Eloquent Designer's Freelance Business Handbook For Success

Congratulations! You’ve decided to go out on your own and start a freelance design business. Since you’re reading this, we’re guessing you’re still in the early stages of planning. Maybe you have a website, maybe not. Maybe you’ve got your design portfolio ready, maybe not.

But no matter where you are even if it’s just the idea that maybe someday this is something you’d like to do we can help with tips on how to succeed in becoming a freelance designer.

How to Become a Successful Freelance Designer – YouTube

Takeaways
1. Strategic Business Insights: The handbook offers strategic insights for freelancers, helping them navigate the design industry with confidence and professionalism.
2. Keys to Client Success: Learn how to achieve client success through effective communication, project management, and delivering high-quality design work.
3. Financial Management: Gain valuable tips on financial management, including pricing strategies, budgeting, and maintaining a sustainable income stream.
4. Growth Strategies: Discover actionable growth strategies that empower freelance designers to expand their client base, enhance their skill set, and establish a thriving freelance business.
5. Balancing Creativity and Business: Learn how to strike the perfect balance between creative expression and running a successful freelance business, ensuring artistic fulfillment and financial stability.

Table of Contents

Treat Your Freelance Business Like You Would Any Other Business

As you start your freelance business, it’s important to keep in mind that you are running a business. Don’t lose sight of this fact by thinking that because it’s your own business, you can do whatever you want and work however much or little as you please. You need to treat it like any other successful company would be treated.

The first step in doing so is setting goals before beginning a project or while starting a new gig. Without goals, even the most talented designer won’t get very far!

These goals should be realistic and achievable within 3-6 months with daily diligence and hard work on your part. You should also consider setting long-term goals for yourself as well for when things take off (which they will).

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Know Your Worth And Be Firm

Once you have a good grasp of the market and your value, it’s time to be firm. Don’t give in to clients who try to negotiate your rate down; if they offer less than what you think is fair, kindly let them know that price is non-negotiable.

You will soon learn that some clients are worth every penny, while others aren’t worth their weight in paperclips (and probably don’t appreciate what you do anyway).

Being confident and firm when quoting a price for your work will not only help you stick to it yourself this also sends a message that this work has value and needs to be respected by both parties. It also shows the client that you know what your time is worth and won’t settle for anything less than what’s fair!

Balance Working From Home With Getting Out There

It’s important to have a good balance between working from home and getting out there as a freelancer. Here are some tips on doing both:

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Work At Coffee Shops Or Libraries When You Can’t Focus At Home

Create an invoicing system that allows you to track hours worked, tasks completed, and more without having to worry about remembering everything yourself. That way, even if you’re working remotely, it doesn’t feel like it!

This is especially useful if your client wants monthly reports on how their project is coming along. Now all they need is access to those reports!

Don’t Work For Free – Use These Websites To Help Get Free Exposure For Your Freelance Business Instead

Many freelance designers feel like they have to work for free to get their name out there. The truth is, working for free devalues your work in the eyes of your client and the general public. It’s not a good idea if you want to make a living as a freelancer.

Fortunately, there are other ways to get exposure without working for free:

If you have an online portfolio or blog, use it! Make sure it has everything prospective clients would want – examples of designs that match what they’re looking for and information about how much your services cost.

Join social media networks like Twitter and Facebook where people who need freelancers might be looking for one right now! Be sure that these platforms are related directly back up to our website.

So even though someone may see us through social media channels (like Facebook), if they click on one link leading them directly back up towards our website where we have everything laid out clear with pricing included

Keep Your Clients Happy!

As a designer, your clients are your bread and butter. It’s important to keep them happy.

When a client asks you for something, respond quickly. If they need an update, let them know as soon as possible. If you’re unable to meet their demands or timelines, be honest about it! Communication is key; if you don’t communicate with your clients at all, they may feel neglected and take their business elsewhere.

Overdeliver on everything that you promise but don’t overpromise! A good way to do this is by setting realistic deadlines and being flexible when changes need to be made in the project timeline or scope of work.

Always keep the client updated on the progress: send emails regularly with screenshots of what’s been done so far (or even better send mockups), even if there isn’t much progress yet.

Be professional but also friendly; these two qualities go hand-in-hand when working with clients who could potentially become lifelong friends (or enemies!).

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Be Organized And Manage Your Time Wisely

As a designer, you might find yourself rushing from meeting to meeting, answering emails, and putting out fires. The key is to keep your mind on track and manage your time wisely. This will allow you to stay focused on the tasks that are most important at any given moment.

Here are some tips for managing your time:

Always plan! Make a list of everything that needs to be done in advance so that you can prioritize it properly and not get caught off guard by unexpected tasks or interruptions.

The goal is to be prepared enough so that if someone asks for something at 2 pm on Tuesday when they should have asked last Monday, there won’t be any panic because it was already scheduled into your calendar weeks ago (and written down somewhere tangible).

Organize! Create folders and labels within projects so they’re easy to find later; create labels within folders as well if needed (i.e., the “Graphics” folder could have subfolders such as “Logos” or “Banners”).

Also make sure all files have proper names so they’re easy to search through when needed – especially important if multiple people need access (e.g., client files).

Have A Plan

Don’t skip this section. Have a plan, and stick to it.

You need to have a business plan that covers the following:

Who are you? What is your niche? What makes you different from your competition?

Why should people hire you? What value do they get when hiring someone outside of their company (instead of having an employee who may be just as good at designing websites)?

How will clients find out about what it is that you do and how can they easily find out more about your services and experience (this could include making sure that there is ample content on your website about past projects or case studies)?

How will clients pay for the work done by the eloquent designer? This can be done in many ways, but one must always be included in any business model (credit cards, PayPal).

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Create A Space That Inspires You To Create

Creating a space to work from home is essential, especially since you’ll be doing that for a living. You need a place where you can easily focus and get work done.

Some freelancers prefer to work in coffee shops or coworking spaces, but this isn’t for everyone. If you have the option of setting up your own office or studio, then do so! It helps if your home has enough room for a separate workspace.

Your desk should be comfortable and have enough space to spread out your supplies so that they’re not cramped or cluttered.

The lighting should be good with no glare! And lastly, make sure that there’s no background noise like kids playing outside your door because it will distract both yourself and potential clients who may want to reach out via phone call rather than emailing/chatting on messenger services like Facebook Messenger (which we’ll cover later).

Create A Website That Shows Off Your Talent

Clients will find your website through the search engines, so make sure it’s optimized for that. In addition, your portfolio needs to be easy to navigate and visually appealing.

It should also provide potential clients with enough information about you and your skills and how they can contact you so that when they see something that catches their eye, they have a way of moving forward.

It doesn’t matter if your website is simple or elaborate; what matters is whether or not it showcases who you are as an artist or designer and makes it easy for clients to connect with you.

It’s good to know what to expect and how to handle common situations when starting as a freelancer

You’ll want to spend about 25% of the hours you’d spend on a full-time project on this project. For example, if you’re working for someone who wants you to design their website in three months, then you should expect to put in 75 hours over that period.

If your client asks for changes after your work is done (scope creep), it can be hard to know how much they’ll cost and whether or not they’re worth it. If a client wants additional features after the fact, don’t just take them on without checking first with them about how much they will cost and whether or not they’re worth it.

A good rule of thumb is that any additional features should be at least half as valuable as the originally requested feature was estimated at being worth.* Make sure all payments are made upfront before starting on any work.

This will help avoid situations where clients withhold payment until they think everything looks great, which could cause problems down the line when money gets tight.*

It’s important not only that every part of what’s been agreed upon has been completed but also that there’s no confusion between what was agreed upon and what has been delivered by both parties involved; this includes any initial conversations about budget or timeline expectations.*

Be wary of contracts many contractors do require contracts for large projects but most freelancers don’t need one unless there’s significant risk involved (like involving other people).

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Conclusion

I hope we’ve been able to help you get a better idea of how to go about starting your freelance business. Remember, when your skills and talents are in demand, nothing is stopping you from being successful.

Use this guide as a starting point, but don’t be afraid to try new things and experiment with different approaches until you find the right fit for yourself. Best of luck!

Frequently Asked Questions

What If They Don’t Pay?

If a client doesn’t pay you on time, first ask them to make payment arrangements. If they are still unable to make payments after that, then it is best to file for collection. You can do this by contacting your state’s Department of Consumer Affairs or Small Claims Court.

Remind the client that you will be forced to take legal action if they fail to comply with your demands.

What If I Have A Control Freak On My Hands?

Control freaks can be tricky because some clients feel entitled to tell designers how things should be done based on what they think is best.

Remember that as a freelance designer, you need to stand up for yourself and say no when necessary in order not just to avoid stress but also to protect yourself from future conflicts with this particular client as well.* How do I deal with procrastination?

Procrastinators tend not only to delay their work but also to slow down progress among other team members because there is always one person who isn’t ready or cannot start without taking care of his or her responsibilities first (e-mail replies included).

However, instead of getting upset about this problem which most likely won’t change anytime soon, you should use some clever ways instead like creating deadlines closer together so there is less room for error.

Scheduling meetings at certain times every week so everyone knows when exactly each person has something prepared beforehand; assigning tasks according to a “most important first” basis rather than alphabetical order, etc…

How Should I Bill My Clients?

You can bill clients in a few different ways. The simplest is to charge by the hour and send them an invoice with an itemized list of what your time was spent.

This can be helpful if you are doing something especially creative or difficult and need to explain your process to the client, but it may be more trouble than it’s worth depending on how familiar your client is with freelance work.

Another option is to offer flat rates for projects, which can make things easier for both sides because they know exactly what they’re getting into from the beginning of the project instead of having unexpected charges pop up later (which might result in less happy clients).

What Should I Charge?

It depends! You’ll want something high enough so that you feel valued for what you do but low enough so that people will pay it when they’re asked.

If this sounds like too much stress for your first paycheck as a freelancer, don’t worry: if someone doesn’t want to pay your rate then let them go find someone else who does (that’s why there are so many other designers!).

This isn’t about making money it’s about finding someone who values what YOU do enough so that they’ll pay a fair price for YOUR services!

How Do I Find Clients?

You can find clients anywhere you look. It’s not always easy, but that’s what makes it a challenge and fun! Start by looking at job boards like Behance or the Freelancer websites, which allow you to set up a profile and then post jobs that match your skillset.

You can also go on LinkedIn and search for people with similar interests who work in the industry of their choice (the fashion industry).

Another option would be social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram find someone with a large following who is also involved in the industry of your choice and reach out to them directly!

This type of marketing tactic works especially well because it gives you direct access to potential clients without having to go through any middlemen like an agency or other intermediary party.”

Herman Edward

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!

Eloquent Designer’s Freelance Business Handbook For Success