If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably already decided that freelancing is for you. A lot of preparation, marketing, and follow-up work is involved in setting up as a consultant or contractor. It can be a challenging career to launch into. Lucky for you, we have everything you need to know about getting started as a freelancer in one place.
This guide will walk you through everything. It covers coming up with an approachable niche. It also helps in setting the right rate for your services. In the last few decades, the freelance economy has grown significantly. It shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
In fact, there are now more freelancers than ever before. According to a study by Intuit, approximately 42 million Americans freelanced in some capacity in the past year. This was as of 2016. Reports show that the number of freelancers in the U.S. is expected to continue to increase. Some sources are projecting numbers nearing 80 million within the next few years. Specifically there are projections of the number of freelancers in the U.S. to reach 79.6 million in 2025. Globally, the freelance market is also expanding significantly. Some sources show that there are projected to be over 1.5 billion freelancers world wide.
What Is Freelancing?
Freelancing is the process of working for oneself or for multiple employers without a permanent contract. Freelancing offers the freedom to work from anywhere and choose projects that interest you.
There are many different types of freelancers, such as contractors, consultants, and independent contractors. Some common freelance jobs include Graphic Design, Web Development, Digital Marketing, Copywriting, Content Creation and much more. I hope you’re enjoying this article, now let’s move to the crazy guide to successful Freelancing.
7 Strategies To Successful Freelancing:
1. Before you start freelancing: know who you are and what you’re offering
Knowing who you are is a big part of successfully pitching yourself to potential clients. You also need to understand how you can help them. You’ll have more luck finding clients if you clearly define your niche. You should also specify the services you can offer to people within that niche.
You’ ll also need to be able to show prospects how you can help them. And with all this in mind, here are some questions to ask yourself at the start of your freelance journey. – What are your core strengths? – What are your core values? – What do you want to achieve as a freelancer? – What is your favorite type of work? – Who would benefit from your services the most?
2. Define your niche and plan your marketing
First, you need to define your niche and then decide how you’ ll market yourself to prospective clients. What’s your unique selling proposition? What problem do you solve for your clients? What’s your biggest strength? What’s the pain point you solve for your clients? What’s the main thing you provide to your clients? After that, you need to think about how you’ re going to reach out to your target market. And you can do that in two ways — with an online portfolio and with targeted marketing.
3. Focus on Personal Productivity
Being productive is the most important thing you can do as a freelancer. This might sound obvious, but it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that “I’m great at this!” or “I’ve always been this way!” and therefore don’t need to take steps to improve your productivity.
It’s easy for us to get discouraged when results don’t come right away. This is especially true if we’re just starting out as freelancers. But if you really want success as a freelancer, remember that productivity-boosting things come from within yourself!
4. Create a Killer Portfolio
You can write a 100-page website copy. However, the most compelling way to prove you’re a good fit for your clients is through your portfolio. It shows what you’ve been working on in the past and what you’re capable of doing right now.
You don’t have to have a ton of experience to get clients and start earning money. However, you do need to have a stellar portfolio. – Make sure you’re showing off both your past work and work in progress. Link each project to its corresponding client or business. This way, you can promote them as references.
5. Decide on your rate and find out what you’ll earn per hour
Freelancing allows you to set your own schedule. It also involves setting a rate that is both profitable and approachable to your clients. First, you’ll want to consider your expenses. Think about your monthly bills. Also, plan how you will cover your living costs. You also need to factor in your taxes, retirement savings, and other expenses. You need to consider how much time you’ll be spending on each project. Also, think about how much time you’ll be spending looking for new clients.
6. Be Proactive in Finding Clients
One of the biggest mistakes freelancers make is waiting for clients to come to them. Instead, you should be proactive in finding opportunities and marketing yourself as a freelancer.
There are many ways to find clients:
Look for opportunities on social media platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook that may lead to new clients. You can also post job listings on sites like Upwork, fiverr or Freelancer. These sites are less likely than other types of search engines to be comprehensive, and some people think they’re scams.
If you already have connections with people who work in similar fields and industries, reach out to them. Ask if any of their colleagues would be interested in hiring someone like them. They might give feedback on your skillset too!
7. Always Be Closing!
It’s important to always be closed. This means that you’re actively seeking new clients and working on getting more work. If you’re not pursuing new business, then how can you expect to grow your existing client base?
You don’t have to be aggressive in asking for referrals or raises— but it’s okay if you are! You don’t want someone who is afraid of asking for what they want. They might end up with less work. This happens because they never ask questions or make demands. Meanwhile, their competition has already taken the lead on these things.
When someone takes the initiative themselves and feels confident about their abilities as a freelancer, they can succeed more. This success enhances both quality of life and financial status (more money = better lifestyle).
If you want to start a career as a freelancer, you should know that many resources are available online. In fact, there are even more books and articles about freelance work and there are people who do it!
Final Thoughts
Now that you have all of this in mind, what’s next? Well first off, congratulations! You’re about to embark on a journey. Many people never make this journey because they lack the knowledge or experience necessary to succeed in this industry.
Next up is taking action. Start by investing in yourself with your available resources. This will help you better focus on your work. And finally, always be closing! Remember: no one will ever love you if they don’t know how much time and energy you put into making them happy (and vice versa!).
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