Freelancing Career: A Step-by-Step Guide

Freelancing can be your means to earn a decent living. But, starting can be daunting if you lack the experience and the knowledge. Here’s a step-by-step guide to launch your freelancing career.

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1.Identify Your Skills and Niche

There are plenty of niches you can choose from as a freelancer. It is important to evaluate what your strengths are. Your skills should align with the niche. Think of the things you are good at. To help you decide, below are some niches you can choose from.

Content writing
Graphic design
Web development
Social media management
Virtual assistance
Video editing
Translation
Tutoring
Digital marketer

Once you have identified your skills and niche, you can start building your portfolio and marketing yourself to potential clients.

woman working freelancer career — Photo Credit: Pexels

2. Build A Strong Portfolio

Your portfolio is your door towards the freelancing industry. It could also key to success in your freelancing career. There are plenty of benefits to having a strong portfolio.

It highlights your skills, strengths, educational background and expertise,
Provides an edge to stand out from the competition
Makes it easier for prospective to find you
More convenient way to market yourself
You can use this to network to clients and other freelancers

To build a portfolio you can either create a website or a portfolio platform like Behance or Dribbble. Even Canva has a feature which allows you to create your online portfolio. You also have to make sure that you have an active and updated Linkedin profile to show your clients.

It is not enough that your portfolio tells a story of how great you are. Your freelancing career should also be supported by positive testimonials and reviews from clients. Lastly, make sure that your portfolio has a clear call-to-action to encourage potential clients to contact you.

3. Set Your Rates

One of the common freelancer mistakes to avoid is not setting your rates properly. Take time to research on how the industry rate for new newcomers and professional freelancers.

Do not get overwhelmed and undervalue your service. Remember that your rate should reflect what skills and expertise you can offer. Be fair to yourself and to your client. Do not overcharge if you know that you don’t have the experience and skills yet to finish the job.

You can then adjust your rate accordingly as you gain more skills and experience over time. You can also negotiate with your clients if you feel that you deserve more given the quality of work you deliver. Your reputation will be built over time so be patient and continue to deliver quality output.

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4. Start looking for clients

Now that you have a strong portfolio to showcase, it’s now time to start looking for clients. The success of your freelancing career also depends on the clients you are going to work with. The goal is to maintain a good long-term relationship with your clients. There are many ways to find clients including networking:

Social media platforms
Job boards
Freelance marketplaces
Forums and communities
Freelance groups
Industry events, conference and seminars

Make sure that you can share your portfolio on some of these platforms if not all of it.

5. Deliver High-Quality Work

The best way to make your client satisfied and happy is to deliver high-quality output. Your freelancer career could turn to a positive trajectory once a client gets the word out on how good you are.

There are plenty of things you have to remember to make sure that the client and you are on the same boat.

Set clear expectations
Communicate as you deem necessary
Ask for feedback and reviews
Get the client’s approval before going live
Respond in a timely manner
Meet deadlines

To help you reach success with your freelancing career is to go above and beyond what is expected. You have to provide exceptional service at all times. Your client’s satisfaction is key to your success as a freelancer.

6. Grow Your Business

Once you have delivered the required output to your client. It’s time to scale up the business. If you consistently deliver high quality output, your reputation becomes stronger. As you gain more experience and build a reputation, you can start to grow your freelancing business. To help you further expand your business you can:

Hire subcontractors to help with projects
Update and increse your rates
Expand the services you offer
Create a referral program to encourage satisfied clients to refer new business to you.
Invest in upskilling yourself and your team
Stay up-to-date with industry trends to remain competitive

Freelancing just like other jobs is full of challenges. These will help you grow and develop resilience in the industry. Continuing to invest in learning and keep-up with the trends and changes in the industry. Lastly, make sure to take care of every client. They could be the keys to a successful freelancing career.

Additional tips for a successful freelancing career

Keep learning and expanding your skillset: Freelancing can be a very competitive industry, to stand out you have to be one of the best in your field. It’s important to keep learning and expanding your skillset. Attend training courses, seminars, networking events or attend workshops to gain new skills or improve your existing ones. This will help you stand out from other freelancers and increase your earning potential.
Be professional and reliable: As a freelancer, your reputation is everything. There could be times that you will have to deal with difficult clients. Make sure to always be professional and reliable in your dealings with clients. Communicate clearly and promptly, meet deadlines, and provide high-quality work. Take time to take care of your mental and physical well-being whilst looking after your client’s needs.
Manage your time effectively: Time management is essential for success as a freelancer. Make sure that you do not miss deadlines. If you are unable to deliver on time, set the expectation beforehand. Create a schedule that works for you and stick to it. There are software and time-tracking tools to monitor your productivity. Do not overbook yourself and underdeliver, this will hurt your reputation. Learn to say no to projects that don’t fit your schedule or skillset.