How To Become a Successful Freelancer in 30 days?

Highest Paying Online Freelance Jobs 2020

There has been a massive increase in freelancing over a couple of years. This increase seemed to take an upward toll this year because of the coronavirus pandemic as a lot of professionals would opt to freelance as their major source of income. There are many ways to become a successful freelancer. People are beginning to figure out how to find freelance work and companies are realizing that outsourcing to freelancers is a better alternative in that it is both cost-effective for companies that experienced some sort of business decline as a result of the corona virus and also a great way to continue making a good income. Contrary to popular beliefs, starting a freelancing business is not as hard as you might think. Just like every other business, it takes discipline and a high level of consistency to get to a level where you can make a reasonable income whilst freelancing.

In this article, you will learn

How to legally start a freelance business, how to become a successful freelancer in 30 days?

and officially kick start your career in freelancing. Freelancing also comes with bonuses like the freedom to work from home or anywhere in the world and make a decent income. This increase in freelancing is not set to see a decline anytime soon as studies have shown that by 2027, freelancers will make up the majority of the American workforce. Currently, over 57.3 million Americans currently freelance, and 47% of millennials already take freelancing as a full-time job as opposed to a regular 9 to 5 work. This says a lot about the future of work.

If you are one of those who are killed by your monotonous 9 to 5 job. You don’t like your boss bossing around every now and then. You want to work from the comfort of your home sitting in your garden then you have come to the right place. If you face times when you feel that you do not want to work and just go around the globe then freelancing is just perfect for you.  

Starting a freelance business

Freelancing for beginners

might seem like a herculean task. There are certain structures and practices that need to be put in place to ensure that you have a thriving freelancing business and that working online from home does not turn out to be a chore. These are practices that can help you be among the best of the best

Step 1: Having a comfortable workspace, think about home office set up

Working online from home can be very daunting especially for individuals who lack the discipline to concentrate on tasks. It is very important to set up a designated space in your home where you work every day to help you better manage your time. Having a comfortable workspace is the first thing you should set up when thinking about starting out as a freelancer.

Step 2 Branding yourself

a. Create a social media presence:

Social media is known as a place where you can reach a thousand people by simply posting on your page. This can also become an effective method to land the client you have been looking for. In creating a social media presence, you need to ensure that your page is well updated with your information; your work portfolio, a detailed description of your work and expertise. LinkedIn helps you achieve that. With this platform, you can have a detailed CV of all the jobs you have ever done, with links to them. LinkedIn is also the best place to connect to people who are looking to hire or to get hired. Other social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter also lets you share a link to your website or gigs that you have created.

b. Own a website: 

Now that you have set up your space, the next thing you should be working on is yourself. If you want to attract the highest number of clients as possible, then you should develop your brand and use that to attract clients. Developing your brand would mean that asides from the social media platforms that you’ve created, you should have a website that details every single experience you have. As a freelancing beginner, you can use this website to display a sample of work you’ve done to show your expertise in your field. It is very important to build an image that high paying clients would want to be associated with. Having a website can help you build your portfolio and help you churn out tiny bits of content that show the clients what you are capable of.  The advantage of having a personal website is that you can explicitly explain the services you offer and provide a detailed statement that introduces yourself to your prospective clients without having to deal with word count. You are also able to put some examples of your work and most importantly leave contact information so that your clients can contact you directly. Thinking of how to start to create your website. Click here to get started.

c. Create your presence on freelance platforms:

Freelance job sites and platforms let you write a bio on your profile that can help you land a client. There are a lot of freelance job sites where you can create your profile and approach hirers all over the world to land your first gig. One of the most popular freelance platforms is UpWork. There are many other freelancing platforms and free freelance websites where you can put your newly learned skill to work and finally begin to make money, you need to do is register. A few of them are listed below:

• Upwork
• Freelancer
• Fiverr
• Peopleperhour
• 99designs
• Nexxt

Step3 Know the tools you should harness

There are certain apps for freelancers you need to help you navigate through the hustle and bustle of freelancing;

• Time tracker

You need a time tracking tool to help you manage your billable time and track how productive you are with work. Some of the best free time tracking app for freelancers include; clockify, Toggl, Google calendar.

• Scheduling app

As a freelancer, you need a freelance scheduling app to help you set reminders, define your deadlines, give you a better understanding of your ideas by creating to-dos and collaborating. Some free scheduling apps include; Bitrix24, calendly, and set more.

• Invoicing app

Every freelancer needs an invoicing app. This helps you prepare professional invoices and lets you document it as well. There are a lot of IOS and android apps available for invoicing. These can be found in the apple store or the play store. One good free invoicing app for freelancers is waveapps.

Step 4 Develop the grit and discipline

The truth about freelancing is, contrary to popular beliefs, you do not get to relax as a freelancer, the work is actually doubled. You now have to deal with your clients yourself. Ensure that you are disciplined enough to get your actual work done. Freelancing websites like UpWork and freelancer make you bid for a job, so you see the amount of seriousness you need to put into land a client. You have to be prepared for this. Eventually, when you begin to get more clients you would then need to be disciplined enough to be able to handle multiple projects at once.

Once you select the niche you have decided to devote your time to, the other things to consider is baiting the right gig to your prospective client; what makes a gig stand out is that

• It is convincing
• It is not too expensive

Ensure that you set the estimates and rates of your gigs at a very convincing price. Setting an estimate or rate too low would paint you as an amateur and making it too expensive might make you miss out on some opportunities. Therefore, ensure that you find a balance when trying to set an estimate for your gig.

If you are confused about how to determine prices on your gigs, here are some tips

• Market rate: Visit top freelance job sites like Fiverr, UpWork and Freelancer, etc  and see how much other freelancers charge for the service you offer
• Calculate your monthly expenses and divide them accordingly to determine how much you can earn per hour
• Find out how much it’d cost to do the job then add your little profit. This is applicable to freelancers like photographers, web designers, etc. who have to pay for software to get a job done.

Getting your first gig

Once you have successfully built your brand and registered on your preferred freelance job site, it is now time for you to create your first gig. You can decide which platform is most suitable for you and register.

Having a presence on multiple job sites will also helpful. The next thing you should consider is what you are most skilled at and what industry are you looking at to commence your freelance business.

A lot of people would naturally search for top freelance skills in demand to start with but what you should do is harness your passion as your skill so that you can be paid generously for the job you do. However, there are certain jobs that are guaranteed to get you gigs. Check out my post on Highest Paying Freelance Jobs in 2020 to find out your best skill. You need to spend time selecting the skills for which you can provide your best services or products.

Starting a freelance business with a skill that is your love or hobby would be the best choice because you have the natural expertise in it. The next question is how do you get your first client and start getting paid as a freelancer.