How Can I Begin My Career as A Freelancer? Justin Thomas was 26 years old when he started freelancing. Now he is 36 and has a thriving gig career. “It was a conscious decision to do freelancing, because I like to travel with my music band. Initially freelancing-on-the-go was difficult, but after a year or so, work started pouring in.” The initial years were tough because Thomas did not have a freelancing plan. But, now that he is an established name in the gig economy, he has a fair understanding of how new freelancers should plan their careers. “It doesn’t matter whether you are a coder or a writer. The basic step-by-step plan remains the same,” he says. Here’s his seven-step mantra: Define your goals: This is a non-negotiable step one if you enter the gig economy because you are on your own. Ponder over this crucial question because freelancing, including getting work and chasing clients for money, is not an easy job. It can be tiresome and irritating. So you have to be clear about your goals. It will help you tide over initial problems. Alongside, you must answer three critical questions: Do you want to enter the gig economy to earn some side income or replace your full-time income? Either way, how much would that amount be? Create your work portfolio: “When I started freelancing, the first thing I did was have a basic website, which had all my previous work in one place. I also included my interests such as creating small videos,” explains Thomas. The great thing about the website was that I could just share that with clients and also push them to ask me questions and showcase my skills,” he added. Start freelancing before quitting your day job: If you are already into a job, consider setting up your freelancing career before quitting. This can have a cushioning effect. Leverage your ecosystem: Reach out to people, spread the message among friends and family about how they can help you advance your freelancing career. Blog frequently: Write regularly about your freelancing experience and let people know your critical skills. Turn your skills into a service: Clients want business solutions. So even if a freelancer is good at her work, she will need to understand the difference between skills and service. When you meet a client with a proposal, explain to her what you can do, how you do it, and for what type of business/client.
Develop a pricing structure: There is no fixed pricing structure in the freelancing/gig market. So the first step is to know how much your competitors are charging. Also, keep in mind some other points: Experience, industry; project duration; deliverables; the complexity of the project; urgency. Create a relationship with your client: As a freelancer, your clients are your business. Develop a good working relationship with your clients. Be very conscious about timely deliveries. Build a relationship of trust. Research your client: This is critical to understand the client’s needs and how they work, their payment schedules, and people who work for them. This will help you tailor your proposal and deliver better. Add to your skill-set: Be conscious about the market needs, develop new skills, and expand your knowledge base. You don’t need to pay a bomb for upgrading skills/knowledge. There are plenty of only learning resources such as Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and EDx online learning for upgrading skills. Source View:freelancer.html
https://begigdigital.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-can-i-begin-my-career-as-