Taking the plunge and deciding to build a freelance business is one of the smartest decisions an entrepreneurial-minded individual can make these days.
Sure, standard jobs offer traditional “security” – but as so many people have already learned the hard way, that security isn’t really worth all that much when the economy takes a turn for the worse and businesses look to unload as much expense as they possibly can.
With a freelance business, you are in complete and total control of your financial future. You get to sit in the driver’s seat and decide how much money you make or do not make, and you get to set your own terms of doing business.
There’s a lot of freedom and control here that you just won’t find anywhere else.
At the same time, it can be rather challenging to dive right into the world of successful freelancing unless you know what you are doing. Here are some tips and tricks to help you hit the ground running!
Ease into freelancing
A lot of people want to dive right into the deep end of freelancing, quitting their otherwise solid jobs and just trying to make a go of it. This is not the kind of approach you’ll want to take – at least not at first.
Instead, build up a “side hustle” that allows you to generate a freelance income that eventually cannibalizes your traditional income. Then you’ll be able to make the transition as easy and as seamless as possible, without worrying whether or not you’re going to be able to bring in enough money to make a go of it with freelancing alone.
Do not sell yourself short
The biggest problem the new freelancers have when they first dive right in is the temptation to want to start small, play small, and charge small. Do not do this.
Instead, understand that you bring a tremendous amount of value to the companies or the individuals that are going to be hiring you and that you should have absolutely no qualms whatsoever about getting paid for the value that you offer.
Immediately stopped taking on jobs that pay by the hour and instead start taking on projects that pay you for the value that you are able to create. This is the number one thing that new freelancers have to learn that allows them to make the leap to the next level.
Carve out your niche
Unless you are able to effortlessly explain exactly what it is you do as a freelancer in about 30 seconds, and convey real value along the way, you are going to have a bit of an uphill battle in front of you when it comes time to build your freelancing business.
Try not to be a freelancer that is everything to everyone, but instead, a freelancer that is able to produce very specific results for a very specific subset of people – for which you are handsomely rewarded. This is the kind of approach you’ll want to take if you’re serious about building your freelancing business from the ground up!