Becoming a successful freelancer is synonymous with becoming a successful entrepreneur. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many to work from home. Even though some have returned to the office environment, others loved the experience of having to work at home while making money. With freelancing, you can choose where you want to work, at home, an office, a hub, or even the nearest coffee shop!
How then do you maintain this constant source of income to enable you to continue on your path as a freelancer? This article will give you some tips on how you can become successful as a freelancer, most especially if you find yourself in the design industry.
But first, there are some terms I’ll like to clarify. Freelancing, entrepreneurship, and solopreneurship.
Who is a freelancer?
A freelancer is someone who earns money by working on different projects with different clients. In freelancing, you get paid based on your work, time, and skills. Freelancers are mostly found in the service industry. Some examples include writers, designers, developers, consultants, and marketing professionals, to name a few.
On the other hand, an entrepreneur earns money by creating a business. Entrepreneurs will take on financial risk by investing in their company for potential business growth, creating employment opportunities, and making large profits while at it. They focus on scaling systems and securing a source of income that is continuous, even when they are asleep.
Solopreneurship is a midpoint between entrepreneurship and freelancing. Just like a freelancer, a solopreneur runs his business independently, without partners. What differentiates both is, solopreneurs establish and run their businesses as independent entrepreneurs.
So what’s the common goal of freelancers, entrepreneurs, and solopreneurs?
The keyword here is Success. It takes more than your industry skills to succeed in freelancing. A freelancer’s goal is to succeed in offering services to clients, establishing a wide client base, and at the same time bringing high income. All three will put in their very best to succeed in their respective businesses.
As a freelancer, your main objective should be to grow your clientele, have a constant flow of income, and maintain a good reputation.
Below are some tips on how you can become or work towards becoming successful in freelancing.
Network Within your industry
Networking has always been an excellent way to advance as a professional in any industry. Regardless of your profession, you will network at some point, whether through social media or corporate events. Networking allows you to share and learn from others’ experiences, learn about different company cultures, and discover what other professionals or colleagues have to offer. To be a successful freelancer, look for and participate in events that will allow you to meet new people.
Attend conferences, hand out business cards, introduce yourself to others, and tell them about your work as a freelancer. Don’t be surprised if you receive a slew of new projects from your new connections simply because you successfully sold yourself.
As a freelancer, always remember to be true to yourself.
Build and publish your portfolio
Your portfolio as a successful freelancer speaks volumes about what you have to offer. Don’t assume it’s too early to start developing your portfolio if you’re still a student. It makes no difference if it’s a personal or school project. Choose a project and handle it as you would with any client. By the time you graduate, you ought to have enough quality content to win over high-value clients. The projects you select should be compelling enough to persuade a potential client to hire you.
Endeavor to showcase samples of your work in the best image quality. If the image is blurry or has low contrast, it will be challenging for people to appreciate your effort.
Post your work on social networking sites that are appropriate for the services you offer. Dribbble, Behance, Instagram, Pinterest, and Adobe Portfolio are all popular websites that designers, animators, and photographers use in showcasing their work.
Having a portfolio that stands out is integral to your success as a freelancer.
Intern or Volunteer your Services
I know working without pay can seem very daunting. Especially if you are self-sustaining.
The goal of an internship is to gain work experience from an organization within a set time frame: one month, two months, six months, or more. You might be privileged to get accepted as an intern in one of those organizations that have kept aside compensation packages.
However, the opposite is true in most cases.
As a volunteer freelancer, you should work to improve your professional, social, and business skills. You might as well secure paying clients while at it. A productive internship provides an opportunity to work with experts in your industry who, most of the time, are more than happy to share their knowledge.
Some people have this misconstrued notion that internships are solely for students. Even non-students are allowed to intern. Students might indeed be more eligible for internship placement based on academic requirements. But don’t let that stop you from submitting applications to those employers you’ve been considering, be it a startup or an already established company.
Volunteering is a viable alternative to interning. Some people cringe at the word “volunteer” because it does not come with a pay package.
So, why should you consider volunteering when you know you might not receive pay?
Volunteerism is a great way to meet new people. Volunteering allows you to gain experience or learn new skills that will help you become more proficient at your job. Consider volunteering in any company of your choice or with other freelancers. Volunteering alongside other freelancers may be a better option because they already have relevant transferrable experience in the path you want to take. Remember that as a beginner Freelancer, your main goal for interning or volunteering is to gain field experience, build your portfolio, network, and sell yourself.
