Step by Step Guide To Become A Successful Freelancer

Are you feeling Stuck with a 9-5 job?

Do you want to become a freelancer, but you have no idea how to become one?

Don’t worry; this guide will help you become a successful freelancer, even for beginners.

If you think by becoming a freelancer, you don’t need to work or report to anyone. I am sorry to break it to you, but you are wrong. Freelancing means working on your own time, and you get to decide which project to work on or not.

Many people worldwide have quit their jobs and started full-time freelancing, and some are earning 6-7 figures per month.

If they can do it, so can you.

It is not going to be a walk in the park. The initial month and year will be very challenging, but once you understand and master freelancing, you will be making 6-7 figures quickly.

Pros & Cons of Freelancing

Before getting into the step-by-step guide, let’s look at the pros and cons of becoming a freelancer.

Pros

You have complete control over who and what project you work for
Flexible Timing, based on your timeline
Network Expansion (Collaborate & learn from different people)

Cons

No Fixed Month Payout
Work will not be steady
No Employee Benefits
Need More Self Motivation

Note: The best way to begin freelancing is when you are still working at a full-time job. It will help you understand how freelancing works and attract more clients, and learn the market feasibility of your skill or service.

Step By Step Guide to Become a Successful Freelancer 

Congrats on your decision to become a freelancer!

As mentioned, before you quit your current job, test the waters by freelancing part-time. Understand how freelancing works before you become a full-time freelancer.

Market Research

Know Thyself, and find the skill you could convert into money. Identify how your skills can be monetized while helping or solving others’ problems.

Check if there is a market for your skill if customers and people are looking for a solution. Also, analyze the existing freelancer in the market to understand how they are doing, follow, and learn from them. You know you charge the right price for your potential customer by understanding the market, and you don’t overcharge or undercharge the project.

Personal Brand

Freelancing needs personal branding, and you need to establish yourself as an expert in the industry. By creating a personal brand, you get more inbound leads and projects. Personal branding helps you stand out from the crowd and build a better relationship with your customers.

Think Like Business

Most people treat freelancing as a hobby when they start. Treat your freelancing the same way you would treat your own business.

Timeline, Delivery, Quality, Tax are essential for your success. So be conscious about it while pursuing your freelancing journey.

Find a Mentor

Having a mentor helps you learn faster. Their knowledge and experience will guide you better to become a successful freelancer. Find a mentor, join as an intern, or invest in their course or coaching program to learn directly from them.

Learn Paperwork

Since you will be on your own, learn to be disciplined, and understand the paperwork and freelancing formalities. Learn to invoice, task management, time management, and how to manage and build your relationship with your customer. Many freelancers miss out on the tax papers and end up paying a hefty fine.

Join Relevant Community

Communities are very helpful for freelancers, where you can find a mentor, potential customer, or mentor. Meeting, sharing knowledge, and connecting with fellow people in the community will help you expand your network and skill better.

You could exchange projects, share clients, and grow together. It is essential to identify relevant groups and align with like-minded people.

Start Small, Become Strong Before Expanding

Start with one client, and deliver your best. Think about one project at a time, get used to working on multiple projects, and manage tasks.

Once you feel you can manage more projects, take up more; still, don’t overload; keep your workload and timeline accordingly.

You don’t want to work 24*7, so keep your personal time and learning time apart from the client’s project.

Stay Motivated

You will hear a lot of horror stories about clients not paying. There is a chance you might even face such clients. Please don’t give up, and it happens to businesses too. 

Stay motivated to deliver value to your client. Once you establish your authority, you could ask for advance for the project to be assured about the payment.

Let the World Know

Once you have become a full-time freelancer, do share it with everyone in your circle, update your social media account, and share it as a status on WhatsApp. 

No one will know about your skill or your freelancing availability, so spreading the word will help you reach more people.

Never break a branch. Most people leave a job with a bad relationship; don’t make that mistake. When you start as a full-time freelancer, your previous employment or colleagues might become your first client or refer your first client.

Bind to a Contract

There may be cases where some clients may not payout. In those times, a contract might be very useful for you to take action.

Having a contract doesn’t guarantee a payout, but people still feel obliged to follow a written contract. It can be a backup plan in case of any legal action is needed.

Ask for Referrals

One of the smartest things you can do to get started as a freelancer is to set up solid networking connections, including people who can give you great referrals. Potential references to consider are past work colleagues, present colleagues, and even friends. Any of these people can help connect you to clients in need of your services.

Build Social Proof

Start collecting recommendations from every client or project you have worked with for social proof. It will come in handy when you bid or apply for a project.

Very few people will give recommendations voluntarily. But if you ask out, 8 out of 10 would leave a recommendation. 

Request your customers to leave a review on your website, LinkedIn, or any platform.

Social Proof will give the potential customer the trust factor to believe in you and give you their projects.

Learn to Say No

You will be tempted to take on every project to manage your financial situation. Hold on to it and be selective about what project you want to work on. Take only the tasks you can handle, don’t overload yourself.

Platform Recommended: Fiverr

I am a level two seller on Fiverr, & have earned more than 3000$, and it is one of the most trusted platforms for freelancers. Where you buy & sell services starting from 5$. Once you gain more reviews and orders, you could charge more. The best part is you could create multiple gigs, multiple variants for each gig too.