What is Freelancing and who is a freelancer?
Freelancing is a contract-based profession where instead of being recruited in an organization, the person uses his skills and experience to provide services to a number of clients.
Today, freelancing is a great opportunity as employers rely more on independent workers to sustain and grow their businesses. Freelancing is getting extremely popular all over the world,
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Freelancers are the ones who are self-employed. They do not work for an employer in a 9 to 5 job, Monday to Friday. They are different from the current cubicle crowd. In the cubicle world, workers are given assignments to complete and chase the next assignment. Freelancers never stick to just one task. They find contractual jobs, convince the client to hire them and once they get the job done, they get paid and move to the next contractual job.
What is a Freelancer?
A self-employed person who offers services to multiple clients while operating as his own boss. A freelancer sets his own service menu, and prices, and targets the client’s market. It’s just a myth that a freelancer refers to people who work for free. In many cases, freelancers earn more than their office counterparts.
A freelancer or freelance worker is a self-employed person who earns money by providing services to multiple clients. These services relate to the person’s skills and are not necessarily provided to just businesses.
Advantages of Freelancing:
Flexible hours
Self-management
Location flexibility
Compensation and earnings control
Improved skill set
Disadvantages of Freelancing:
They manage their own schedules, work for many clients, and follow the same self-employment tax laws. However, there are a few distinctions between freelancers and home-based service enterprises. While a freelancer uses any name they have, business owner uses the name of their company. A freelancer often operates in accordance with market demands, however, a business owner operating from home must discover various approaches to address market gaps.
Started as a freelancer?
Success as a freelancer is dependent on the following:
- Communication skill
- Business development skill
- Computer skills such as web development, software development, content writing, or any other skill in demand.
Decide what you want to offer to your client:
Beginning with freelance work requires you to decide upon the services you want to offer to clients. Freelance work includes writing, graphic designing, web designing, social media management, marketing, photography, bookkeeping, etc.
The target market:
After deciding upon the services, it is time for you to think about your brand and unique selling propositions. It is up to you to either specialize within a specific niche of your services such as copywriting or WordPress web design or within a specific market.
Portfolio:
A social network such as LinkedIn is a good place to start career networking. To promote your services you need to build an online portfolio. Even setting up a website will be helpful in offering you get more customization than LinkedIn.
Setting prices:
Always be sure to charge prices for your work that can not only cover your expenses but also help you to earn a respectful living.
Reach out:
You can connect with potential clients with the help of your network. Freelance websites such as https://freelancer.com, Fiverr, Guru.com, or Upwork can help you find work. For experience, testimonials, and referrals these websites are very good sources.
Freelancers have to learn, adapt, and grow with the experiences throughout their journey. Becoming an intentional freelancer is a choice that should be made consciously as it gives peace of mind when you know you can afford the life you are living.
Why do freelancers fail?
Freelancing requires both soft skills and hard skills in order to succeed.