Freelancing is one of the most effective ways to increase your income and protect yourself against the rising cost of living. Whether you’re looking to freelance full-time or just part-time along with your current full-time engagement, there’s absolutely no reason not to pursue it in 2023. The internet has made this world a global village and many companies and individuals are on the lookout to hire the right people for the job regardless of their place or country of residence.
If you’re just getting into freelancing, you’ve come to the right place. To make things easier, we’ve listed all the essential things you need to get right to get started. Give it a read and let us know what you think.
Find a marketable skill
To understand this, you simply need to understand the economics of how business works. You have something to offer or a marketable skill and you’re compensated based on the work you do using utilizing that skill. It’s imperative to note that you need to have a marketable skill so people can pay you for it. It doesn’t matter what it is, but you must be good at it.
Upskill yourself
If you feel that you don’t currently have any significant marketable skills, you can always upskill yourself by taking up any online course, seminar, or workshop. First, you need to identify your areas of interest so you can dive deeper. Once you have narrowed it down, the next thing you need to do is look up relevant courses or study material online and master that skill.
While you’re at it, there’s something else we’d like to highlight, which is your internet service. It’s hard to learn something online if your internet is always acting up, the same way it’ll be hard to communicate with clients on time if your internet is inconsistent. A one-time investment can save you a lot of trouble and keep you on top of things. Consider upgrading to Cox Internet, which offers multiple speed options so you can pick one according to your budget and is super-reliable. You can contact Cox customer service 24/7 for more details.
Build your reputation
Before we get to the portfolio, you need to understand that freelancing is based on trust, and it’s hard for potential clients to trust you with their project if you don’t have any trace online. For example, if you were to hire a freelance writer to write up a blog for you, you’d want someone who has written for different websites before, which is something that can be easily verified. This verification fosters trust and encourages them to take the leap of faith with you.
Create a portfolio
A portfolio is an excellent way to show prospective clients that you have what it takes to do the job. Your resume, cover letter, and proposal can only convey so much. This is where a portfolio steps in to build your credibility and showcase your skills. If you’re thinking about becoming a freelance writer, you could make your portfolio on your own website, or Medium, or have a list of published blogs with your byline.
Similarly, web designers can use the software called Awwwards to showcase their projects, and developers can use GitHub for their projects. The next time, you send a proposal, a link to your portfolio will suffice.
Choose the right platform
When you’ve taken care of things on your end, the next thing to do is find the right platform to offer your services and find potential clients. Upwork, Fiverr, and FlexJobs are some of the popular options for freelancers. But you’ll need to do your own research to find one that fits your needs since every platform works differently.
Try freelancing part-time
Once you’ve finalized the platform and set up a profile, the next thing you need to do is contact clients. Keep in mind that there are a lot of freelancers on these platforms who are willing to do the same work for a lot less money than you, which makes freelancing volatile. You could have times when the work is overflowing and there could be times when you can’t seem to get one client.
The important thing here is to not put all your eggs in one basket. What this means is that you should start slowly and test the waters before quitting your 9 to 5 job. Once you have built up some reputation and have a strong portfolio and clients, you can make the switch afterward.
Conclusion
This concludes the article on some of the essential things you need to know to get started as a freelancer in 2023. If you’ve been eyeing this for a while, get your things in order and take the leap of faith. Maybe your skills are worth a lot more than what you currently get paid for them. You won’t know it until you try it.
