The Ultimate Guide to Freelancing

Operating as a freelancer is all about working for yourself so that you can achieve the independence required to manage your expenses without depending on a separate entity for salaries and payments. The flexibility of freelance work allows a person to work with anyone he/she wants and to work according to his/her capacity. A freelancer offers direct services to a client without the involvement of any third party that usually takes a commission from the pay.

Freelancers can provide any service based on their skill set, required by other businesses. It is a quick and pleasing way to start from the comforts of home. Interestingly, you get to be your own boss and can determine your own flexibility. Although, the salary depends on the skills you have to offer and the market you are targeting, you can earn $10 to $75 per hour. Some freelancers earn even more than this based on their skills set.

Freelancing provides numerous advantages:

Setting your own Hours

Freelancing is open-ended work. Due to its open-ended nature, freelancing gives you flexibility to arrange your own schedule and working hours. It’s up to you whether you want to work full-time on projects or take it as a part-time job. You can set the hours according to your own convenience.

Freedom to Work

If you love travelling and want to continue your work, then freelancing is the right option for you. You can work and travel at the same time. Freelancing allows you to operate remotely without being bound in one place.

It’s inexpensive to Start

If you have the skills to provide a definite service, you just need the right equipment and software to deliver it. You don’t have to face costly startups or work your way up the corporate ladder, as you would do in other career trajectories.

It’s in High Demand

Although, freelancing is a competitive career the demand for freelancers is increasing rapidly. Most businesses rely on a team of freelancers instead of employees as the need for reliable and quality freelancers is rising.

Freelancing isn’t as easy as some people consider it to be. If you do want to start a career in freelancing, the following steps will help you in your process.

Step 1: Get proper equipment

Freelancing is not an overnight get rich quick scheme; instead it requires a lot of hard work and significant dedication. Most people often want to start from their smart phone and manage freelance projects on it. However you should know the fact that Smart phones apps are restricted in characteristics. A computer or a laptop is required to run software. This will help you in doing the work accurately and achieving significant results.

Step 2: Find an in demand skill

The next step is to look for a skill that can be presented as a service. This is very simple but also the key to your success. In freelancing all you have to do is to generate a skill that you are good at. As an added bonus the skill should have sufficient demand within the market.

Step 3: Improve your skills

Once you have unearthed a marketable skill, you should polish it up. You have to learn the basics of your skill and improve with time for better progression in your career. If you’re starting as a freelancer in UI/UX design or digital marketing, you can take courses online on Ubootcamps.com to improve your skills. These courses are flexible in nature and help you learn important knowledge related to the subject matter.

Step 4: Make your reputation

Being qualified or having years of experience doesn’t matter. If you aren’t able to prove your skills in front of your client then he/she will never hire you. In short, you have to construct a good reputation in front of your client.

Step 5: Generate a Portfolio

A portfolio is a website where you manifest your work. This will help you in securing more projects. For instance when the client want to see your work you can directly share the link of your portfolio, so that they can check out your skills there.

Step 6: Discover an accurate freelance platform

Most beginners make the mistake of jumping to the most famous freelance platforms around them. However, these sites are already full off freelancers, as a result of which there is stiff competition and beginners may not get any work. So, the best option is to find a market place which is new and matches your skills.

Step 7: Charge a justifiable price

Always try to charge the right price for your service because the wrong price scares clients away. The best way to be aware of the right price is to see what other freelancers in your industry are demanding. Don’t charge too much but don’t go for predatory tactics by charging unimaginably low prices.

Step 8: Send your first proposal

When writing a proposal to a client you need to know just how you can persuade them to give the job to you instead of other freelancers. Put some serious thought into your proposal, as this determines your success as a freelancer.

Step 9: Deliver beyond Expectations

The most important step after you land a job is to make sure that you meet the client’s expectations on the project. Do your best on the job and go beyond the expectations of the client. By doing this the clients will become happy with your work and will give you a 5-star rating.

You are now prepared to tackle the world of freelancing for having a prosperous and profitable career in freelancing requires a lot of enthusiasm and hard work.

Conclusion

Freelancing is an ever expanding way to earn a living by your own. Freelancing is all about being your own boss and discovering ways to fill your time with paid work, either it is from a job’s market place, clients directed or subcontracting. There are several different types of freelancing jobs. And, more agencies than ever before are hiring freelance professionals.