If you’re like me, you’ve been thinking about starting a freelance career for a while now. Maybe you’ve even tried to get started and given up. I know it feels that way right now, but it doesn’t have to be hard.
You don’t have to do all the research yourself—I’ve already done it! I’ve got everything you need in this Beginner’s Guide For Getting Started Freelancing, so you can stop spending hours on Google and just get to work.
But wait—what’s the first step?
We’ve got your back. Here’s a step-by-step guide for getting started freelancing.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Freelancing opens doors to new opportunities. |
| 2. Building a support system can make a difference. |
| 3. Consider freelancing as a part-time or full-time career. |
| 4. Learn how to set freelance rates that are competitive. |
| 5. Find clients through online platforms and networking. |
| 6. Manage challenges like irregular income and client expectations. |
| 7. Prioritize work-life balance to avoid burnout. |
| 8. Stay motivated and focused on your freelance journey. |
| 9. Leverage your skills and build a strong online presence. |
| 10. Embrace continuous learning to enhance your freelancing career. |
Steps To Start Your Freelancing Journey
1. Decide What Kind Of Freelancer You Want To Be
There are so many different types of freelance jobs out there that it can be overwhelming to choose one without a clear idea of what you want to do. So take a step back and make a list of the things you enjoy doing, and then see if any of them could become a freelancing gig (and look up the job on Google to see if it exists). Don’t limit yourself at this stage, you’ll have more time to narrow down later.
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2. Get The Skills You Need
If you’re looking to make a career transition into freelancing, the first step is to ensure that you have the necessary skills. Even if you’ve been out of school for years (and perhaps even decades), it’s still important to keep up with changing trends in your field through continuing education classes and seminars. Make sure that your resume reflects your current skill set and stay on top of new developments in your field.
If you already have experience in the industry or related fields, this process might be fairly simple. If not, it may take longer. For example, if you’re looking to become a freelance writer but don’t have any experience yet, you might consider starting a blog or writing articles for free as a way to gain exposure and improve your skills. Make sure that everything in your portfolio is written in the same style.
3. Create An Online Portfolio Or Website That Showcases Your Work
One of the most important things you can do as a freelancer is building an online portfolio. This will serve as your digital resume and will typically be the first thing potential clients look at when considering hiring you.
Your portfolio/website should be simple and easy to navigate. It should contain samples of your work and/or descriptions of your services. You might also want to include some basic information about yourself and what you bring to the table for potential clients, as well as pricing for your services.
There are many affordable platforms out there that allow you to build a website, including WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly. And if you don’t have any coding experience, don’t worry they all offer template options that make it easy to create a website from scratch.
Once your portfolio is set up, make sure you share it on all of your social channels so people can find it easily.
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4. Do You Know Your Worth?
It can be a lot of fun to work in your pajamas and set your own hours, but if you don’t have a good idea of what your time is worth, you may end up feeling overworked and underpaid. If you’re starting out in freelancing, it’s important to do your research on how much other people with your skills and experience are charging. That way, you’ll be able to set a fair price that allows you to earn money while still getting enough sleep.
5. Are You Good At Setting Limits?
It’s extremely important when working as a freelancer that you can draw lines between your personal life and your professional life. A little bit of flexibility is great. Clients will appreciate that you’re willing to work with them when they need something done outside normal business hours but it’s also important that you make sure the work doesn’t take over your entire life.
Set up a home office and get organized. Your computer should be protected from viruses with an Internet security program, your email should be secure and backed up, your files should be backed up ideally in an online storage system, and your
Define your ideal customer/client. The first step in finding clients is figuring out who they are and how to reach them. This will help you focus your efforts and create content that appeals to those customers/clients the most. You’ll likely need to do some research on how other people similar to yours find their clients.
6. Don’t Quit Your Day Job
At the beginning of your freelancing career, don’t quit your day job. At least not right away. Freelancing is hard work and not very predictable at times. You don’t know how long it will take or how much money it will bring in at first. It’s better to keep your day job until you’ve developed a steady income from freelance work. This may take months or even years depending on where you are in your career so far.
7. Start Small
Start small with friends and family members as clients until you have experience working as a freelancer and handling customer interactions. You’ll also have some real-world examples to show potential clients in the future what you can do for them if you start out with friends and family members first.
8. Write Down Your Career Goals
Your career goals are a great place to start when starting your freelance business. If you’re leaving a full-time job that you’ve been at for five years, it might be tempting to throw yourself into your first month of working for yourself and do everything at once.
But freelancing requires you to be focused and intentional, so writing down your goals will help you remember why you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s easy to get swept up in the details of the day-to-day when you work for yourself, and without a boss or coworkers to remind you what’s important, it can be hard to stay on track.
So start by writing down your career goals. This will give you a north star to follow as you begin the process of creating your own business. You might not be able to reach those goals tomorrow, but if you follow them in the next few days, weeks, months, and years, you’ll eventually reach them.
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9. Never Stop Marketing Yourself And Networking
Self-marketing is a never-ending job. It’s easy to get into the habit of thinking that you’re done with it after you’ve landed a job or gotten your business off the ground, but you’re not!
That’s probably because self-marketing is something you do for yourself, and so, naturally, it benefits you, not just the people who pay you to do your job.
So what does self-marketing look like in practice? Here are some ways to make sure your self-marketing game stays strong:
- Seek new opportunities to expand your skill set. This doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money there are tons of resources out there that can help you level up at what you do without breaking the bank or spending all of your free time doing it.
- Reintroduce yourself. When you meet someone new, it’s easy to get lost in their questions and their stories, but don’t forget to remind them of who you are and where they can find you online!
- Pick up odd jobs whenever possible. As long as they don’t interfere with current projects, these little side gigs can help keep your name out there while also helping you learn new things.
10. Update Your Linkedin Profile Regularly
When was the last time you updated your LinkedIn profile? It’s something to consider when you’re looking for new clients and opportunities.
A lot of people make a profile and then forget about it, but if you’re looking for gigs, it pays to keep your page up-to-date. Be sure to update your skills and experience regularly so that potential employers have an accurate picture of what you can bring to the table. On top of that, posting regularly will help keep your profile visible in the search results.
Think of it like this: if someone is looking for a freelancer who has worked on [similar project] in the past, they’ll probably want to know if you’ve ever completed a similar one before. If they find a bunch of “outdated” or “irrelevant” posts on your profile, they might be less likely to hire you since they can’t tell how active you are (or were) as a freelancer.
11. Don’t Take On Too Much Work At Once
The typical freelancer can take on more clients and projects than most full-time employees could ever imagine. However, we all have limits on the amount of work that we can handle effectively. Some aspects of freelance work, like deadlines and invoices, can take a lot more time than you might realize.
If you’ve just started out as a freelancer, you might not even know what your own limits are yet. It can be tempting to sign up for every project that comes your way in order to maximize your income potential. But if you find yourself struggling to finish each project or deliver it on time, then you probably took on too many responsibilities at once.
Taking on too many projects at once will not only make you feel overwhelmed, but it can also hurt your reputation as a freelancer. You want to ensure that each client receives the same high-quality service and attention to detail that they deserve. If you are unable to do this because of taking on too much work at once, then you may lose some clients as a result.
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12. Build Your Network
One of the best ways to find new freelance opportunities is through your network.
When you have a good relationship with someone, they might be more likely to recommend you for a job, or even refer clients directly to you. The more people you know, the more ways there are to build your business!
You can start building your network by looking at the people who already work in your industry.
Follow them on social media and get more involved in the community. Participate in conversations and discussions, and don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions, too!
Another great way to build your network is to look at the companies that hire freelancers like you.
If you’re a graphic designer, for example, follow some of your favorite graphic design agencies on social media or visit their websites regularly so you can apply for jobs if any become available.
13. Keep Learning
There’s a lot you don’t know.
The most important thing to do is keep learning.
If you want to be a freelancer, you likely specialize in something. You have a skill that can be used in the marketplace.
But under the hood of your specialization is an entire universe of skills and knowledge. If you’re a programmer, there’s theory and history and other programming languages and databases and algorithms. If you’re a writer, there’s literature, psychology of persuasion and communication, vocabulary, grammar rules, self-editing skills, etc.
Most freelancers I know are introverts who would rather work alone than talk to people. And yet they all have to market themselves to clients on some level.
That means learning sales skills, copywriting skills, marketing skills, negotiation skills, an entirely new set of skills they never had to learn in school or while working for someone else.
14. Do The Research
There are a lot of considerations to keep in mind when you’re thinking about becoming a freelancer, but it’s important that you do your research first. There are several different ways you can go about researching what sort of freelancing career will suit you best.
Check out sites like Upwork, Guru, and Freelancer for an idea of what’s out there. These platforms connect freelancers with clients in all kinds of industries, from technology and software development to marketing, writing, and design. You can find out what services are in demand, what kind of pay rates you can expect for different kinds of work, and where the job market is trending.
Read about the experiences other freelancers have had. There are dozens of blogs dedicated to helping aspiring freelancers figure out how to get started and what they should keep in mind once they get established in their careers. Some good resources include Freelance Switch, Contently, and Freelance Folder. Talk to people who have already done it.
15. Diversify Your Skillset
One of the most important things you can do to improve your chances of getting work is to diversify your skillset. The more skills you have, the more attractive you are to clients, and the more likely you are to be able to find a job when one ends.
Look at areas that are in demand and see what it would take for you to acquire them. Programming is always going to be a good skill to have, as is anything related to database administration or online security. If you get into a niche field with limited competition, then there’s a good chance that someone will find a use for you.
You should also consider expanding your portfolio if you’re only working as an SEO consultant or designer for one kind of company, then finding another might be difficult. By expanding your portfolio into multiple sectors, you make yourself more useful, and thus more valuable.
16. Set A Price For Your Service
The most important step is to set a price for your service. But how do you know what you should charge?
One way is to look at what similar freelancers are charging. For example, if you’re a freelance writer, ask other freelance writers about their rates. You can also contact an industry association for information about average salaries or charges for certain services.
Once you have an idea of an average charge for your service, you can set your own prices. To make sure you get paid, always establish what the payment schedule will be before you start the job and put it in writing.
17. Get The Right Tools
If you’re looking to get started with freelancing, the first thing you’ll need is the right tools. Freelancers are always on the go, so it’s important to have a laptop that’s light enough to carry around but powerful enough to handle whatever you need.
I recommend Macbooks, and here’s why: they’re powerful, they’re sleek, and they’re extremely intuitive. If you want a few extra bucks in your pocket at the end of the month, you can sell your old PC and put it towards a new Macbook Pro!
There are also some great programs out there that were built specifically for freelance writers. Grammarly is an easy-to-install program that helps you catch spelling errors and grammatical mistakes as you write. It’s also a great tool for A/B testing your work. You can easily change up words or phrases in your writing and quickly see how the changes impact readability. Grammarly works in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Gmail pretty much anywhere you type!
And finally, CopyAI is a great tool for getting inspired when you’re feeling stuck. Just copy some text from wherever it is that you’re struggling with (Google search results, a blog post from somewhere on the internet).
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18. Decide How Much Time You Can Dedicate To This
If you’re ready to dive in, the first thing you’ll want to do is figure out how much time you can dedicate to freelancing. Are you going to do this as a full-time gig? Part-time? Weekend warrior? Figure out how much time per week/month/year (depending on what you’ve decided your timeline is) that you can dedicate to getting clients, doing client work, and managing your freelancing.
Then, start thinking about what kind of projects you’d like to take on. Do you want to focus on blog posts and articles? Content writing? Ghostwriting? Something else entirely? When you have a good idea of what kind of writing you’d like to do, it’s time to get your portfolio together. Start by putting together a bundle of samples that show off your expertise and range you can even include pieces written for this course!
19. Find Work Online
There are lots of online job boards where you can submit your resume and look for jobs that fit your skillset. Many companies also post jobs on their own websites for freelancers to apply for. In addition, there are many social media sites that offer job boards and other resources for finding freelance work.
If you don’t know where to start, you can always check out popular sites like UpWork or Freelancer. These sites have a wide range of jobs available, so it’s easy to find something that fits your skillset. The great thing about these sites is that they allow you to create a profile and list all of your experience so potential clients can easily see if they’d like to hire you!
You may also want to consider joining LinkedIn; this is another great resource when looking for work as they provide networking opportunities with other freelancers/potential clients in addition to posting job opportunities within their network.
Takeaway
So don’t be afraid to pick up a freelance project or two in your free time. Whether you enjoy the work or not, you’ll most likely be able to find something that’s related to your field of study, and the experience can always come in handy down the road. Plus, it’s a great way to meet new people and develop marketable skills. So remember, if you want to get started freelancing, just start freelancing. It’s that simple.
Further Reading
Getting Started on Your Freelance Journey: A comprehensive guide for freelancers just starting out, covering essential tips and strategies for a successful freelance career.
21 Tips for First-Time Freelancers: A collection of practical advice for individuals venturing into freelancing for the first time, helping them navigate challenges and achieve freelancing success.
How to Start Freelancing: This informative article provides step-by-step guidance on beginning your freelancing journey and building a solid foundation for your freelance career.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does freelancing work?
Freelancing is a form of self-employment. Instead of working for one employer, you work for yourself, which means you have to find your own clients and projects. Freelancers are typically responsible for their own taxes and social security, but some companies will take care of those things for you.
How does someone become a freelancer?
Anyone can become a freelancer if they have the skill to offer or if they’re willing to learn new skills that clients are looking for. If you’re well-versed in certain areas, you may want to consider using sites like Upwork or Toptal that match clients with freelancers with the right skill set.
What kinds of projects can I do as a freelancer?
You can write anything from blog posts to eBooks, case studies to press releases, white papers to social media posts, and so much more! There are a wide variety of content types and industries available for you at any given time, no matter what interests you or what experience you have.
What kind of work can I do?
The kind of work that’s available online is really endless from writing essays for college students to designing logos for companies, to painting portraits for individuals. The sky’s the limit! You can even create your own products and sell them on.
How much money will I make?
Most freelancers charge by the hour, but some also offer fixed-price contracts for certain types of work. The median hourly rate for freelance writers is $28 per hour according to PayScale data. If you’re just getting started as a freelance writer and don’t have a lot of experience or credentials under your belt yet, you may have to start at a lower price.
What do I need to start?
All you really need is a computer and internet access! That’s pretty much it. If you have access to those two things, along with a way to get paid like PayPal or Payoner, then you can start right now!
What if I don’t have any experience?
Don’t fret. There are plenty of ways to get experience as a freelancer, even if you haven’t done it before! You can start by offering free work to friends and family members in exchange for feedback and testimonials. Or if that’s not an option for you, try doing a few free jobs on Fiverr just to get your feet wet and see what it’s like working with clients. Then use those experiences to build up your portfolio on other platforms like Upwork or Freelancer.
What is writing?
Writing is the process of transferring ideas from your brain to paper (or screen).
Where do I get started with writing?
The best way to start writing is to practice as much as possible. Don’t worry if you feel like you’re not good at it yet just keep going! You’ll get better.
How do I get better at writing?
Practice! Keep a journal, write letters, and write for a blog or news site.
Is there a secret to becoming a good writer?
No, the secret to being a good writer is just practice. However, there are secrets to being an effective freelancer and we’ll let you in on them. Take our course on How To Become A Successful Freelancer, and you’ll learn everything you need to know about being your own boss!
I am a content writer, and I love what I do! Writing makes me feel like the words are flowing through my fingers, and then onto the keyboard, like magic. My experience as a writer has taught me that writing makes me feel good, as well as helps others to feel better too!