Going Freelance? Here Is What You Need
By Careers Desk
Monday, June 24, 2019.
Ah, the dream. Living a comfortable life, working when and how you please. Having regular clients, gather new business, and/or selling products at a great rate. It is more commonplace now for people with full-time jobs to freelance, and people to take the leap and work for themselves.
And actually, thanks to the internet – we can all do it.
So how do you go from where you are now, to freelancing successfully?
Photo by Alejandro Escamilla on Unsplash
Goals and Ideas
The first place to start is to think about your skills. What can you make or do that will sell. It’s good to remember that all abilities have value – even if you don’t think so. Once you have nailed down what you will be offering, it’s time to set some goals.
Do you want to leave your current job?
Is it just for extra income?
Is freelancing going to be a stepping stone to another path?
You need to write these goals down and make sure that they will be your aim. Well, goals are visible, you hold yourself accountable to them.
Once you have a direction and objectives, then you can move forward.
Get Online
Being online opens up your word a lot. You should check out cheap websites that you can use as your portfolio space. Get your social media channels all sorted and connect everything up. Once you have everything set up, make sure that your website is easy for clients to browse and book or purchase straight away.
Always look at things from the client’s side here.
Pricing
This can be tricky because you might not have a track record to show. But, you still need to make a living. One of the ways to do this is to check out what other people are charging, and you will begin to build a picture of the ‘going rate’. If you struggle with this, then check out work out what you need to make monthly, and how many hours you want to work per month – there you will have your billable hour.
Of course, it might seem a bit high, but people will pay a higher price if they believe it is worth it.
Clients
You can pitch to as many clients as you want, but you should try to aim for quality over quantity when possible. You can check out Fiver, Upwork, Freelancer, and even leverage LinkedIn to find clients too. But, target and apply in your niche, so you know that you can perform well. When you are comfortable, then you can jump outside of your comfort zone and try new things.
Learn How To Pitch
You will need to learn how best to pitch what you can do, and how you do it. Communicating your strengths is going to be essential if you intend to get your business off the ground.
Starting to work from home is a lot of fun, but it takes a lot of work too. Start easy, learn a lot of skills, and you’ll be snagging clients in no time at all.
