A freelancer is a person that is not committed to a single job but takes on work from different organizations and get paid for them. Nowadays becoming a freelancer is fairly easier than in previous decades because of the reach of the internet. Companies give out work online for freelancers to take up the job or freelancers upload their own profiles and companies contact them to their work.
Freelancing is a really good way of keeping yourself employed and without directly interacting with your employer. But the question arises how to become a freelancer as companies would mostly prefer freelancers with experience to do their job and there are thousands like you wanting to become a successful freelancer and as good as the opportunity sounds you may want to consider that you will be leaving your daily job and your office perks and you would be solely responsible for your connections and marketing in the corporate world. You should know how to get more clients then only you can work successfully as a freelancer.
If you are looking for a way to get an edge on your competitors then perhaps this article is for you so keep reading to find out how to become a successful freelancer.
Table of Contents
Set up a plan
Setting up a plan is very necessary and the first step in reaching your goal of becoming the next hotshot freelancer. Do not quit your day job out of the blue and think you will become big fast. Freelancing takes time and patience so be prepared.
Think of the “why”, why you want to start freelancing? Is it because you want to leave your incompetent boss? Or is it to take up new and exciting projects? Or is it about the freedom that the freelancing will provide you? The “why” will help you figure out an outline for your freelancing endeavor.
Set up goals
Setting up goals is an important thing to do as it gives you purpose. But do not end up setting the goal for becoming the biggest freelancer out there. You first got to figure out the “how”.
Set up goals according to how you would proceed to achieve your ”big goal”. Divide it into sub goals which should be small and achievable by you. Do not have expectations beyond what you can achieve.
Excel in what you like
After figuring out the why and how, its time to figure out the “what”. What do you excel at? What do you like to spend your free time? What skill can you make a career of?
When you figure out the skill you want to start your freelancing career with start looking out what is the market demand for it. If the job is in demand then go for it!!
Pick up the specialty
Your research is not over even if you narrow it down to what profession you would like to follow up to be freelancing in. Specialty is a must. For example, if a person is looking for a photographer for their wedding and you are a freelance photographer. They may narrow you down to the last few photographers but the chances of you beating a wedding photographer are pretty skim.
So after you find your niche, go deep and find your specialty and work towards improving it. It will get you all the general jobs as well as all the specialized offers too. Additionally, a specialist earns more too!!! You should develop good self-determination about yourself; this will automatically bring out the specialty from you.
Start with reasonable pricing
The heading is self-explanatory in itself. Start your freelancing career with reasonable pricing. But what is reasonable pricing??
This is a prominent question in the minds of all the people who start freelancing. The pricing is subjective to each and every individual freelancer. Pricing is affected by both experience and time in the field. Here are some of the tips that will help you get a proper idea on how to price your services:
l Charge per project rather than per hour
l Rates should be increased a little with your reputation among clients
l Rates should be provided with keeping your services in mind
Give yourself a hard and real analysis before setting up a price, ask someone to give an unbiased opinion about your services and then decide.
These are some tips that can help you to set up your own freelance business. So best of luck out there!!!
