Want to know if it’s worth building a freelance career? Or maybe you are thinking of trying to combine your studies at the college with a freelance? Where to start and how to make sure that you feel as little stress as possible during the transition to self-employment?
We have prepared tips to help you make the right steps towards a freelance career.
Make Sure This Is The Job For You
Honestly, freelancing is not for everyone. Taking full responsibility for all your actions is both exciting and dangerous. You have to decide when and where to start working, there is no manager who controls everything. If you have problems with self-discipline, it will be very difficult.
Remember that effective freelancing requires consistency, perseverance, and very good organization. Procrastination is not too terrible if you are only a student. You will always have time to catch up later or simply hire an essay writer in order to finish your academic paper. But for a freelancer, it is a big risk and means a decrease in income or failure to fulfill orders on time.
In the beginning, you can’t count on a guaranteed income, but you have a lot of work to do on your brand and market position. The plus is that as a freelancer you can earn more than a full-time employee but it sure will take more time. So, keep all this in mind when thinking about the freelance job.
Create A Financial “Buffer”
Creating a network of contacts and a base of regular customers takes some time, as well as launching profitable projects that will give you a stable income. Even if you start working today, your bills usually have a 30-day payment period, which means you’ll have to wait.
Savings are the basis. Before you start self-employment, you should raise the necessary funds that will provide you financially in the first period of work as a freelancer. So, save some money and collect a sum on which you will be able to live for at least a few months.
Select The Workplace
Freelancers usually work from home, and this is undoubtedly the most convenient solution, especially if you have a free room that you can turn into your office. The organization of the space intended for work will help to establish borders between work and personal life.
Coworking in this case has great advantages, although the cost may be more likely to interest those freelancers who already have a stable income.
Find The Business Tools That Work For You
Not everything in the work of a freelancer is connected with creativity. When you work at your own expense, in addition to orders, you must also take care of business contacts, work organization, project management, etc.
That’s why you need business tools. To get started, choose one for project management, one for time management and procrastination reduction, and one for cost tracking.
This may inspire you to start working on the project right now. But you will not regret the time and effort you put into making your “freelance machine” work smoothly before you dive into the vortex of work.
Create Your Website
Yes, for you, as a freelancer, your own website is very important. It will be your kind of portfolio, business card, and place to communicate with customers. However, this does not mean very high costs.
If you plan to work as a web developer, a website can be the best advertisement for your skills. For those who don’t feel confident in coding, there are plenty of free solutions, from WordPress to free portfolio pages.
You should invest even a small amount in a domain with your name or a memorable name. It’s much more professional than “sharing” a name with a platform provider. You don’t need a logo, but if you’re a designer, you can use it as an advertisement for your creativity.
Meet others
As a freelancer, you are likely to work from home, which means fewer opportunities for direct contact with clients.
So, in the beginning, try to attend industry meetings, business breakfasts, or other events for business start-ups and freelancers, which are organized in your area, your customers are also people from family, friends, neighbors.
To Sum Up
Freelance can be exactly what you need: control over your work, responsibility, great opportunities for development. To be successful, you also need good organization skills and “motivation”. So choose wisely, if you have problems with self-management, freelance may become a bad option for you.