It’s one thing to have what it takes to freelance full-time.

It’s quite another to actually succeed in self-employment.

In the increasingly competitive gig economy, you can’t expect it will be easy to land clients. You might be the most talented person in the world, but there will almost always be at least several other talented folks competing for the same positions as you.

Getting gigs starts with writing winning pitches. Here’s how to do that.

1. Apply to gigs that make sense for you

If you’re a freelance graphic designer that works with B2B companies, think twice about applying to the design gig that opened up at Urban…

You have the skills needed to become a successful freelancer.

That’s half the battle.

You still have to figure out how to turn the idea of being a professional freelancer into reality — which means you need to design a freelance system that works for you.

No two people approach work the exact same way. So a system that works perfectly for someone else might not work for you at all.

You need to build your own unique freelance system if you want to succeed. …

Freelancers already make up 34% of the U.S. workforce. By 2020, that number’s expected to spike to 50%.

You might already have your sights set on becoming a freelancer and being your own boss. Or maybe you’ll be forced into freelancing as the gig economy continues to grow and the way we work evolves further.

Do you have what it takes to succeed as a freelancer?

Successful freelancers possess the following 10 traits:

1. Talent

First things first: You won’t land too many freelance gigs unless you’ve got some raw talent.

Nobody wants to work with a graphic designer who’s teaching themselves…

In the age of social media, everyone is an expert.

Yet despite all of this “expertise,” there’s a lot of disagreement these days. In fact, 86% of Americans believe the U.S. is more divided today than it’s been for quite some time.

Many obvious arguments can be made as to why this is.

For the purposes of this piece, let’s focus on one of them: Nobody truly listens to what anyone else has to say anymore.

Think you’re a good listener? Think again.

Unsurprisingly, most people think they are good listeners.

They’re wrong.

For starters, we all spend nearly half of our waking hours not paying attention…

Imagine you’re at a baseball game on a warm July afternoon with a buddy. The person sitting in front of you is sweating profusely — to the point where their shirt, now drenched with sweat, has turned a darker color.

You might turn to your friend and say, Hey, look! That guy is really sweating through his shirt!

In the age of eight-second attention spans, shouldn’t there be a way to say “sweating through one’s shirt” more succinctly?

I believe there should.

A new word needs to be created to describe the act of sweating through one’s clothing. …

You’ve decided to try your hand at a freelancer writing career.

That’s great news!

Succeeding in the freelance game starts with knowing what to expect when you’re self-employed and having the right approach to the work itself.

I’ve been freelancing in various capacities since 2007. In January 2015, I made the decision to freelance full-time. I haven’t looked back.

You too can turn your side hustle into a full-time gig by putting these five tips into practice.

1. Start with a full-time job

You can’t just declare yourself a freelance writer and expect to generate enough revenue to pay your bills.

Success never happens overnight.

The…

Many writers dream of becoming freelancers.

You get the freedom and flexibility that comes with being able to set your own schedule.

You don’t have to sit in rush-hour traffic to get to the office and back— saving 50 minutes each day.

You get paid to learn lots of incredible new things.

And — to the extent that you’re able to land clients — there’s no limit to how much money you can make.

If it were easy to lock down freelance gigs, even more folks would work for themselves.

As it stands today, 34% of the U.S. workforce —…

Since the United States declared its independence in 1776, the Stars and Stripes have symbolized freedom and democracy on the world stage.

(Side note: We may not always agree with whoever’s on the other side of the aisle. But we’re able to express our sentiments, agreeable or otherwise, openly — a privilege afforded to few.)

The American flag has had many different looks over the last 240-plus years. Each time a new state was admitted into the Union, flag designers had to make appropriate adjustments.

Why?

The symbolism that inspired the American flag

A brief primer:

1. The stripes represent the 13 original colonies of the United…