The greatest enemy that we will all face is the person we will see when we look into a mirror, which is of course ourselves. If you've been following the strategies laid down in this book step-by-step, you should already be working as a freelancer. You should already be marketing your services, you should have a website, and you should also be getting jobs.
Even if you've successfully achieved all these things, you will still need to do more in order to become financially dependent and ultimately wealthy as a freelancer. The most important thing that you must keep in mind is that you will face competition, regardless of what field you choose to enter. If there is no competition, this means that there is no money to be made in your field of choice. Your success is heavily dependent on the ways in which you battle the competition. While most of the world will fail to recognize the Internet as the ultimate money making tool, there will be a small group of people who will, and some of these people will become your competition.
I recently read that East Africa has now established its own Internet network through SEACOM, and this is only the beginning of what we will see in the future. Many countries which are today seen as being poor will become the leaders of tomorrow. This is especially true once these countries are able to cross the “digital divide” and gain access to the Internet. The uneven advantages that countries in the developed world have had over the developing world are beginning to crumble. Those who are able to take advantage of these opportunities will become the masters of tomorrow.
As the Internet continues to expand in developing countries, worldwide competition over the web will continue to increase at a exponential rate. Many freelancers based in developed countries are now complaining because of the competition they face from countries such as India and China, but as more developing countries cross the digital divide, the situation will become even more difficult. Once more people have access to the Internet, you can no longer see having Internet access as giving you an advantage over others. At this point, the key which will allow you to stand out from the crowd is the manner in which you use the Internet.
Earlier in this book, I used the analogy of the rapier. In the 16th century, this was the weapon of choice for many master swordsmen living in Europe. While anyone could pick up a rapier, and swing it around, it took time, patience, knowledge, and discipline in order to use the blade in a manner that was truly lethal. The Internet must be thought of as being like the rapier; while more people around the world are gaining access to it everyday, by learning how to maximize its usage, you will still have the advantage over them.