What you need to know if you want to Become a Freelancer

Being the boss of your time and being able to work lounging on a beach or perched on a mountain top sounds utopian, but not unfeasible.

More and more people are moving from full-time to freelancing. BUT! As good as it sounds (and it really is) to live like a freelancer, you need to be aware that all this freedom involves a lot of discipline and planning. Paradoxically, huh?

Reasons to become a freelancer are enough: maybe you feel stagnant professionally and want more, maybe you’re tired of working on a fixed schedule or just want more flexibility, etc. Whatever the cause, freelancing seems to be the hopeful solution to a clearer, more optimistic, and freer future.

One thing is for sure: before you dive into the world of freelancing, it’s important to have a little discussion with yourself.

Here are some questions to ask:

• Are you an organized person?
• Do you have a plan for at least 6 months — to 1 year?
• But some money in your purse until you find enough customers?
• How do you find your customers?
• Are you a responsible person, with initiative or do you like to do what is required of you?
• How do you deal with sales and customer communication in general?
• How do you protect your work from herds?
• Do you have a legal form? How do you declare your income?
• How are you doing with the bills?

As you can see, you need a plan to get started and get off to a good start!

The plan for the start period

Short exercise of imagination: you got rid of the job, you are free, you have money set aside enough to live 1 year. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want. You have a lot of free time, what do you invest it in?

When you are employed, you rarely step out of your comfort zone. You have security and you don’t have to worry about much. It’s like sitting in the sun on a boat and you don’t have to worry, because others take care of everything. Freelancing, on the other hand, puts you at the helm of the ship. You are responsible for your time and how you manage it. The more you strive to invest your time with your head and get the best out of it, the better you will be paddling through the wonderful world of freelancing.

It is very easy to fall into the trap of the illusion that you have plenty of time and that you can postpone another one. Time passes unnoticed and in this case, it really costs money. The longer you go and the longer your essential tasks, the faster the reserves in the purse.

And when it comes to reserves, do you have a clear record of expenses? Do you know where your money is going in a month? How much do you usually spend on nonsense?

Remember:

• Be responsible for your time and invest it with your head
• Make a schedule and try to stick to it. Time flies fast.
• Monitor your money and cut back on unnecessary expenses.

How to find customers

You’ve come to terms with the mindset and the plan. It’s time to dump her and move on. It’s time to get some clients, baby! Unfortunately, bids rarely fall from the sky, so it’s a good idea to take the initiative.

What can you do?

• An update to your portfolio that you can promote later. EVERYWHERE! Tell as many people as you can (when you’re hanging out with friends over beer, on social media, and so on). When it comes to networking, you never know where the rabbit is coming from.
• Sign up for freelancing sites. (e.g. Behance, Upwork, Freelancer). And by the way, LinkedIn is not to be ignored when it comes to freelance jobs. Or on Facebook groups.
• You can try to do some pro-bono projects, build a mini reputation, and be recommended later by collaborators. But don’t get used to it, because, in addition to having to pop your mouth, there is a risk of giving those customers a wrong impression about the value of your work.
• Venture into the infinity of the internet and look for clients you would love to work with. Stalk them and approach them. You can email them with your portfolio and describe how you can help them and how beneficial it would be for them to work with you. But be careful not to use very sales language that could lead to spam.
• Create content! You can build a blog/site/page and publish quality content constantly about your expertise. In addition to making yourself heard and meeting new people (whom you will probably help with your content), you are proving to potential customers that you are in control of your domain and that you can be trusted.

The beginning of working with a client

Ok, let’s say you tried the above examples and put together a nice list of potential customers.

It’s time to dump her and move on, start a collaboration, and of course, sign a contract. Because yes, when you are a freelancer you are also a salesman, account manager, and so on.

Price offer

Here it is up to you what strategy you want to approach.

If you want to pay by the hour, here is a comprehensive article that will teach you how to calculate your price by the hour. Remember, a downside to the hourly rate is that you are penalized for effectiveness, which can be frustrating. I mean, you’re paid less if you’re a pro and you’re done faster.

One of the best pricing strategies is anchoring the price. When you give a customer a fixed price, it is possible that he will pull his buttocks. He probably won’t understand where you got that price from and what’s with it. Is it really worth paying that much?

The idea is to give him some terms of comparison. By anchoring the practical price, you take an ace up your sleeve because you are the one who comes with the comparison pillars. The idea is simple: you prepare 3 price packages for the customer (a basic one — at the lowest price, an average one with more deliverables, an average price, and one with all deliverables at the highest price).

Once the customer has a context for the prices you charge, everything is simpler. Psychologically speaking, most people are inclined to choose the middle ground (neither too cheap nor too expensive) so whip them up and create some beautiful price offers and make sure you get paid the way you deserve.