FREELANCER

 

 

 

The road to earning a full-time income as a freelancer is both full of ups and downs, but in this day and age, more and more people are opting for freelancing. With the increase in online platforms becoming ever more popular, it has become easier than ever for many small business owners to find a good freelancer to work alongside them. However, working independently and with a team of freelancers can quickly become costly in terms of your own personal expenses and time spent managing each other.

It is imperative that you work together to ensure the success of the project. However, working in an office environment can be extremely difficult. While you might enjoy interacting and meeting new clients and developing long-lasting relationships, if the project goes too far without a solid budget and/or your colleagues, it risks being left unfinished or falling apart at the seams.

It's important for you to know that regardless of whether you are starting out on a freelance career or you have already been working as a freelancer for several years, there is much to learn from others. Here are some tips to help make sure that the project is successful:

1) Understand the process of making money as a freelancer

As previously mentioned, the main purpose of freelancing is to set up a business in which you will make money for yourself; however, freelancing isn't easy. It requires lots of hard work and dedication to build a substantial online brand as well as a network of reliable resources such as websites and social media accounts. If you are just getting started on a freelance career, this could also be a good opportunity to make some quick cash by selling old furniture and vintage clothing.

2) Research your customers and competitors

It might take a little longer than you would like, but once you've found a few companies that offer great services and products you can then look for companies that may offer similar services and products. For example, Google AdSense allows businesses to sell their website in exchange for a commission and the company can keep all their marketing messages on Google AdSense. Doing so could lead to more traffic and higher revenue. These types of companies can then provide services for clients, such as advertising on Facebook and Twitter, which could result in a steady flow of leads or even a high-level clientele. In fact, studies show that people generally prefer to work with companies that use their names for marketing reasons.

3) Ask any questions you need to ask

It's normal for freelancers to spend around 40% of their work hours creating their portfolio and listing themselves, but it's best to be completely honest with yourself before moving forward. Some people hire contractors who they trust with the job and in turn, give them access to their work. This means that some of the best freelancer companies tend to invest heavily in research-based consulting services. One of these agencies is Digital Ocean, Inc., and it costs around $5,000 per year or at least $3,000 per month per person. By asking enough questions beforehand, they are able to discover problems and possible solutions before they ever occur, saving everyone countless hours and money.

4) Look after your health

There's nothing wrong with freelancing, but there should always be a limit to how much you are willing to put in at one point in time. You don't want to get sick or develop fatigue, so it’s best to only work during certain hours of the day/night. It’s important for you to rest when you aren't working and to not overeat, as it takes away from the rest of your body so much more than what's required to accomplish the task. If you are eating lunch or dinner more than two times a week (or more often), you are more likely to suffer from overindulging than if you eat at regular intervals.

5) Be prepared and stay organized

As said above, the freelancing doesn't happen overnight, and your first steps could be a lot of planning and forethought. Keeping track of receipts and receipts for every payment you receive, especially with regard to milestone payments and bonuses, can be incredibly rewarding as well as very motivating. Many freelancers take advantage of their monthly checkbooks to keep track of where they are spending their time, but it's also vital for them to keep a clear record of everything they're doing and how they plan to pay it off.

6) Get a second job

There might be a couple of reasons why someone is hiring freelancers instead of full-time employees. Sometimes, people simply do it because the current position they are working for allows them to easily work off-hours or travel, or because they think the flexibility they have would benefit from living closer to home. A second reason could be the potential they see in the freelance market, and if this person is looking for something else that pays better, then they may choose to hire a freelancer. There's no rule that says a business cannot also be a freelancer or that you shouldn't have a second job, just try to identify one within the industry that you feel comfortable working in, and stick with it until you are done.

7) Find your dream audience and create your digital content

As previously mentioned, there are plenty of influencers who are freelancing; finding them and creating your digital content might be the ultimate goal. Once you have amassed a loyal following, it is easy to start monetizing through affiliate links or through selling your own stuff like images and video clips. What's even easier is to take some of the money that you earn and add it to a project management platform. With things like Trello, Canva, Microsoft PowerPoint, etc. as well as the sheer amount of data processing power that the various pieces of technology have to provide, you can complete projects at lightning speeds; with the right tools and software, your business can grow significantly with each project.