You may be wondering what it exactly means to be a freelancer. Well, it is not that complex. I am sure you are familiar with working remotely. Basically, freelancing is like that. You work remotely under your own terms. However, at times you have to consider your clients’ terms to make it a success.
However, you have the freedom to work from anywhere and not just in the confinement of the office. Did you know that as a freelancer, you don’t actually need to just work from home? You can actually rent out space and work with your team in an office.
“What’s the difference between freelancing and being employed?” There is a big difference! Well, when you are employed, you have to follow certain rules and stick to a certain location. Even though, at times, you may be sent to different branches.
However, as a freelancer, you can be working in one part of the country and be hired to do some work on the other side of the country. The benefit of this is that you will actually travel or just work from where you are and give the right instructions. It’s like you work as a consultant from where you are or perform some tasks from where you are!
1) Know what you want to specialize in.
As a freelancer, you are not just limited to writing, video editing, web development, app development, data entry, or those kinds of tasks. You can also be a freelance engineer, freelance interior designer, freelance doctor, freelance contractor, freelance IT expert, and all that. You actually go where your services are needed.
Yes, for some tasks like writing, you can work from anywhere, but if you get work as an interior designer freelancer, you will need to go to the specific construction or house and do your magic. As easy as that. However, you can still be a consultant.
2) Have freelancing goals
Every company, employer, or employee tends to have goals. Hence, as a freelancer, you will still need to set goals. What do you want to achieve in a week, month, or year? Have clear goals of what exactly you want. If you don’t, you will just fall off as s freelancer.
While working as a freelancer, you are basically self-employed, hence you only get paid when you work. Yes, you can have freelancing as your side hustle, however, at the end of the day, you will still need to have goals of what you want, work towards them and earn. This also requires money discipline, considering you get money at any time of the month, rather than when employed, and you get it at the end of the month. Hence, you will need a money management app or jot it down in a notebook. In as much as we are advancing, I still prefer using physical notebooks. However, its up to you.
3) Research on your specific field
When you choose a certain path, you will need to research a specific field. Also, you need to get the best connections to to ensure your freelancing task are exposed. Let’s say you want to work as a writing freelancer, you will need to either approach companies to write for them or join credible websites like Upwork, create an account, and get clients from there.
You will need to have a channel where you will get clients. At the end of the day, you want to earn an income. Hence, you must strive to get clients and broaden your career. You can get more insights from this amazing freelancing e-book.
4) Plan
When starting out as s freelancer, you need to plan and know how you will go about it. You may still be employed and want to be a freelancer on the side. Hence, you will need to plan and know that I will do freelancing at this time and I will do my regular job at this time.
Also, you will need to know how you will manage your time. If you need to be at work from 9 am to 4 pm, schedule your time to ensure you can still do your freelance writing. At times, we tend to have too much time at our disposal. Make use of that. If possible, have a physical notebook or online notebook to help you plan well.
5) Get insights
You will also need to get insights on freelancing. If you have someone close who has been freelancing for a while, try and consult them and see what advice they will give you. Also, remember to read amazing blogs like freelancing essentials to get the best insights. It is important to know what you are getting into.
Did you know that being an entrepreneur who does print on demand and drop-shipping can also qualify as being a freelancer? Well, yes, you qualify to be a freelancer. There is a lot of potential in freelancing, you just need to look well.
Conclusion
I hope these five tips will help you to start out well as a freelancer. When I started, I didn’t know what to expect, but as time went by, I got used to it and realized I want to dive more into it. I will provide more insights as we continue. Freelancing is amazing and you shouldn’t miss out. Freelancing is flexible, and you can meet all your goals each day.
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