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What is freelancing?
A freelancer
is a self-employed worker who charges an hourly rate for each task. As a freelancer, you have the
privilege of working from home or anywhere at a flexible time. Throughout the
world, the sector of freelancing is expanding quickly.
But, how do you begin working as a freelancer? If you are a beginner and want to start your journey as a freelancer and you have no experience what is freelancing? You're at the right place. There are various points you need to keep in mind like which platform to start, hourly rate, or if you have a polished skill that you can convert into a service and compete with various pros. When I start freelancing people portray it as if it happens in one night, but it will take time if you don’t have a skill. But if you have the skill, YES, it can also happen overnight that you get your first client. Choosing a goal and sticking to it, of course, is the first thing but in the journey, there are various things to learn and gain experience if you don’t have a goal set right now then don’t worry after reading this article you will have.
How to start freelancing step-by-step guide
Starting your
freelance journey might be difficult but constant learning and development will
help you grow as a freelancer. By following the 6 steps I mentioned below you
will overcome the various hassle beginner freelancer encounter.
Select a niche
As a beginner first thing is to select a skill
you want to invest your time in. choose what you are passionate about. Identifying
your skill and turning it into a service is the first and most important step
in freelancing. You might have heard a lot about niche selection from veteran
freelancers and by that time you will surely realize the importance of it.
One
important thing to remember is that you can’t change your niche frequently. It
will cost you a lot of time and reflect poorly on your freelance profession.
In case you think you don’t recognize your skills
yet then invest some time in researching in-demand skills and identifying which
suits you or in which you are interested. Either you want to become a graphic
designer or web designer or maybe you are interested in writing.
It could
have happened that there are various skills you are interested in and you don’t
know which one to select. Then Read the following article it will make it easy
for you to select a niche.
How to find your niche as a beginner freelancer
Various
skills are in-demand and also quite interesting. You can check them and learn
about them to know if you enjoy them. I think it’s worth searching for some
hours than regretting later.
Polish the skill
After
selecting the niche do some work on your skills to polish it? It will take time
and remember in freelancing steadiness is the most important thing. Don’t quit
working it will pay off. You can watch videos on YouTube and every video will
tell you new things. When I started freelancing I use to watch almost 10
YouTube videos daily to get more ideas and tips. Now, there are various tools
you can also choose to polish your skills. For example in freelance writing,
you can use COPY AI tool. In every niche, there are various tools I will
discuss in detail later.
Work on your SOFT SKILLS like communication skills, time management, negotiation, and critical thinking.
These soft skills are very important. If you can’t
communicate with a client properly, you can't understand what they want you to
do even if you have a service you can't do anything. The same goes for time management
if you can't deliver a file to your client on time then they will not come next
time. That is why polishing these skills is also very important.
Find your target audience
After
polishing the skills find your target audience. Various big platforms like
fiver, and Upwork, People per hour, freelancer offers many jobs to freelancers
and many services to clients. These are not the only website where you find
your audience for example, in graphic designing you can work on an amazing
platform such as DESIGN CROWD, 99 design. In freelance writing, you can check Text
broker.
Just being
excellent at what you do won't bring in clients for you if you're a new
freelancer. Positioning oneself in front of potential customers is essential so
they can learn about your offerings.
Create your portfolio
One of the
most important steps to being a successful freelancer is building a strong
portfolio. As a freelancer, your portfolio advertises the quality of your work
by showcasing your accomplishments and prior work. This is your chance to
demonstrate to them your abilities and the worth of your knowledge, rather than
merely telling them about it.
Your
greatest work concerning your service providing should be featured in your
portfolio. Your portfolio should include pieces that each clearly illustrate
your efforts and how the customer profited from the project. Case studies,
suggestions, data-driven results, images, charts, tables, samples of your work,
and mock-ups are all possible components of a strong portfolio.
Establish a relationship with your client
Instead of
viewing the job as a one-and-done affair, successful freelancers build
connections with their clients. Creating a long-term partnership may result in
recurring sales and client referrals. Keep in mind the following points while
establishing a relationship with clients
- Provide
them with excellent work
- Communicate
with clients and give importance to their suggestions
For example,
if you are making a logo then providing three samples with different color
combinations and styles peak their interest in you and your service. Also,
Listen to their suggestion and highlight them. This shows your client that you
are giving importance to their work and in this way you get a free customer.
Continue improving your skill
Every day give some time to your skill and learn
new things. Watch videos, read
articles, practice the things you learn, and let me tell you as a freelancer
every video and article will give you a new thing to learn and a new passion to
polish your skill and improve.
6 things to consider before you dive into freelancing
- 1. Success Doesn't Come Quickly especially
successful freelancing
- 2. Deal with the idea that you'll
probably be a novice competing against several seasoned pros without any formal
experience.
- 3. Rejection is a part of the learning
- 4. As a freelancer, never stop learning
new skills.
- 5. Money management is key
- 6. Payout options
Check the payment option the platforms are offering. As an international
freelancer, I have faced a lot of struggles in this. Some platforms will only
have one or two payout options that are not available in many countries so,
this will limit your chances as a freelancer. Some big platforms like fiver,
and Upwork have various payment methods so it will make life and freelance
journey a lot easy and fun.
I will
recommend you check Payoneer as your payment option.
Conclusion
It may seem
intimidating and difficult to start freelancing, but once you take the correct
steps, it's rather simple.
The steps
outlined in this article will help you get started on the road to success as a
freelancer in 2023. To make your freelance job a reality, you must take action.
Thank you
for reading this article.
