5 tips to start freelancing

Boss Babe

I started freelancing as a side gig in 2013. It was when I started my blog and accepted ghostwriting gigs for other websites. Eventually, since my career was into event management, I was getting inquiries on planning and coordination.

Fast forward to today, I would say my freelance career was stabilising. I recently heard about a cycle on our profession. We start as an employee, then accepts side gigs, then go freelancing, and the business owner.

If ever you want to take on freelancing whether for a lifetime career or additional income. I enumerated some useful tips for you.

Learn a skill or be an expert to one

Most employers are looking for a person who could do a specific job for them. If ever you find something that you enjoy doing, might as well invest in it to learn more and get paid in the future.

I mentioned “enjoy doing” because since you will start it as a side gig, it should not be something forced because otherwise you’ll end up not doing it at all.

Join a community, start networking

Networking helped me a lot. The first month after my resignation I attended a freelancer summit. I approached people who were already doing well and followed them on social media.

Most industry leaders are passionate about sharing what they know about their profession, and they’ll be happy to help you.

Just go out there and show up.

Build your portfolio

If you have this at the back of your mind, you should start building your collection. Let us say you are a photographer or a writer. All clients look for past works. Once you have created your own, it is easy to send them to potential clients.

There will be projects that you have to do for free or at a minimum cost. You may start approaching your friends and relatives – volunteer. Do not forget to mention that you’ll use photos or materials from the commissioned project to build your portfolio.

Make that pitch

For some time, I’ve hidden in the closet about my freelancing. We got used to the norm where we only have the corporate ladder to climb unless you woke up in a silver platter and you’ll have a business to inherit.

Check out websites like upward.com, fiverr.com, freelancer.com, or even Linkedin. Nowadays employers are open to remote setup, and it is easier to score a project. Practice sending cover letters, sell yourself and bid for a project.

Deliver quality

Lastly, always deliver quality, this will help you make all the above steps easier. You can build a credible reputation, be endorsed, and get recommendations from previous clients.

Under promise, over deliver. Never lie about your actual skills, be honest of what you can do and provide. If the deadline is tight to make sure you let your client know about it. Some projects will require other skills, let your client know about it too.

Set clear expectations.

Good luck on your freelancing journey. It is nice to have freedom and celebrate your strengths and weaknesses.

I hope these tips helped you. Got more tips? Comment them below.

Empower a friend today, share them this post.

xx

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