Freelancing is a great career choice for so many different people. From weirdos/creatives to conservatives, freelancing can allow you to work the way that best fits your personality and lifestyle. If you’re thinking about going freelance because it might be a better fit for you than your current job, there’s no better time to get started.
Read on to learn all about what it takes to become a freelancer and why this path might be right for you
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Embrace Diversity: Freelancing welcomes unconventional individuals and conservative professionals alike. It offers a flexible career path for people with diverse preferences and work styles. |
| Emphasize Independence: Freelancers have the freedom to choose their projects, work hours, and clients, making it an attractive option for those valuing independence in their careers. |
| Nurture a Supportive Community: Regardless of individual preferences, freelancers can find strength in building a supportive community of like-minded professionals. |
| Tackle Stereotypes: Challenge the stereotypes associated with freelancing by showcasing its many benefits and its positive impact on work-life balance. |
| Embrace Change: Freelancing is evolving the way people work, and its growing popularity suggests that it’s here to stay. Embrace this change and adapt to the future of work. |
Use Social Media To Boost Your Freelance Business
When you are freelancing, social media can be a great way to connect with potential clients. Many people will use social media to find new freelancers so you must use the right platforms, in the right way and at the right time. This is what I found worked for me:
- Use your LinkedIn profile wisely – this is where people will look for information about you and your services. Make sure it is complete, interesting, and professional looking
- Use Twitter for breaking news on your industry or niche (or just fun tweets) – this will help build trust and credibility as someone who knows their stuff!
- Facebook groups can be good places to share content or ask questions relevant to members of those groups (check out Facebook groups with other freelance writers!)
If these strategies don’t work well enough, then try something different until one does! You’ve got nothing left but free time anyway 🙂
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Improve Your Writing Skills And Get Better At Time Management
If you are going to be a successful freelancer, your writing needs to be top-notch. You’re the only person who is going to be doing the work, so you must make sure that your writing is clear and concise.
As soon as possible after starting on this path, take some time to learn how to write better. Take classes or read books on grammar and style everything from Elements of Style by Strunk and White (which should be required reading for all writers) through guides on writing blog posts or long-form articles.
If the thought of spending money makes you want to throw up in your mouth a little bit, there are plenty of free resources out there that can help improve your writing skills:
- Grammar Girl episodes (a podcast)
- How To Write Well (an online resource)
- The Complete Guide To Grammar And Style For Lawyers by Bryan Garner (a book)
Admit You Need Help And Collaborate With People In The Same Niche As You
The freelancing career is a lonely one. If you’re used to having a team of people around you, it can be tough to get used to working by yourself. The sooner you accept this fact and start collaborating with other freelancers in your niche, the better off you’ll be.
The best way to find collaborators is probably through social media or online forums (like reddit/r/freelance). You just need to make sure that they have the same experience level and skill set as you do otherwise, it won’t work out very well!
It’s okay not knowing everything about the industry; that’s why there are others out there sharing their expertise too! Don’t be afraid of asking questions that’s what makes collaboration possible!
Accept That You Will Never Be Good At Everything (No One Is)
One of the most important things to remember as a freelancer is that you will never be good at everything. You can’t be. No one is. A single person can’t have all of the necessary skills and knowledge needed to get through each day, let alone compete with someone who has been doing something for years or decades longer than you have!
Just like everyone else, I’m not perfect at what I do and there are many things that I am not particularly good at. But this doesn’t stop me from trying (and failing) over and over again until I finally succeed. The key here is being able to recognize when something isn’t working so well, then finding someone who knows how best to handle it on their own instead of continuing down that path until it ends poorly or worse than poorly: disastrously!
Embrace the power of virtual connections and learn how to succeed as a freelancer without face-to-face interactions. Our article on being a successful freelancer without ever meeting anyone reveals essential tips to flourish in the remote work landscape.
Avoid Cold Calling And Cold Emailing. It’s A Waste Of Time
Cold calling and cold emailing are pretty much the same things, they are both a waste of time and energy. If someone is not interested in you or your product, then don’t waste your time trying to convince them otherwise.
There are only two reasons why anyone will respond positively to this type of contact: if they work for an agency that receives hundreds of inquiries per week, or if you happen to be on their shortlist for something specific (e.g., if you work for a large corporation as an employee).
Don’t Start Freelancing To ‘escape’ Your Job, Do It For The Right Reasons
If you’re in a position where you’re considering freelancing, it might be because your job is boring or unfulfilling. It’s not fair to yourself or anyone else to make this decision because of that, though. There are other ways to improve your work situation without leaving it behind completely.
Freelancing isn’t for everyone and if you’re considering it as a way out then consider the following points:
Don’t start freelancing because you want more money – If your main motivation is earning more money then my advice would be to do whatever research is necessary and find out exactly how much money can you earn from freelancing versus what kind of salary package companies are currently offering to new graduates (or even seasoned professionals who are looking at changing direction).
In most cases I’ve seen there’s no real difference between how much one could earn as a full-time employee compared with someone who has gone down this route!
Plus there will always be times when expenses exceed income (e.g., holiday seasons) which puts stress on anyone trying to make ends meet while not working full-time hours. The last thing anyone needs is additional stress when they already have enough financial pressures during these periods!
Don’t start freelancing because you want more flexibility – In many cases part-time employees get better treatment than those who work full-time positions because companies don’t want people taking advantage of their benefits packages without giving back 100% effort each day at work!
This means those who fit into either category aren’t likely to go anywhere anytime soon unless something drastic happens which causes them significant problems such as losing their job altogether (e..g., getting fired).
Only Work With Clients Whom You Can Easily Communicate With
When it comes to projects, you will only be able to work with those who are easy to communicate with. If a client is not a native English speaker and uses the language as their second language (L2), you need to make an effort in communicating with them effectively and efficiently so that both parties can get the job done on time without wasting any time or effort.
If this isn’t possible, then you shouldn’t take up such jobs because these types of clients can be extremely time-consuming for freelancers who don’t have much experience in dealing with L2 clients.
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If A Client Doesn’t Like What You Write, Don’t Change Yourself To Suit Their Needs
Think of it this way: if they are paying you to write something, then they are paying you for your writing style and personality. If they don’t like what they get in return, then it may just be that their taste is out-of-whack.
Maybe their previous freelancers have been more willing to accommodate them to keep them as clients. Or maybe some of those other freelancers were just trying too hard and didn’t know when enough was enough. Either way, if it feels wrong or uncomfortable for yourself (and others), don’t do it!
Keep Up With Current Trends In Your Field
What if you were a brain surgeon and the last time you read about the human brain was in medical school? What if your boss asked you to perform surgery on his brain? Would this make you feel comfortable? Probably not. But what if he just wanted a haircut? Would that still make sense?
When we started our freelance careers, we knew nothing about anything. We didn’t know what apps were available for freelancers to use or how much they cost (even though those prices have come significantly down). We had no idea how much to charge clients until we got paid by them first. All of these things are important because they help dictate whether or not we earn an income from doing freelance work or not!
Learn How To Translate Your Skills Into Several Careers That Are Cutting Edge Or In-Demand
Learning how to translate your skills into several careers that are cutting edge/in-demand is the secret to freelancing. The most successful freelancers have multiple sources of income. You can do this by diversifying or by building a reputation as an expert in a specific field or niche.
For example, let’s say you’re an accountant who specializes in taxes for small businesses and startups. You might be able to find clients through word-of-mouth, social media marketing, or paid advertising on Google AdWords (or another platform). As long as there are businesses out there looking for an accountant like you, there will be work available!
Diversify Your Income Streams – Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket
“Diversify your income streams” is a phrase you hear all the time in personal finance circles. It’s not just a buzzword, though: it’s important to make sure you have multiple ways of making money. For your mental health and security purposes, it’s smart to have multiple streams of income coming in at any given time.
If you’re going to freelance full-time as I did (which I highly recommend), there are many different kinds of freelancing gigs that you could take on. A few examples are: writing content for other websites or blogs; selling items on eBay or Etsy; doing graphic design work for businesses; designing logos & social media graphics… the list goes on!
You could also consider becoming an affiliate marketer this involves promoting someone else’s product(s) by placing ads around your site and/or driving traffic towards them using paid advertisements such as Facebook Ads or Google AdWords campaigns. Affiliate marketers also earn some commission from these products whenever people buy them through their links/promotional walls etc., which is another great way to diversify your income stream!
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Don’t Burn Bridges Or Badmouth Clients – Word Gets Around
Don’t burn bridges or badmouth clients. Word gets around, and you don’t want to be the guy who people won’t hire because of what they’ve heard about you from someone else.
Don’t work too much. If you’re burnt out or overworked, it’s never a good time to take on new clients. You need time for your side projects and personal life and if there are not enough hours in the day for all of this (or if it feels like there aren’t), then either reduce how many clients you have or find another job that pays better so that working on other things doesn’t feel like such an indulgence anymore!
Diversify Your Income Streams- Have at least 3 sources of income: one traditional job; one freelance gig; and one passive income stream such as writing ebooks or blogging or podcasting or online courses etcetera
Learn How To Say No Without Feeling Guilty About It
Saying no is a skill that, like anything else, takes practice. We all want to please other people and make them happy, but if you’re overworking yourself because of it then you’ll just end up feeling exhausted and disappointed in yourself when you realize that all of your extra work is not making anyone happy.
There are some things we have to do like pay the bills or finish an assignment at work but there are also things we don’t have to do and shouldn’t do if they make us miserable. As long as there’s food on the table and gas in our cars (or bicycles), there will always be excuses for why we should take on more work than we can manage.
The sooner we learn how to say no without feeling guilty about it (i.e., “No thanks! I’ve got plenty on my plate right now”), the better off we’ll be in life overall!
Facing challenges in attracting clients as a freelancer can be disheartening, but there are effective strategies to overcome these hurdles. Discover what to do if you’re a freelancer in search of clients but not getting any in our insightful article on finding clients as a freelancer.
Final Thoughts
Great, so you have done it! You’ve spent hours reading this article and now you are ready to dive in. We hope that you will enjoy your time as a freelancer as much as we do and we also hope that you are going to tell us about your experiences in the comments section below. Good luck with everything!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources for further exploring the pros and cons of freelancing:
Rock Content: Discover the advantages and disadvantages of freelancing in this informative blog post.
Workable: Gain insights into the freelance life at work and learn about the experiences of freelancers in various industries.
FlexJobs: This blog post examines the pros and cons of freelance jobs, helping you make informed decisions about your career path.
People Also Ask
What Is Freelancing?
Freelancing is a career where you can work anywhere, at any time, and on your terms. You are your boss, so you get to set your hours, choose who you want to work with, and decide what projects you want to take on.
You also have the freedom to decide where to work maybe you prefer being in an office each day or working from home every day. Either way, freelancing gives you the flexibility to make those choices!
I’m A Freelancer Now, But Will I Ever Get A Job?
Yes! Many freelancers end up getting hired by the same companies they work for as freelancers. Because they’ve worked with them before and know the company’s business well, they often have an edge over other candidates. Plus, it makes sense to keep working with someone already familiar with your work style, right?
Will Working As A Freelancer Make Me Less Employable?
No! Freelancing can help you stand out from other job applicants because it shows that you’re willing to take on projects outside of the 9-to-5 routine and that you’re able to get things done outside of normal office hours.
Some employers even look for freelancers because they know that those people would be willing to take on any task even if that task involves working at night or on weekends when the rest of us are sleeping in our beds!
What’s The Best Way To Find Freelance Work?
The best way to find freelance work is to get out there and make connections with people. You can do this in person, or you can use social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter to network with people who have similar interests. You can also attend meetups related to your field of expertise, or reach out directly to companies and ask them if they need help with anything.
Can I Set My Hours?
Yes! You can set your hours and make sure you’re maximizing your productivity for the day. This is a great way to make sure that you aren’t getting bogged down with busy work, too—you’ll be able to focus on the things that matter most to you and get them done!
Is Freelancing A Career For Weirdos?
No! Freelancing can be a great career choice for conservative people, as well as those who are more liberal and creative. Freelancing gives you the freedom to work on projects that interest you and make money at the same time, which allows you to make sure your interests are being represented in your career choices.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.