Freelancing can be a fulfilling career, but it has its challenges. How do you make sure you don’t burn out? What’s the best way to grow your business while still keeping enough time for a work-life balance? If you’ve ever struggled with these questions, this guide is for you.
In it, I’ll explain all of the steps I took to transform my gig as a freelance content marketer into a sustainable career that provides more than just income it also gives me plenty of time and flexibility to do the things in life that give me joy.
By following my advice on building a brand, managing client relationships, and projects, and staying organized, you, too can turn your freelance gig into a long-term career.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Set clear goals and create a strategic plan to transition from freelancing to a full-fledged career. |
| 2. Build a strong personal brand and establish yourself as an expert in your field to attract more clients and opportunities. |
| 3. Diversify your income streams by exploring different services or products you can offer as a freelancer. |
| 4. Continuously invest in your professional development to stay updated with industry trends and expand your skillset. |
| 5. Cultivate a network of professional contacts, both within your industry and outside, to gain referrals and collaborations that can propel your career forward. |
| 6. Prioritize self-care and work-life balance to prevent burnout and maintain long-term success in your freelance career. |
1. Build Your Brand Online
One of the most important things you can do for your freelance business is to build an online presence. This will help people find out about you and what you do, and it’ll also give people a place to go when they want to work with you.
To get started, make sure that your website is professional and looks nice don’t use too many colors or fonts (or any at all), don’t put up stock photos of models without permission and don’t use Comic Sans font on anything ever again in this lifetime or the next one after it (I’m looking at you, my former employer).
Make sure that all of your social media accounts are professional as well; I recommend just keeping everything on Facebook because it’s free and easy to use.
Also, take some time to think about how mobile-friendly your site is. If someone’s going to be browsing it while waiting in line at Starbucks or riding public transit home from work every night, they’re probably going through their Facebook newsfeed or checking their email rather than getting distracted by text-heavy pages that require scrolling around with their thumbs.
You don’t want them getting frustrated because they can’t easily read everything on an iPhone 6s Plus screen!
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2. Be Professional At All Times
When you are working for someone, you need to be professional at all times. This means being polite and respectful of your clients, coworkers, and everyone else you encounter professionally.
If a client asks for something unreasonable or outside the scope of your contract, politely decline if it’s not in your power to do so.
When working with clients it is important to be on time and prepared. If there is an issue with something they need from you (for example an invoice), let them know right away so they can resolve it before it causes further problems.
Being accountable for the work that you do or don’t do will give clients faith in both their work as well as yours when hiring freelancers or employees in general!
Being honest goes hand-in-hand with accountability if something happens unexpectedly during a project that requires more resources than were initially budgeted for; communicate this immediately so everyone knows what’s going on instead of waiting until deadlines have passed by without any updates!
A good listener will also help keep communication open between all parties involved during a project which allows everyone involved the opportunity to discuss any issues which arise before they even start happening.”
3. Keep Client Communications Organized
Your clients will be happy to know that you’ve taken the time to keep their communications organized. They’ll also appreciate knowing that they can easily access all of your files, no matter where they are located.
If you’ve already established a file-sharing system, this won’t be new territory for you. You can use Dropbox or Google Drive and share specific documents with your team members or clients at the click of a button.
You can also create shared folders with specific labels so people know exactly where to look for things when they need them (you can use colors to differentiate projects).
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4. Always Be Networking
Now that you’re ready to start networking, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First and foremost, remember that networking is about connecting with other people, not about trying to sell yourself that means no business cards or flyers. This will come across as aggressive and pushy, which nobody wants.
Instead of giving away your business card like some sort of advertisement for yourself (which I know sounds counterintuitive, but trust me on this one), try being more casual and friendly when talking with potential connections. But how do you go about making these connections?
One good way is through social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn (but don’t forget Facebook!).
Use these tools as a way to meet other freelancers in your area or industry who may have connections outside of the digital world. Another great way is by attending events hosted by local professional organizations.
These events could include anything from networking happy hours at coffee shops around town up to big national conferences where there are thousands of people looking for new opportunities!
You can also try going out into the community itself; most major cities have some kind of monthly meetup event that brings together professionals from various industries under one roof so they can network with each other over drinks after work hours have already ended for everyone else around them.”
5. Understand The Value Of What You Offer
It’s easy to get caught up in the “I’m just a freelancer” mentality. But as you’ve probably realized, if you work full-time on your freelancing business and put in enough hours, it can become a career. And if you do it right, those clients will start wondering how they ever got along without you.
When negotiating with potential clients, remember that your experience is valuable. You know what needs to be done and how to do it, so your skills are worth more than an hourly rate alone would suggest. So when negotiating a contract or project quote with clients (or even other freelancers), make sure that value is reflected!
6. Take Control Of Your Money
Once you’ve decided exactly what it is that you want to do and how much money you want to make, the next step is to take control of your finances.
You are the only person who knows what you need to live comfortably, so don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. This might include deciding how much money you want to work for each month or year, as well as how much time it takes for an individual job or project.
Here are some tips for taking control of your finances:
- Set rates based on experience and skill level
- Decide whether or not clients will pay upfront (or at all)
- Decide where payments should be made
7. Calculate How Much Your Time Is Worth
The last thing you want to happen is to realize that your business isn’t making any money. If this happens, then it is time to take an honest look at your financial situation and make some changes.
A good place to start is by calculating how much your time is worth. The best way to do this is if you know what the average hourly rate of others in your industry is charging.
This can help you determine whether or not the rates that you are charging are competitive with others in your field who have similar experience and credentials as yourself (if there’s no one else doing what you do). If the numbers seem low, then perhaps it might be time for a raise!
Calculating Your Hourly Rate: There are two ways in which calculating an hourly rate can be done:
Add up all of your expenses throughout the year (this includes rent/mortgage, utilities such as gas/electricity, etc., any taxes such as sales tax on purchases made through credit card statements – but excludes income tax from jobs outside freelance work so long as only one employer pays taxes on behalf of their employees).
Then divide this number by 2000 hours worked; this will give us our annual cost per hour worked which gives us an idea of how much we spend every second at work (e..g $30/hr).
After finding out how much each second costs us per hour worked we could either use those figures along with other information (such as # clients serviced during that period) when negotiating prices with potential clients or simply charge based on whatever feels most comfortable.
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8. Make A Plan For Growth, But Don’t Force It
By this point, you should have a good idea of what your freelance business will look like in the future. You’re probably making money and love the freedom that comes with being self-employed. The next step is to think about how you can grow and scale your business and make sure that everything is taken care of before it becomes an issue.
This means planning for retirement, health insurance, and other benefits outside of the necessities like food, clothing, and shelter (which are covered by your business).
Making sure these parts of life are taken care of will allow you to focus on growing your freelance career without having to worry about whether or not these things will be there when they need to be!
9. If You Want A-Team, Start With An Intern Or Apprentice Or Use Outsourcing Services
If you want to build a team, start with an intern or apprentice. Don’t worry if you think this is too much work for yourself you don’t even have to do the hiring! Many companies will be happy to pair their employees with someone who needs help learning the ropes or gaining experience.
Look for candidates who are eager to learn and want practical experience in your field. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work on both sides to make these arrangements successful, so don’t waste everyone’s time by going after people who aren’t serious about being part of your team.
Set out clear expectations and standards from the outset so that both parties know what they’re getting into and can be more informed when making decisions along the way (which may require some compromise).
For example: what kind of hours will they work? What kind of tasks are they expected to perform? What kinds of skills would they need before moving forward? How will progress be measured?
Once again this isn’t just a job interview; it’s also an opportunity for both parties involved in order better understand each others’ needs as well as themselves during this process.”
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10. Charge Enough To Pay For Your Own Health Insurance And Retirement Benefits
When you’re working for yourself, it’s important to have a health insurance plan even if it’s just a catastrophic plan that covers major medical expenses. It may seem like an unnecessary expense, but the cost of not having health insurance can be devastating.
The average American family spends over $13,000 per year on healthcare! That’s a lot of money that could be going toward other things (such as retirement savings).
There are two main ways you can pay for your health insurance and retirement benefits:
- Pay for them yourself by setting aside money from each paycheck
- Or ask your clients to cover the cost of these things through their project budgets
Freelance Careers Are Real Careers, Worth Being Proud Of, And Can Be Very Fulfilling
You can do this. You can turn your freelance business into a real career, and it will be worth it if you work hard and do it in a way that values your time and skills.
I’ve worked as a freelancer for almost ten years now, and I love my job. The best part is being able to make my schedule and be more self-directed than I was in an office environment.
That freedom is what drew me to freelance work in the first place, but I didn’t realize how much I would grow from spending so much of my life alone with my thoughts until recently when we had some changes at home (our youngest daughter moved out) which left me with more free time than usual after work hours.
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Conclusion
With the right mindset, a little organization, some networking, and a solid growth plan, you can give your freelance business a new life as an actual career. And I’m not saying that because I run my own successful freelance design studio.
This is hard work. It requires dedication, attention to detail, and lots of self-motivation all of which can be difficult when you’re working alone with no boss breathing down your neck. But it is rewarding. It provides flexibility and freedom when you need it the most. Those are worth fighting for!
Further Reading
Here are some additional articles you may find helpful:
Five Steps for Turning Your Freelance Hustle into a Business: Forbes provides valuable insights and practical steps for transforming your freelance hustle into a thriving business.
How to Build a Freelance Career: FlexJobs offers a comprehensive guide on building a successful freelance career, covering various industries and providing useful tips.
How to Break Free: Turning Your 9-5 Job into a Thriving Freelance Career: Vineforce shares strategies and advice for transitioning from a traditional 9-5 job to a fulfilling and prosperous freelance career.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does It Mean To Have A Full-Time Career?
A full-time career is when you make enough money working as an employee (or independent contractor) that you no longer need to take on additional jobs to make ends meet. This means you don’t have to bother with taxes or benefits like health insurance, because your employer takes care of those things for you.
What Do I Need To Do To Start Working As An Employee?
First off, congratulations! You’ve already made the first step toward having a full-time career by starting your own business! Now it’s just about getting out there and finding clients who are willing to pay for the services
.How Do I Know If This Is Right For Me?
If you’re looking for a way to turn your freelance business into something bigger, or if you want help figuring out how to get started with your freelance business, this course is perfect! You’ll learn how to set up and run your own successful business and have fun doing it!
What are the benefits of freelancing?
Freelancing offers various benefits, including flexibility in working hours, the ability to choose clients and projects, and the potential for higher income based on your skills and experience.
How can I find freelance job opportunities?
You can find freelance job opportunities through online platforms, networking with industry professionals, attending freelancing events, and leveraging social media platforms to showcase your work and skills.
How do I determine my freelance rates?
To determine your freelance rates, consider factors such as your experience, specialized skills, market demand, and the value you bring to clients. Research industry standards and analyze the rates of other freelancers in your field to set competitive prices.
How can I manage my finances as a freelancer?
Managing finances as a freelancer involves setting a budget, tracking income and expenses, saving for taxes, and planning for irregular income. Utilizing accounting software and consulting with a financial advisor can help you effectively manage your finances.
What are some effective strategies for marketing myself as a freelancer?
Effective strategies for marketing yourself as a freelancer include building a professional website, creating a strong online portfolio, utilizing social media platforms for self-promotion, networking with potential clients and industry professionals, and seeking testimonials and referrals from satisfied clients.
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!