New freelancers have a lot to take on apart from building a credible portfolio to get clients or pitch their dream clients.
Freelancing is something that you can take advantage of if you have got a skill set that can be leveraged. With the untimely onset of the pandemic, freelancing has become a more common means of income for people around the globe.
And if you’re having thoughts about starting freelancing work, then you’re at the right place.
I’ve been freelancing as a content writer, photographer, and social media manager for the past 5 years. And I have a few tips (10 to be exact) to share with you regarding freelancing.
These are tips from my own first-hand experience and which I believe every newbie freelancer should know so that they can charge what they deserve, build a stable income through freelancing, and manage their skills in a better way.
For someone new, freelancing sure can be daunting. Yes, being your own boss is exciting but that also means you are responsible for every single thing. You should be knowledgeable about every aspect of your freelance gig.
Don’t believe those videos that tell you that you can start making thousands of bucks instantly as you get into freelancing. Don’t set your expectations according to these clickbait titles. In this post, I’ll talk about the real facts. No sugarcoating, no exaggeration.
Table Of Contents
Tips for new freelancers planning to join the freelancing industry
1. Don’t jump in instantly without giving it proper thought
The idea of earning a side income or turning your passion into a career through freelancing can be exciting and thrilling.
It’s important to not let the thrill of it cloud your judgment.
Just because you read an article or saw a YouTube video titled Easy way to make money online doesn’t mean it is actually that easy. You definitely need a good enough skill set, soft skills, communication skills, and plenty of other things to earn a substantial amount from freelancing.
Absolutely don’t think of quitting your current job to start freelancing full-time. That’s not a sign of how passion-driven you are but a sign of a lack of practical thinking.
You need months to get the hang of a new gig and more to build a stable influx of cash. The job that you are doing at the moment, pays your bills and gives you a sense of stability.
Keep at it so that you can freelance on the side without feeling the pressure of making the ends meet solely through freelance gigs. Just like any other industry, freelancing has its own set of pros and cons too.
Not every client respects your time, not every client clears invoices on time. Until you start earning a minimum amount which is the same as your current job, don’t think about jumping in into freelancing full-time.
2. Accept the fact that you’re not an expert from the beginning
“A foolish man thinks he knows everything. A wise man knows he doesn’t.”
— Amanda Hocking
People make all sorts of mistakes when they fail to acknowledge and accept the truth about themselves. Every skill comes with its own learning curve.
Nobody can be an expert from the start. Be open to learning and sharpening your skills every single day. Do your due diligence to build a freelance gig for yourself.
You have got the Internet, a pandora’s box of information on almost anything in the world. Use it.
Find out who are the top freelancers in your niche or in general, read about their journey, and what tips they have shared if they have.
Identify who are your target clients, where do they spend most of their time networking, get on that platform to network, and build relationships that turn into paying clients. Sort out what kind of services you can offer and up to what extent before pitching.
If you are not sure about which niche is made for you, test the waters with different niches you have got an interest in. Gradually, you’ll get to know which niche you enjoy working in the most. Don’t be afraid of experimenting.
Be open to working for clients that aren’t in your niche in the early stage of your freelancing career in order to build a portfolio.
Also Read: How to find the perfect niche for your blog
3. Find the right platform for your niche
If you have started reading online on how to go on about freelancing, I’m sure you have already created a list of freelancing platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal, Dribble, PeoplePerHour, etc.
Such freelancing platforms have their cons. New freelancers often get super pumped up and join multiple platforms before doing proper research. Most of the freelancers on the platform are underpaid and are exploited by their clients. Sometimes clients leave a bad review even when you do the best you could, and that can harm your profile credibility a lot.
These platforms are good for beginners who are still figuring out the market and are freelance virgins. But for the ones who have some experience with freelancing, I would recommend against them.
Only a few top freelancers on these platforms make a good amount of money. For instance, head to fiverr.com and you’ll find people doing all sorts of gigs for merely $5-$10 which is shocking and both sad.
The competition is so high that freelancers agree to provide their services with such low hourly costs.
What I mean is, don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Give these platforms a try, but don’t limit yourself to them.
4. Set your prices correctly
Money is always the tricky part. Especially for new freelancers.
If you charge too low, you risk underselling yourself and companies won’t think twice before taking advantage of the fact that you don’t understand the value of the services you’re providing them with.
If you charge too high, you would come off as over-confident and someone who doesn’t know the market standards that go along with that skill set and pricing.
It’s the sweet spot between the two that you need to find, which isn’t that easy.
So, how can you set your prices and be compensated fairly?
Start working with an hourly rate that works for both you and your client. See what other beginner freelancers like you are charging.
Decide on pricing close to that.
When you start taking up projects, track the amount of time it takes you to do each task. You will get an idea of how much time it takes to complete a gig. After you’ve worked on a handful of projects, customize your pricing for each project according to its deliverables and ditch hourly rates altogether.
Also Read: Ways of earning money on Fiverr
5. Learn the skill of negotiating
Negotiating is a business skill that can take you places.
There are great clients out there who would accept your rates in one go. And then there are some who will try to push you into working for a lower rate by all means.
False promises of long-term collaboration, intimidating you by telling you they have a list of freelancers ready to do the job just a call away, trying to be extra-nice to get a discount, etc.
It’s important to research about the client too before you start working with them. Check out their reviews, what do people who have worked with them previously say about the experience. Do they pay fairly? Do they pay on time? Do they communicate efficiently?
Trust me, it is much better to look out for any red flags before saying yes to the project than to have your mental health disturbed later on because of the constant stress that they might create.
It will take time for new freelancers to master the skill of negotiating, that’s totally okay. It’s going to be tough a few times, you might feel overwhelmed and anxious.
But with every new client, it’ll get easier.
6. Constantly upgrade your skills
Irrespective of how skilled you are in your niche or category of work, you will always have something new to learn.
New freelancers need to stay on top of their game by learning something new, bit by bit every day. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to do a number of online courses.
You can upskill yourself by watching YouTube videos by experts, reading articles too. Be curious about what’s the next step. Join a freelance community to know the basics of the industry, share and learn from other freelancers’ experiences.
Even when you’re a constant flow of money coming in, a portfolio with clients who love working with you, don’t stop there.
You can either choose to be at this level or level up by learning something new and charging higher for your services after that.
7. Build a routine, treat it like you would treat a job
Freelancing doesn’t mean that you get to work whenever you want. At least not when you’ve just begun.
By building a routine, you can organize your gigs better and make sure you’re not wasting time, neglecting the more important things.
Have a set time when you sit down to work in the morning and when you turn your laptop off in the evening or day. Set small achievable goals for yourself so that you don’t get overwhelmed.
Write a to-do list at the beginning of your day and tick off tasks as you complete them. This might seem like it’s something trivial, but ticking off things gives you a sense of achievement.
