If you’re thinking about becoming a freelancer, congratulations! Freelancing can be a very rewarding career choice because it allows you to work from home or anywhere in the world you want, schedule your own hours and still earn enough money to survive and meet your goals. But if you’ve never freelanced before, starting out can seem like quite the hurdle to overcome, which is why we’ve written this comprehensive guide on how to be a freelancer.
What is Freelance
Freelance is both an adjective and a verb; in either case, it means you work on your own terms. As such, it’s easy to understand why freelancing appeals to so many people. However, before you jump into freelance life headfirst, there are some things that you should know. Here are some tips to help make sure that starting out as a freelancer goes smoothly:
Freelancers have more control over their time than employees do. This can be good or bad depending on how much of a control freak you are.
If having total control over when and where you work sounds like heaven, then freelance life will be great for you! On the other hand, if being able to take breaks whenever needed or leaving early because of an appointment with your kids sounds like nirvana (and who doesn’t want that?), then working as an employee might be better suited for your personality type.
What roles can you do as a freelancer?
One of the most common roles that freelancers take on is being an independent developer. As an independent developer, you may be hired by another company or client to build their website from scratch or improve their current website’s performance and usability.
However, web development isn’t your only option as a freelancer—you can also specialize in designing graphics and photographs (graphic design), writing content (copywriting), doing translations (translation), and editing videos and audio files (video editing), etc. To read more about these types of freelance work check out our full list here: What are some jobs/roles I can do as a freelancer?
Where do you start if you want to freelance?
The first step is figuring out what kind of freelancing you want to do. Do you want to work with clients one-on-one, or are you more interested in working on teams that focus on specific types of projects (like graphic design, web development, etc.)
Once you’ve figured that out, then it’s time to figure out where you can find those jobs. It may be a combination of job boards and networking. Your job board might only be posting positions from big companies.
Setting up shop as a freelancer
Whether you’re an experienced professional who wants to freelance part-time or someone who has never worked in their field and is deciding whether freelancing is right for them, you need to get your business set up correctly before you can start making money. The first thing you should do when planning your business is to decide what type of freelancer you want to be.
Are you trying to make money full-time? Part-time? Are clients something that comes out of organic networking efforts or are they something that will be pursued deliberately through marketing strategies? Will your business focus on short-term projects or long-term projects that span months at a time and involve client interaction throughout each phase of project development?
Productivity tools for freelancers
Many freelancers focus on getting clients, which means they end up working way more than 40 hours per week and don’t take care of themselves—or their bank accounts. It’s easy to get wrapped up in business, but it’s just as important that you prioritize your health and relationships.
If you can’t escape from work, consider implementing some tools into your daily routine that will make life easier. After all, you want to focus on being productive and making money—not struggling with your technology or bad habits. Here are some ideas
How to deal with burnout as a freelancer
Working as a freelancer has its pros and cons. On one hand, you’re free from corporate structure and can work whenever you want. But, on the other hand, that freedom also means working with little-to-no support from bosses or co-workers.
If you aren’t careful, burnout can become an issue if you don’t know how to deal with it properly. Read on to learn some tips for avoiding and dealing with freelance burnout.
Finding and landing your first clients
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, might sound like cliché advice, but it also happens to be incredibly true. When you first launch your freelancing career, look for multiple places where you can easily send potential clients. Use job-posting sites like Upwork and Problogger Job Board, as well as local business groups and networking events in your area.
You’ll have a better chance of finding new clients if you spread yourself out rather than counting on one place alone. It’s also good practice to continue building relationships with these sites by becoming an active member of their communities—participating in Q&A forums and moderating comments will help strengthen your reputation and make you more visible within these groups.
Avoid this mistake when starting out as a freelancer
Many people make one common mistake when they first start freelancing: they don’t charge enough. As a freelance writer, designer, or developer, you’re in business for yourself—so it only makes sense that you should be paid accordingly. It might feel risky at first to set your rates high, but by doing so you can build better relationships with clients who value your skills and aren’t trying to get something extra on top of what they’re paying.
For example, if you work as a copywriter and charge $100 an hour, while another freelancer sets their rate at $75 an hour. guess who’s going to get more work from those potential clients in the know?
Conclusion
Choosing a freelance career can seem daunting, but if you’re passionate about what you do and are looking for flexibility, freelance may be your ideal way of making money. Whether you’re already freelancing or just thinking about starting. here are the top 10 websites for finding freelance programmers jobs online.
out, there are plenty of ways to learn more about freelancing and hone your skills. Find some online communities on Reddit, Facebook groups, or Quora where people talk all day long about exactly what it is that you want to do. Or get started with some books like Work Smarter by Tim Ferriss or Masters of Success by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. Finally, don’t be afraid of failure—the key to success in any business is in trying often and learning from mistakes!