What You Need to Know Before You Become a Freelancer

A freelancer job definitely has its perks, especially when it comes to its flexibility. Unlike a full-time job, it can lead to a self-employed career that allows you to use your creativity to its fullest potential.

It can be daunting at first, trying to juggle your day job with this new freelance career decision. But if 55 million freelancers in the U.S. alone can achieve this, many of which are in similar situations that you’re in, so can you!

To be self-employed and hired to work for different companies on particular assignments

To start off with, you need to organise your ideas and figure out what you’d like to see in your business. There are many different types of freelancers out there, so you need to decide on which pathway you’re going to take in that regard. Ask yourself what you’d like the end result to be. Is this job just to make some money on the side, or would you like to pursue this full-time?

You can do anything from proofreading to graphic design and beyond — the important thing is you pick something you’re good at and enjoy.

All of these ideas will create the outline of your business plan, which encapsulates your marketing strategies and who your client base will be. Narrowing down your clientele to a specific group will be especially helpful in the long run.

Make sure you plan out how you’ll manage your finances as well. You’ll need to figure out how much you need to charge to make a profit, and how much you’ll have to spend on the business itself. It’s essential for you to establish the foundations before you jump in. You don’t want to start and run out of money straight away, right?

Now, it’s time to establish your presence in the business world. The wonderful thing about the modern world is that with social media, you’ll have an easier time spreading the word. You can even build your own logo using programs free off the internet if you so desire. You might want to start off with a personal website. This includes the usual list of services and your details, but it also serves as a way to showcase your freelance portfolio and your overall skillset. A LinkedIn profile is also mandatory these days for potential clients to contact you directly.

I should mention though, you can’t just create a social media account or Linkedln profile, dust off your hands and call it a day. You have to keep everything you’ve established updated. For social media, you should share posts relating to your business that you think your clients will be interested in. Communication is key here, as it allows you to be connected with your target market.

But what if all that isn’t enough? What if you’re marketing everywhere and you just can’t seem to find any clients? Well, there’s nothing stopping you from going offline to meet your target market. Depending on the service you provide, you can sleuth around and see where potential clients hang out, like a convention. This way, you can learn more about what they want, and it might give you ideas on how to stand out from other businesses. There are also plenty of freelance job sites, like Upwork and Guru, you can sign up for if you’re feeling a bit stuck.

Now that you’ve got some clients, you obviously want to keep them or at least, leave them satisfied. One of the best marketing strategies is for your clients to write good reviews for you after all. So, what’s the best way to keep your clients happy? First, you want to figure out what they want from you. You can e-mail them a set of questions for them to answer, or perhaps you can create an online form if that’s easier for you. Once that’s all done, send them the contract and the invoice. Also, try to keep them updated as you’re completing their job. Again, as I said before, communication is so important here. It’s the little things that really make a difference. For example, introducing yourself succinctly and tailoring your e-mails to the particular client is more effective compared to say, using templates. That extra bit of effort can really boost your freelancing career, where your clients are more likely to stay and spread positive things about you to others.

If you feel that your freelance job is compromising your day job, I would suggest leaving your freelancing aside for the time being. Your full-time job is where you’re getting income after all! You can always come back to it when you’re feeling up for it again.

Hopefully, after reading this, you’re feeling more confident in becoming a freelancer.

It’ll definitely be a challenge, but it’s one that’s worth making if you feel really passionate about what you specialise in.