Earn money from the comfort of your home while setting your own hours and without annoying bosses or colleagues wearing you down – sound good?
Welcome to the world of Freelancing!
A growing number of people are choosing to ditch the 9-5 in favour of working for themselves.
Thanks to the internet and the rise of the gig economy, it’s never been easier to earn a full-time income from home (or from anywhere in the world).
And starting a freelance business isn’t as hard as you think – you don’t need experience, and you probably already have the skills.
If you want to start a freelance business, today’s guest post from a freelance writer who’s built a successful freelancing business will get you up and running.
Over to you, Fiona…
If you’ve ever asked Google “how to make money online” then you’ll know the pain of sifting through articles only to be told the same thing over and over again.
Maybe you’re looking for a side-hustle to supplement your income or maybe you want to ditch the 9-5 altogether.
Either way, I’ll tell you a secret – the answer isn’t paid surveys!
Freelancing is a brilliant way to make money online and anyone can do it, even if you have ZERO experience. Here’s how…
What is a Freelancer?
In simple terms, a freelancer is someone who sells services.
Take me for example; I’m a freelance writer and have been for the past year.
Companies hire me to write articles for a rate per word or per project and I love it.
I get to be my own boss and make money doing what I love from the comfort of my own home (or bed, should I say).
Anyway, enough about me!
The good news is, you can become a full-time freelancer in a matter of months even if you have no idea where to start.
How I Became A Freelance Writer
While at University, I was working part-time in Costa. It paid pretty well for a student job but I had to work every weekend.
I soon started falling behind on uni work (not to mention FOMO when my friends were out drinking and I was stuck pouring flat whites).
So, I started hunting for something less time-consuming.
I came across a job ad for a freelance writer with an online magazine, applied, and got the gig.
Now, I’m not saying it’s always that easy to find freelancing jobs but it’s certainly not as hard as it seems.
What Services Could You Sell?
The first thing you need to ask yourself if you want to become a freelancer is what services could you sell?
Or, if you don’t have skills people will pay for, what could you learn?
Here’s a list of the most common freelance services to give you a bit of inspiration:
- Writing
- Social Media
- Graphic Design
- Website Design
- Virtual Assistance
- Translation
- Illustration
- Voice Overs
I mean, those are just some ideas but whatever your passion is, you can most likely sell it online.
To be honest, figuring out what services to sell is the easiest part; finding clients is the challenge.
How to Get Started As a Freelancer
Don’t forget to tell your friends and family about your new venture.
One of my long-term clients is a friend of a friend, so remember to spread the word!
Other than that, anyone who’s looking to hire a freelancer will most likely look on Fiverr or Upwork so they’re great places to get started.
I’m more of a Fiverr gal myself but I’ve heard great things about Upwork too.
Once you’ve decided what you’ll sell, I recommend signing up to both – the more exposure the better!
3 Steps to Making a Living as a Freelancer
There are a lot of freelancers out there these days, so your biggest problem is going to be getting seen. T
o be noticed by potential clients you need good reviews and to get good reviews you need clients… See the issue?
Don’t worry, it is possible to get past this hurdle using these three steps.
1. The Fiverr Hack
There may be A LOT of sellers on Fiverr, but most of them have next to no reviews.
To get seen on the first few pages in your niche you have to become a 5-star seller.
So, I just asked my boyfriend to buy my gig and leave me an exceptional rating. The next thing I knew, my profile flew up the ranks.
Another way to make sure you get seen is by offering to complete your service within 24 hours.
It might be hard work but, if the offer next to you says “3-5 days” and yours says “within 24 hours”, I certainly know who I’d choose.
2. Cold Pitching
Fiverr’s a great place to get started but it won’t help you quit your 9-5.
Once you’ve got some experience under your belt, it’s time to start cold pitching.
I know it sounds terrifying, but cold pitching is one of the easiest ways to find clients.
For example, if you wanted to become a freelance website designer, you could find businesses on Instagram or Facebook and message them asking if they’ve thought about creating a website.
On the other hand, if you want to become a freelance digital assistant, you could find online stores and email them about your services.
Don’t get me wrong, the majority of the people you reach out to will either say no or won’t respond at all. However, 1 in 10 usually responds.
If you email at least 20 people every weekday, two should get back to you; that’s 10 warm leads per week!
Do you think you can turn 10 leads into just one long-term client? Absolutely!
3. Increase Your Rates
So, now you’ve got some testimonials under your belt, it’s time to increase your rates.
Just remember to start small or your clients will drop like flies—trust me, I learnt that the hard way!
For example, I started off charging my clients £0.03 per word and was writing around 5,000 words per client each week.
So, all I had to do was increase my rates by two pence to start making 2K per month!
Now, I’m not saying that freelancing is easy but if you’re willing to put in the work it’s going to pay off massively.
As with any self-employed job, you’ll only get out what you put in.
Freelancing may not be a get rich quick scheme but I’m making more money now than I would have been if I’d stuck with my office job!
Just Start Freelancing Today!
As with anything, the hardest part of becoming a freelancer is merely starting.
In 2019, I took a break from freelancing to experience the 9-5 for the first time.
Of course, it didn’t stick and I ended up back at square one, scrambling for clients.
Because I’d sort of fallen into it the first time around, I spent all of my free time trying to figure out how to get started as a freelancer again.
As it turned out, all I needed to do was start. I downloaded Fiverr on my phone and the very same week I found a high-paying, long-term client.
So, the best piece of advice I can give is to just start freelancing today!
What have you got to lose? Download Fiverr or Upwork and get going. You won’t look back; I certainly didn’t!
Author Bio
Fiona is a freelance writer and blogger. She recently launched her website to help people live abundant lives and learn how to start a career online! If you want to learn more about creating an online business check out her blog: www.fionaeilidh.com!
Pedro is passionate about finance, marketing, and technology. He is a growth manager at several online projects and a former digital marketer for a fintech company.
