficult times you went through to get to where you are today. And for these reasons, you should remember that you've worked hard and that's nothing to be ashamed of. You should only pat yourself on the back and be proud of your success.
You've got something they want
You might have an incredible product, website or service that other freelancers wish they'd thought of first. They'll possibly attempt to copy and make their own versions. And when it doesn't work and they realise the niche has already been filled? They'll hate you for it and attempt to bring you down by attacking your product or brand. Don't let their strange attitude get to you! Just feel grateful that you thought of your idea first and you've worked hard to make it a success.
You've ignored their request for help
Sometimes, freelancers can approach other freelancers for help. But if you're too busy? You have to say no and turn them down. Some people take this personally and go on an ego-trip, bringing foolish pride into play. This isn't your problem. You simply couldn't help out and if that's an issue - then you certainly did the right thing turning them down.
You won a client over them
Ever since you 'stole' their client, you've been an enemy to them. Even the mere mention of your name sends them into a flying rage and rant over how you won business that was rightfully theirs. Don't worry about winning business over other freelances. You're not doing anything wrong. You've rightfully won the work and they haven't. They should get over it.
You've beaten them in the search engines
Local SEO can become quite competitive, especially when you consider certain keywords. 'Graphic Designer London', for example, probably gets thousands of results. If you're above other freelancers, it might make you unpopular. Don't sweat it! You need to be above them to get recognised by potential clients and that's far more important than being liked by other freelancers.
You've got more skills than they have
Good freelancers will always strive to better themselves. People who are confident in their abilities will focus on their own skills and work hard to improve them all the time. Some freelancers turn nasty because they lack confidence in themselves and their abilities. They'll attack others because it makes them feel better. Let them worry about their work and you just concentrate on your own. You can't help it if others are struggling and you're doing well. You've done nothing wrong, so just ignore their negativity.
And with my tongue firmly in my cheek, those are some of the top reasons why freelancers turn nasty. If you can share anything else, just comment below. The whole purpose of this article is to show you how ridiculous the freelance world can be sometimes and why you should ignore those who are negative.
