Freelancing
You are here and why should you care?
Maybe you are a student, a professor, corporate worker or a person with any skill - you can earn some extra cash anytime. You can be a freelancer. A freelancer or freelance worker is a term commonly used for a person who is self-employed and is not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. 55 million Americans--35% of the workforce--have freelance careers, with a combined estimated earning of $1 trillion a year.
Imagine you are a student and you can write very well and you are in need of some extra cash. Why not earn it? You can freelance for someone who is in need of some article or blog. That's it. So let's explore the freelancing world.
Let's Explore
A freelancer is self-employed person offering services, usually to businesses and often to multiple clients at a time. The type of work freelancers do varies. Nearly every type of service a business would need could be provided by a freelancer, including (but not limited to), marketing, such as social media marketing, copywriting, and publicity, writing, such as articles and blog posts, technological support, such as web programming and design, creative works such as graphic design, and financial support, such as bookkeeping.
Freelancing is so flexible, you can set your own hours, working full or part-time on the projects of your choice. While clients can offer specifications to the work, a freelancer works similar to an independent contractor, in which he's free to control how the work is completed. This is an important distinction for tax purposes, because the IRS views employees and independent contractors differently.
Advantages of Freelancing
- Get started quickly...today even. As long as you already know the skill you plan to offer, getting started is simply a matter of finding your first client.
- Easy to start. You can start right now, using your network find a client. While you'll want to build a LinkedIn profile and/or a website, you can network within your current career and friend networks to find your first client.
- Affordable. Odds are if you have the ability to provide the service, you also have whatever equipment or software you need to deliver it. Eventually you'll want to invest in business building tools, such as a website, but using LinkedIn (which is free) is a great online resume that can help you promote your service.
- High demand for help. While the marketplace of freelancers is competitive, the need for quality, reliable freelancers is growing. Many businesses don't have employees and instead have a team of freelancers.
- Choose your own schedule. Work when and where you want.
How to Get Started as a Freelancer
Getting started as a freelancer is as easy as visiting one of the freelance sites to find work, and networking with your current sphere of influence to find your first client. Here's steps to building a freelance career:
- Decide what you'll offer. Common freelance work includes writing, web design, graphic design, photography, marketing, social media management, bookkeeping and more.
- Determine your target market. Who needs what you have to offer? Decide if you'll specialize within a specific niche of your service (i.e. copy writing or WordPress web design) or within a specific market (i.e. writing for Realtors or web design for authors). This is the time to decide your brand and unique selling proposition.
- Create an online portfolio. Start at LinkedIn, a social network all about career networking. Build a profile that promotes the benefits you have to offer. Consider setting up a website, which will offer you more customization and flexibility than LinkedIn.
- Set your prices. Make sure you charge enough to cover your overhead, time to do the work, as well as to earn a living.
- Start reaching out to find clients. Use your network to help you connect with potential clients. Consider using a freelance site, such as Freelancer.com or Upwork (formally eLance and Odesk) to find work. While they may pay less than you want, it can be a great way to get experience, testimonials and referrals
Well there is a term "Digital Nomad"; Digital nomads are people who use telecommunications technologies to earn a living and, more generally, conduct their life in a nomadic manner. Which suggests you can both travel and work! That sounds interesting ain't it? So what are you waiting for?
Want to move on to next stage?
[Suggested Reads and Videos]
- How do I Freelance in India [10Min Read]
- Freelancers in their early 20s, who earn more than 1-lac per month in India [10Min Read]
- 7 Steps to Launch Your Freelancing Career Full-Time [5Min Read]
- Success Stories [10Min Read]
- The Digital Nomad Life: Combining Work and Travel [10Min Read]
- Most In-demand Skills 2015 [2Min Read]
- Most In-demand Skills 2016[2Min Read]
p.s - This article is a curation of different sources regarding Freelancing. Thankyou thebalance.com, entrepreneur.com, creativelive.com, codeschool.com and all the other sources for the information regarding Freelancing and relevant topics.