14 Real Tips and Steps to Start Freelancing

Are you bored and tired of the long office hours, and looking for some flexibility in your life, and even more income; then it is time to start freelancing!

Since 2020, freelancing is becoming more and more popular, with companies hiring freelancers to cut some costs or hire talented people that can add great value to their companies but are in other locations.

On the other hand, many people wanted to start freelancing due to the amazing benefits of it, and the offered flexibility and ability to work remotely with international companies without having to leave their countries.

Today, we are going to help you understand more about freelancing with amazing information and tips to help you start freelancing effectively. 

What Is Freelancing?

Freelancing is part of the remote work category, as it stands for the work per project, hour, task, or day with a company from whatever location you like.

Freelancers have the advantage of working on several contracts at the same time, as they are not morally obliged to work with one company for specific hours per day; thus, freelancers with the right time management can achieve a really better income than people working on-site.

However, one of the bad advantages of working as a freelancer, is financial stability, as you may work on several projects in one month, and not work at all in the next month; therefore, you must run your finances effectively and always put some savings for the hard months.

6 Steps to Become a Freelancer:

If you are planning to start freelancing, then it is time to do these amazing steps that will help you start your freelance work in the best way.

1. Set Your Working Corner:

When working as a freelancer, then you will need to have your own working space to boost your productivity and focus level while working; or in other words, to organize your working hours during your day.

Therefore, you need to set up a working space for yourself with all that you need, this corner could be in a quiet cafeteria, public library, or in the quiet of your house, the location actually does not matter as long as you feel comfortable and productive.

2. Buy the Necessary Tools:

A big difference between working from home vs. office, as if you start freelancing you will need to get all the required tools for yourself.

However, if you just started freelancing, and to avoid overloading yourself financially, you can start with the basics, like sure you will need a laptop to do the required work effectively.

Moreover, you will need a strong and stable internet connection to be able to find freelance jobs and become a freelancer, send work to companies, and even run online meetings.

3. Brand Yourself:

Building a personal brand nowadays is more than essential to start freelancing, or otherwise how companies and people will know about you and what you do.

Start by creating a strong LinkedIn profile, as it is the strongest professional platform for anyone who wants to present himself/herself professionally; then, start engaging with people in the same field, share insightful information about the latest work inventions, and write about projects you worked on with images and reviews if possible.

However, that does not mean that you should not also exist on other platforms, on the contrary, you should exist on other platforms as well, just choose based on your targeted audience and countries.

4. Improve Your Soft Skills:

Let us be clear, soft skills are not an option in freelancing, as you will be responsible for meeting with clients, organizing work, and even facilitating among other freelancers or employees to achieve the required work.

Thus, invest in developing your soft skills by attending training, reading books, and following professional people; moreover, actually, this will help you communicate with others better and get valued working opportunities.

5. Create Profiles on Online Working Sites:

All freelancer sites facilitate the relationship between freelancers and companies, and you need to make sure to exist on these platforms.

Moreover, these sites have so many pros and cons of freelancing, like that they provide a safe working space for freelancers, and connect freelancers with people looking for freelancers.

However, these platforms take a percentage from your income as a fee for the provided services; furthermore, many freelancers say that these platforms always stand for job offerors when a problem happens.

6. Write a Powerful Proposal:

Job offers in freelancing are the cover letter in on-site jobs; thus, you must take your time to write a powerful proposal for each freelance opportunity you want to apply for.

More than that, always write an interesting proposal that reveals your experience and potential, and says that you have something extra to offer once the job owner contacts you.

4 Tips to Start Freelancing with NO EXPERIENCE:

Sure you are wondering what you can do to start freelancing if you have no experience at all, but do not worry we are here and ready to help you start freelancing with these secret tips:

1. Define Your Expertise:

Do not start freelancing just to say that you are a freelancer! Sit with yourself and find what you are passionate about and can work on it for hours; moreover, what can be your own motivator to work on without time wasting.

However, after doing so you must write a clear description about what you do and how you do it to present yourself in the best way for the freelancer community.

2. Engage in Freelancing Communities:

Whether you choose a WhatsApp group, Facebook group, or any other way to communicate, you should join freelancing communities as much as you can to build connections and meet other freelancers.

On the other hand, this will help you to learn from other freelancers’ experiences and knowledge.

3. Talk about Your Skills and Education:

This is important whether you decided to work in a career that highlights experiences or certifications, as simply people will not interview you or try you for a month in a freelancer project.

Thus, you must be as clear as possible and talk out loud about your skills whether for your friends, family, or even on online communities, this actually will drive new opportunities for you and help you start your freelancing career.

4. Create a Portfolio:

This is the biggest trick you can use as a freelancer with no previous experience, you can do so by working on virtual projects, publishing them online, and adding them to your portfolio.

For example, if you work as a graphic designer, you can work on a virtual project for a restaurant’s social media accounts, then simply share the results online and on your portfolio.

By doing 5 to 7 virtual projects, you will simply create a good portfolio that shows your skills even if you do not have actual previous work experience.

Top Freelancing Skills to Learn:

We know that freelancing includes so many careers and industries, but now we are going to list the basic skills that you should develop as a freelancer despite what career you choose.

· Soft Skills:

Soft skills are highly important in the freelancing world, as they will help you to work effectively and gain new customers:

• Communication skills.
• Time management skills.
• Team player who can work individually.
• Creativity and problem-solving.
• Work under pressure.

· Hard Skills:

These hard skills are basically related to the high-tech world we are living in, and as a freelancer, you are expected to have them:

• Office suite.
• Computer skills.
• Internet search skills.
• AI tools knowledge.

4 Freelancing Mistakes to Avoid:

Whether you have a strong experience or not, if you are starting your career as a freelancer you must work to avoid falling into one of these mistakes:

1. Over Talking about Yourself:

Yes, we know we said you should talk out loud about yourself; however, over-talking will make you look like someone who only knows how to talk.

Thus, talk about yourself, but also share experience, tips, and some of the projects you worked on.

2. Not Having Connections:

Simply you will not be able to get new projects if you do not have connections, whether in the same field or in other fields; thus, not having connections mean not having projects to work on.

3. Working Without Pre-Payment:

A big mistake that any freelancer could fall into is just because he/she starts working on the project without a pre-payment; therefore, you must ask the project owners for a prepayment in advance.

Unfortunately, many people use the freelancer concept to take advantage of freelancers and get the work done without paying; therefore, always start working after the payment.

4. Write Big Proposal with No Experience:

Even though you can start freelancing without having previous experience, but that does not mean writing a big proposal with promises that you cannot do.

Therefore, write an honest proposal based on your skills and experiences, and do not use big words to show off, when you cannot meet those promises.

Eventually,

We advise you to start freelancing immediately and join this amazing world with all its big opportunities; moreover, you can benefit from many available online platforms to start freelancing and getting your own clients from all over the world.

And keep in your mind that Step Up is always here and ready to help you start your freelancing journey.