Udemezue John
Introduction.
Have you ever wanted to work all by yourself without the supervision of any boss or be free from the restriction of a workplace, then Freelancing is one fantastic opportunity to tap into.
Not so many people like working 9-5; the saddest thing about this experience is that we feel bound by survival; in this article, I will expose an online side-hustle that can get you the financial freedom you ever desire.
Do you have the following Questions;
- how to get jobs freelance writing
- how to get freelance programming work
- how to become a freelance food writer
- how to get a writing job with no experience
- how do I become a freelance artist
- how to be a successful freelance artist
- how to start as a freelance developer
- how to get freelance web development work
- how to get into freelancing
- how to become a writer without experience
- how to begin freelancing
- how to become a freelance resume writer
This article has been created to help answer the above questions with clarity. Make sure to stick to the end to get a comprehensive understanding.
Who Is a Freelancer?
A freelancer is self-employed and is not necessarily committed to any employer on a long-term contract, making them available to every other worker.
Freelance workers are sometimes represented by a company or a temporary agency that resells freelance labour to clients; others work alone or use trained organisations or websites to get work.
Why Should you Become a Freelancer?
I have been freelancing for so many years now, and I must tell you that It has been an exciting experience. The joy of not having to wake up to meet the expectations of a particular boss has made it more fun as a freelance.
I can decide to be committed to more than one employer simultaneously; it also allows me to leverage my time and be far more productive.
1. To Make Money.
There is no limit to how much you can make as a freelance; with a platform like Fiverr, Upwork and even referrals from your family and friends, earnings are unlimited. The rate at which you earn as a freelancer is determined by good you are at handling your job.
2. Experience Freedom.
Freedom is the dream of everyone who roams the earth’s surface; even animals kept in the Zoo as a circus deeply crave freedom. Freedom is one of the fascinating things that you get to experience as a freelance.
3. Enjoy Flexibility.
As a freelancer, you get the chance to do other things that you ever dreamed of; as a freelance web developer, I have the opportunity to dive and explore my many areas of strength as more than.
4. Freelancing Helps You Become an Expert.
While Freelancing, you get to work with various people, which tends to put your problem-solving skills at a higher level. As a Freelancer, you are constantly challenged with new tasks and deadlines, which in the long run, develop your skill set far more than anyone working full-time for a company.
5. Grow your reputation.
Getting to work for so many people within a short period helps you accumulate reviews and testimonials, enhancing your reputation. As a Freelancer, you have to be able to satisfy the client’s deep needs to get referred to other people and grow your reputation.
6. Meet new people.
Working for new people is the tradition and culture of freelancers, and this has made it for them to develop a far better career than in any business industry. Do you intend to become a Freelancer? Then prepare to meet many new people as you progress.
How To Become a Freelancer.
A Freelancer is one business model that requires the development of particular expertise so well that prospective clients need to see concrete proof of work before committing/to themselves.
As a Freelancer, you need to be more practical in your approach to win over prospective clients; it is not like getting a certification as we traditionally do in universities. Most times, we are offered work without even practical knowledge of what we know.
This article will give you valuable tips on getting started as a Freelancer and beginning to make money.
1. Learn a Skill.
The first thing you need to have under your belt is considerable skills; as a Freelancer, you are intended to get paid for applying a particular skill set in a specific work area.
There are so many skillsets to learn as a Freelancer; make sure they are primarily sought after.
In this section, I will be providing some essential and valuable skill sets that every aspiring Freelancer should work on.
1. Web Design/ Web Development.
There is a massive new wave in the technology industry, and so many new and upcoming brands need the services of web designers and developers.
As someone seeking to become a Freelancer, adding this skill to your toolbelt can place you at the forefront of eventually becoming a freelancer because there is a massive need for these services.
I wrote this comprehensive guide to help you get started as a web developer, and I recommend you read this article to get started as a web developer.
2. Graphics Design.
I cannot start to count how many individuals, small and large companies, are in desperate need of graphic designers, but not so many of them can lay their hands on one.
All you need to know as a Graphics designer is the use of graphic design software, and then you are good to go; also, with some good samples of work you have done, you are the bomb.
3. Video Editors.
With the massive wave of the need for graphic designers, video editors are also highly sought after. All you need to become a well-sought-after video editor is a proper knowledge of video editing tools and software.
4. Writing.
Writing is another skill set that could be used by so many individuals, small and big companies worldwide.
So many of them seek out writers to help them send out newsletters and even update and manage their blogs.
You need to know how to work with offline and online text-editing software like Microsoft Word and WordPress.
Writing essays is quite different from writing for websites; if you have developed your writing skills, you can rest assured that you will get hired by more than just one company.
5. Virtual Assistant.
Back in the days, we had secretaries and clerks appointed to take care of the office work such as letter typing, attending to email and many others.
With the advent of the internet, it has now been fully converted into a virtual assistant instead of the clerk; However, most business models still make use of clericals staffs, but nowadays, most of these businesses prefer to work remotely with people to work as virtual assistants from other parts of the world.
As a Virtual Assistant, all you need to do is handle virtual office works like typing documents, sending and receiving emails and making phone calls working remotely from any part of the world.
6. Voice-Over Artist.
A voice-over artist uses their voice in radio, television, film, theatre, and other presentations. When it comes to Freelancing, most people think it is designed for only technical people; little did they know that every other talent you possess can be freelanced, one of them being music.
Are you a good music artist, and do you have a fantastic voice? Then, you can become a voice-over artist and start monetizing your agent today and make good money.
2. Use Freelancing Websites.
The next step is to go online after acquiring any of these skills to the point where you have a working portfolio.
There are so many websites designed for Freelancers; before going into a massive list of these websites, I would like to give you a brief overview of how Freelance website works.
All a Freelance website is designed to provide you with a secured online platform to showcase your skills, sell them to prospective clients from all over the world and help you make money while you deliver these micro-jobs.
A Freelance website like Fiverr would link you to clients all over the world, assign you with a micro job that you offer, and then collect money on your behalf, mind you, the money is not paid until the task is completed, and the client has certified the job a completed one.
There are a lot of Freelancing websites out there to get started with, but in this section, I am going to talk about a very few legit ones.
1. Fiverr.
Fiverr is one of the very great freelancing platforms that allows a freelancer to sell their services all over the world.
Fiverr was founded by Micha Kaufman and Shai Wininge and was launched in February 2010. Fiverr is presently headquartered in Isreal. It currently hosts over 1 billion gigs and still counting; with Fiverr, you get to receive payments Via Paypal or Payoneer.
Just before signing up on Fiverr, I wrote a detailed guide on how to get started on Fiverr and make money, click the link to the guide below.
TRY IT NOW – Fiverr.com
2. Upwork.
Upwork is an American Freelancing platform that allows Freelancers from all over the world to connect with potential clients to pay them for their work.
It was formerly known as Elance before it was rebranded and became Upwork. Upwork has over eighteen million registered freelancers and five million registered clients. Upwork has a similar business model to Fiverr, but most people prefer Fiverr to Upwork.
TRY IT NOW – Upwork.com
3. Toptal.
Toptal is another worldwide freelancing that connects Freelancers with potential clients worldwide. Toptal was founded in 2010 by two brilliant software engineers, Taso Du Val and Branden Beneschott; up to date, the company has not declared an official headquarters. However, you can sign up on Toptal and start selling your services as a freelancer to make money.
TRY IT NOW – TopTal.com
4. Freelancer.
Freelancer is an Australian-based Freelance marketplace website founded in 2009 and is presently headquartered in Sydney, Australia.
Freelancer is another excellent freelance platform that allows independent Freelancer to sell their services to potential clients worldwide.
Freelancer allows employers to post jobs for freelance members who place bids in a competitive process. The site also allows members to host and enter contests for which prize money is offered as a reward.
Freelancer takes a 10% fee, which can be reduced with a paid monthly membership, with a minimum price of $5.
Most Freelancer’s users come from India, the United States, the Philippines, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom. Still, it is embodied through its user network in 247 countries, regions, and territories in developing and evolved markets.
TRY IT NOW – Freelancer.com
5. Hireable.
Hirable is a freelance platform that connects potential candidates to employees from all over the world.
Hireable is based in California, where it initially started; as a job seeker on this platform, you get notified via email when there is a new job that suits your profile; this makes it easy for potential offline candidates to be able to apply to these jobs more promptly.
The sophisticated search engine on Hireable.com makes it very easy to streamline candidates by using just a single keyword when searching, and the best part is that Hireable is free.
TRY IT NOW – Hireable.com
6. FlexJobs.
Flex job is a hosted website where all kinds of jobs are posted, including freelance jobs. It was founded in 2007, and ever since then, it has become a reliable source for all sorts of jobs.
So many online users have come to see and look at FlexJobs as a scam, but in reality, it is not, and this is why FlexJobs has several membership plans to choose from.
You can pay $14.95 for one month, $29.95 for three months or $49.95 for a year.
FlexJobs is one of the hosted freelance companies that has its users in mind, and this is one of the primary reasons they occasional webinars for applicants.
TRY IT NOW – Flexjobs.com
7. DesignHill.
DesignHill is hosted freelance marketplace for creatives in a specific niche, most of which are designers.
DesignHill has over 150,000 designers from all over the world; just in case you need the best designers to help bootstrap your business, you can trust DesignHill to connect you with the best hands when it comes to web designers, Graphics designers, logo designers, business card design and many more.
One keynote thing to note about this platform is that contests are usually organized for a vast number of designers to compete and win.
TRY IT NOW – DesignHill.com
8. Task Rabbit.
Task Rabbit is an online platform that connects labour with free demand. Unlike every other freelance platform that outsources soft skills like web design, digital marketing, graphics design and many others, Task Rabbit deals with physical labour such as; cleaning, moving and micro-delivery services.
Over 60,000 independent workers use the TaskRabbit platform to execute paid labour services.
Founded in 2008, Task Rabbit has received over 37 Million dollars in funding.
One major drawback is that services on this platform are not available in all parts of the world; it has only operated in the United States, where it was initially created.
If you reside in the US and seek a quick avenue to make some money, you should sign up on this platform.
TRY IT NOW – TaskRabbit.com
9. Writer Access.
Writer access is an online freelance website for writers; all this platform does is connect writers and translators with potential clients; all you need to do as a client is to Place orders for the content you need, which may be; articles, blog posts, website copy, product descriptions, press releases and many more.
Writer Access was initially launched in 2000 as a website called LifeTips which later became Writer Access after ten years in 2010.
WriteAccess provides good opportunities for Writers, mainly if they stay with the platform for a while.
WriterAccess proposes a wide variety of writing chances for writers of all skill levels. Orders range from product descriptions and blogs to technical, legal and medical writing.
Most times, the company even offers its orders to writers and will compensate writers for writing blogs for them. Initially, signing up for WriterAccess is a bit stressful but can sequentially be worth it. It starts by visiting their website and applying to become a writer for them.
Part of the application process is a 44 question questionnaire to assess your experience on completion. Fill in as much information as feasible about your scope of writing experience. Unfortunately, this platform is not open worldwide.
TRY IT NOW – WriterAccess.com
3. Create A portfolio Website.
The final step to getting started as a freelancer is to create a website for yourself, this is not important, but it can serve as a CV for the previous work you have done so far.
All you need is a landing page kind of website that talks about you, the kind of skillset you possess and a complete list of your past and present projects; this can help you get more acceptance from potential clients that you know you are doing as a Freelancer.
I wrote a guide to help you start hosting your first website, and I recommend you read it.
4. Promote Your Freelancing Services.
As a Freelancer, you have a lot of skillset to your belt, yet no one is readily patronizing you; this is usually a problem for freelancers when they initially get started, they get paid very little in the first season, but this is normal and would go away if such a person is persistent and always tries their best to deliver more than expected.
When I started freelancing as a web designer, it was a very tough experience, but I learned a lot, and one of the things I discovered is that;
Talent is not everything.
The highest-paid freelancers don’t have more skillset than you; all they do is present themselves to be more appealing and charge more.
Please don’t feel bad when you are being underpaid as a newbie freelancer; it will pass, but in the meantime, pay serious attention to the details in this section.
1. Word Of Mouth.
The first type of marketing that every Freelancer needs to understand is the native and crude advertising called “Word of Mouth”.
This type of advertising involves telling your close friends and family about the services you offer, this method seems to be very slow, but it converts more than any other method discussed in this section.
As a new Freelancer, all you need do first is to spread the word via group discussions, Instant messaging platforms like Whatsapp, Phone calls and any means to reach out to your close and loved ones.
2. Start a YouTube Channel.
The next potent channel is the use of YouTube; Youtube allows you to utilize a trust model by giving out a piece of advice to your audience and asking them to patronize you in return.
If you can pull through to get a lot of views, you can make money via Google Adsense, affiliate links and recommending your services.
I wrote a profound guide to help you get started with YouTube; click the link below to get started.
3. Leverage The Power of Facebook.
Facebook is another potent channel to market your services as a Freelancer; there are many ways to use Facebook to your advantages, such as Paid advertising, Facebook groups, and many more.
I wrote a guide to help you get started using Facebook; click the link to get started.
I also wrote a comprehensive guide on how to get started with Paid advertising on Facebook; click the link below to get started now.
4. Go on Instagram.
Instagram can also help you sell your services as a freelancer; this platform is suitable for media skillsets such as graphics or video editing. All you need do is show off your work by uploading them to your Instagram page and get the clients rolling in; Instagram is suitable for a media skillset, but you can also leverage the power of Instagram if you have any other skill set.
I wrote a complete guide to help you set up a business on Instagram; click the link to get started.
5. Start Blogging.
Blogging is a great marketing channel to reach out to potential clients from all over the world. Suppose you have multiples or even a single skillset. In that case, you can create content around that singular or multiple areas of expertise on your blog and optimize them for search engine optimization and get the buyers rolling.
I wrote an in-depth guide on starting a blog, scaling it and making money in the first ten months; click the link below.
6. Use Medium.
Medium is a social network for writers worldwide; all Medium does is provide writers with a free platform to express themselves and get paid more.
Medium is a better alternative if you cannot cope with the technical stress involved in running your blog. Articles published via Medium are easily ranked on Google, making it easy for you to start getting targeted traffic from search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing.
I wrote an article to help you get started with writing essays on Medium and making money.
7. Pinterest.
Pinterest is one social media platform that has been long underrated as it has become the social media network to follow after growing over 4,000% last year alone.
The core concept of Pinterest revolves around users creating and sharing pins of things that align with users’ interests.
Pinterest ranks third on engagement on the internet behind Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. It effectively operates as a massive visual search engine with images streamlined to specific user interests.
Pinterest is created so that each pin you make can contain a link back to your website, which generates massive click-through rates for your website.
As a freelancer, you can create promotional content about what you do and publish each of them on Pinterest.
I wrote a comprehensive guide on this blog on how you leverage Pinterest to grow your business; click the link to the article below to get started.
Conclusion.
When starting as a Freelancer, you are often tempted to charge less to win clients’ trust but to be honest with you; it does not make them trust you; they even get to devalue you more.
As a Freelancer, make sure you set a high standard for yourself and be prepared not to accept every project that is not good enough for you; trust me, don’t undercharge; the good clients will come around.
Do you intend to scale your services to the next level as a Freelancer? I wrote a guide to help you grow a small business; click the link to get started.
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