Freelancing can be a great source of an alternative income. Some individuals also tend to leave their day jobs to become full time freelancers with time. However, moving to a full time freelancing job is a big move, and should be taken after careful consideration. If you are looking to start your freelancing career, here are some essential tips that can help you along the way.
Organize your tools to show off your skills
You will want to gather all the necessary tools needed to showcase your skills effectively in order to be noticed in the highly competitive freelancing world. Start with a simple, but an impressive portfolio that will convince clients or companies to hire you. Pick out pieces from previous assignments that represent your skills best and add them to your portfolio for interested clients to see.
Create professional work profiles online
Create a work profile on professional sites like LinkedIn so that potential clients can reach out to you. If you have a website, make it a point to update it regularly with interesting blogs. This will make you more visible to clients and companies that want to hire you.
Set up a dedicated work space
Many tend to neglect this aspect of a freelancing job as they think that freelancing is about doing your job from wherever you want. While this may be acceptable with some clients, others may want you to have a dedicated work space which would be suitable for video calls or conferences. Having a dedicated work area can also boost your productivity, especially if it is set up in a space that is separate from the areas of the house that see maximum activity during your work timings.
Know what you are worth
You may be entering the freelancing industry. But that does not make you any less competent that what you are at the moment. Do not undervalue your skills as well as your time at any point. If you set a price that is too low, you may risk attracting the wrong clients. Worse yet, you may get stuck in the same payment zone for years on end. Make sure you know your worth and do not be afraid to ask for the same from your clients. A contract will be of great help in this case and will clearly mention your work hours and rates so that no client can take advantage of you.
Prepare your budget wisely
The scariest part of moving to a full time freelancing career according to many is the income. With a freelancing job, it may take some time for you to zero in on a genuine client who actually pays for the work you do. It may also take a couple of months for you to start getting a steady stream of income from your freelancing job. In this case, it is highly recommended that you plan out your finances to support you during the initial months of your freelancing career. You can also opt for a passive income stream by taking up a local job until you start making a good amount of money from the former.
Join freelancing communities
While the initial feeling of working alone can be exhilarating (no boss to shout profanities down your neck), you may start to get a bit lonely after a while. It is at this stage that you will need to join communities to meet with other individuals, possibly freelancers like yourself. Communities like Skillshare for instance, allow you to interact with individuals, share your experiences and get feedback as well as client referrals in the process.
Get Testimonials from satisfied clients
Since you are freelancing, you may need someone to vouch for your work to prospective employers. Who better than satisfied clients to do this job for you? Ask a few of your clients for recommendations or short testimonials you can include in your portfolio. This will give a great boost to your freelancing career for sure.
Summary
Moving to a freelancing career is a big decision indeed. Ensure that you really want to move to a freelancing job and get all the necessary things sorted out before taking the job leap forward.