4 Tips for Successful Freelancing
As the industrial age ends and structured employment gets wiped out, freelancing is becoming the new buzzword. The internet, fast communication, transport, and mobility in modern India have made it easy for people to pursue freelancing. It’s now possible to showcase your work to thousands of people simply by posting it on your own social media pages. Even then very few people truly succeed at freelancing. That’s because there are unspoken rules that separate great freelancers from the merely good ones.
Plan Ahead: As a freelancer, you are the jack of all trades and master of a few. You are the market, designer, promoter, accountant, and secretary of your hustle. Therefore plan accordingly and be ready to work long and odd hours. Keep your records neat and proper and set timelines. Make sure you have a list of clients and potential clients that you want to work with and pursue them vigorously. Given that you are starting out few people may know or appreciate what you do. So step out there and look for clients.
Organize Your Finances: Building a successful freelance career can take a long time. You might go for six months or up to one year without getting a major deal, client or contract. So make sure you have saved enough cash to sustain you and your hustle for the first few months. This means you have to tear down on your lifestyle and live of possible minimum till your hustle picks up. You should always think 2 to three months ahead in terms of the cash you have versus the cash that’s supposed to go out.
Find Your Space: Make sure you have a good working space. Working as a freelancer has its benefits, but it also has its downsides. Most importantly know your worth. People tend to underpay and choose to undercut freelancers. Know how much value you are delivering and properly price it. To be able to understand your place in the freelance market joins the industry communities and be an active producer rather than merely a consumer of the industry content. One of the critical ways of building yourself up as a freelancer is to be consistent. Consistency communicates quality, stability, expertise, and professionalism.
Build Your Brand: When it comes to expert freelancing, you are the brand. Who you are, how you dress, what you type on social media becomes part of your brand. Make sure your online presence is well detailed and curated. Also, ensure that everything you post is consistent with your brand. Most importantly empathy, efficiency, professionalism and resourcefulness would greatly amplify your brand.
