We change many occupations throughout our lifetimes. We grow and develop new skills, sometimes abandoning old ones. Well, they don’t have to go to waste. Use all of your abilities while freelancing and earn some extra money online.
Benefits Of Freelancing
So, why would one become a freelancer? Apart from broadening your portfolio and resume, freelance work offers a lot more benefits.
Flexible schedule. If you’re used to working in the office, transferring to freelance will be a breeze. Now, you’ll be working from home and setting your work hours. Some find scheduling challenging at first, but it grants you more freedom regarding your workload. At the same time, freelance can be a great side hustle.
Self-management. Every freelancer decides what their income will be. While some opt to take up projects on the side, increasing their potential salary, others dive into freelancing fully. Either way, there’s a possibility to earn more and increase your rate often.
Variety. Working in the office can become extremely mundane. As a freelancer, you pick what projects to take up. That presents you with a new possibility to work with diverse clients and never get bored. Your creativity will be on the rise!
However, if you feel like your work-life balance skill needs more practice, try to take up micro jobs and small tasks to work on your schedule. Taking easily manageable tasks can help you gain more confidence in your skills.
Starting Your Career
Although it’s easy to become a freelancer in theory (after all, you only need your laptop), there are a few steps you need to stick to first in practice.
Find your desired occupation and target audience
Consider your skills and interests if you’re unsure about your desired occupation. What did you usually do at your full-time jobs? What are your hobbies? Create a list of up to 15 of your passions and work around it – it’s essential to pick an occupation that you love.
Look into freelance services online and see what exactly clients are looking for. Your skills might be fit to find a solution to their problems. After finally figuring out your future niche, write a short explanation of what you do and who you want to work with.
Work on your freelance taxes
Now, it’s time to set your pricing. It’s not as scary and complicated as it seems at first. Every freelancer sets their rates based on these points:
- experience;
- education;
- demand;
- general prices in your niche;
- average hourly rates in your niche;
- location.
It’ll take some time to set a realistic rate. Try not to price yourself too high – your potential clients will choose your competitors. At the same time, don’t underestimate your services, or you won’t make enough money to cover all expenses.
Most importantly, don’t ever work for free to get exposure! Sadly, free work will only attract clients looking for a good deal. Later on, quality projects will ignore your cover letters thinking your work is not good enough for them.
Create your portfolio
While more traditional workplaces ask for CVs, freelance networks prefer broad portfolios. In most cases, a good portfolio leads to success as a freelancer. It showcases the best work you’ve done, what you accomplished, and what skills you possess. Pick out each piece to clearly define every contribution you made to your last projects. These can include case studies, testimonials, charts, work samples, and so on.
Find clients
You’ve got a portfolio to show your potential clients. It’s time to find the latter. There are a few ways to find clients. Most freelancers create their websites to fully parade their works and achievements. In addition to that, you can join forums and networks where clients actively search for solutions.
Some of the freelance platforms are aimed at different niches, like programming, writing, web design, and more. There, you’ll need to learn how to pitch either through email or an online proposal.
Conclusion
Just like figuring out your goal occupation, learning how to pitch will take some time. If you sent out dozens of proposals and no one replied, there’s something wrong with your approach. Don’t worry, though. It’ll be a smooth ride after you get your first client and make a name for yourself.
After that, it’s only a question of perfecting and learning new skills. Now, you make all the work-related decisions. Enjoy your freedom as a freelancer.
