How To Start a Successful Career As A Freelancer
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I’m a WAHM. I’m a home-based professional. I’m an entrepreneur. And I’m a freelancer.
If the interest in this thing called WAHMing has been impressively high before, it just skyrocketed anew a couple of months back when an interview with a fellow Filipino freelancer aired out, the interviewee claiming to make 100K monthly just by writing emails.
I didn’t see the interview since I barely have time to watch TV these days. But my Facebook feed has been full of it for days. Plus, I happen to be a member of the Facebook Group where the interviewees are also members. But full disclosure, I rarely read the threads, sorry. I have to prioritize my activities while on Facebook. Meaning, I just mainly check messages from collaborators, clients, and to update client pages.
I do the occasional scrolling on my feed to see what’s happening in my network, and leave comments on threads I feel strongly about, like how to price services and how to get hired. But I really don’t stay much on the feed. I leave my window on the page.
I asked my husband to send me the link to the news clip, because now I’m interested to know what was discussed. Always wanting to learn from someone who’s doing well, that’s me.
But alas, he can’t find it. And I tried to Google it myself, but gah! I got 973,000 search results, all about making 100K per month as a freelancer. Must be a really lucrative business to be in! No wonder everybody’s talking about it.
And everybody wants to be a freelancer now. So questions abound. All starting with how.
My being a freelancer, a WAHM, was not a conscious decision I made. I was pushed to become one. Back at the time when no one understands what a virtual assistant does. Back when there were no workshops, no webinars, and no Facebook groups.
So I started out blind. Counting on my skills, my motivation to make it, and my best friend, Mr. Google.
I’ve conducted my share of workshops in the past, and I have three different modules on How to Become a Virtual Assistant. Then I moved on to coaching with my module Work-At-Home 101: How to Leave Your 9 to 5 for Your Entrepreneur Dream Life, and a module on How to Turn Your Hobby Into a Business. I even had two runs of WordPress for Beginners with my partner, The Techie Mom.
Until everyone became an expert and I just felt I no longer need to get a piece of that pie. Let the new experts teach the new ones the ropes. I have to make time for crochet, and more time to just cuddle with
That is, when I’m not working as a virtual assistant.
But for the sake of sharing, let me write my own piece on how you, too, can be a freelancer from home.
When you think of freelancing, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
You probably think of a writer, novelist or journalist immediately.
You have probably heard of freelance photographers, too. The husband of a fellow WAHM is one. And my daughter will soon be a graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Multi-Media Arts, and last we talked, she won’t be seeking employment, so another freelancer in the making in our household.
What about freelance software designers, freelance medical billing specialists, or even freelance scientific researchers?
These are all jobs that have recently begun to see massive growth because more and more people are realizing that they can make far more money working for themselves as freelancers than they ever could solely from being employed.
So it sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? You work in a particular niche for a few years, get a lot of practical experience in your chosen area of employment and then gradually make the switch from working the nine to five to becoming your own boss as a freelancer.
But is it really as easy as it sounds to become a freelancer and actually make a living doing work on a freelance basis?
We have to keep in mind that there are quite a few freelancers out there who are only doing work part-time. Not because they make a ton of money and only have to work a couple of days per week, but because they actually have had some trouble finding work and need a much more solid career option in order to make sure that they do not find themselves facing bankruptcy. So they stay employed and get into gigs.
However, such a scenario does not have to happen to you if you are willing to do whatever it takes to become a freelancer. Your career switch may not happen overnight – but eventually you will become highly successful at what you do.
It’s a guarantee. I can say that coz I made it happen for me.
The first step in making that jump from office work to
We all want to be our own boss, but do we all have the drive and dedication that it takes to be successful without the watchful eye of our supervisors?
Sadly, some of us don’t.
Therefore, you have to really sit down and think about what makes you so special in the world of freelancers.
Do you have a large enough skill set to make you stand out amongst the hoards of different people all seeking the same work as you?
Do you have the time management skills necessary to run your own freelancing operation and meet all of the deadlines set upon you by your clients?
Do you have enough networking and research skills to find your own clients?
If you have even the slightest doubt in your mind about freelancing, then maybe there are other career paths that are better for you in the long run.
Now, provided that you are willing to jump in to your freelancing business with both feet, you need to start off on the freelance path slowly before you can really start raking in the cash.
Don’t quit your job just yet! Instead, you need to begin your internet hunt for freelance work in your area of expertise and see what you can come up with.
Some skills, such as the ability to write coherently or do software design for clients of all types, are highly marketable and you should really have no difficulty whatsoever finding a goldmine.
On the other hand, if you are only able to do tasks that are not as easily marketable on a freelance basis, you will have more difficulty finding work for your freelance operation. Data entry, research, and those copy-paste tasks are legit but pay peanuts, and competition in those areas is really stiff.
Currently, some of the most popular niches for freelancing include writing, editing, photography, web and graphic design, software design, and social media management. I heard architecture and drafting are in high demand, too.
Once you have decided on a niche that you want to freelance in, you will need to start finding your first clients. Whatever you do, do not start your hunt with any of the clients that you may have dealt with in your current job.
There are all kinds of laws against this practice and it may get you into serious trouble if you are caught.
Instead, turn to your favorite search engine and search for some forums and databases specifically designed for freelancers seeking work in your chosen niche.
There are tons of different places for you to visit, so within an hour you will probably have at least ten or fifteen bookmarked websites where you can find employment as a freelancer. Set a time to visit each one of them and check how you can sell yourself to prospective clients through those websites.
When you start out as a freelancer, you will probably have to take a few jobs that do not pay very well at all. That’s fine because these jobs help you build your skill set and help you familiarize yourself with the tools required for certain tasks.
They will help you learn how to more effectively manage your time, speed up your workflow, and even help you get more used to using a computer and the internet to search for answers to any questions that may pop up while you are doing work for your client.
While doing the low paying jobs, take time to build a list of satisfied clients. Since you will have to primarily compete with all of the other freelancers in your niche, you will have to come up with your own value proposition. Some freelancers I know compete with
So try to manage your fees where you have enough to tide you by after the cost of operations like electricity, internet, allowance for equipment repair and the like. And come up with your own unique value proposition.
Just do it right and you will eventually graduate to higher paying jobs, be able to negotiate your
At this point, you should feel confident enough to possibly start thinking about reducing the number of hours you work at your current job to part-time status or even quit your job altogether and make your fortune solely through freelancing in your selected niche.
My personal gauge is to have at least 6 to 8 months worth of your current income in the bank before you quit. It will take 6 to 8 months for you to gain traction as a freelancer.
Benefits and Drawbacks
Imagine this…
After a long day at the office, you decide to stop by your local bookstore or supermarket to pick up a copy of your favorite magazine.
When you open it up to a story that you find fascinating, you look at the author’s name and see that in his biography it says that he is a professional freelance writer.
Looking at the selected photographs, drawings and diagrams quickly makes you realize that all of the artwork for the story was also done by freelance photographers and graphic designers.
When you get home, you decide to start up your computer and log online to check out the news for the day that you might have missed.
Topping the list on your favorite tech news website is a brand new program that looks like it could be a lot of use to you.
Visiting the software programmer’s website shows that he is also a freelancer – and seems to be doing rather well at his chosen field.
Realizing that so much is created by freelancers, you decide to dedicate the rest of your evening to researching the freelance databases to see if you have what it takes to join this growing world of self employed individuals.
But wait!
You need to know the benefits and the drawbacks of working for yourself on a per client basis.
So let’s talk about the benefits first.
The moment you decide to become a freelancer, everyone you talk to will probably tell you how cool it is to be your own boss. I know this for a fact coz my former officemates tell me this all the time.
You are in control of your work and nobody else (except for your clients) can tell you what to do. If you don’t want to work on Fridays – you don’t have to. Or in my case, if I do want to work on holidays, that’s okay, too.
Take any days off that you want, but make sure that you finish your projects by the deadline. By being your own boss, you really have the freedom to steer your life where you want it to go.
You get to plan your own schedule, choose the projects that you find enjoyable, charge any rate you please, and be almost totally self sufficient – a major bonus of being a freelancer for many people looking to escape the daily grind.
You can set your own dress code, too. If you find all of your freelance work online, who is to say that you don’t have to just hang around in your pajamas or underwear all day long? No, I don’t wear pajamas. I just don’t wear a bra.
But seriously, from corporate to WAHM, I saved a lot of money from not having to dress up for work.
No sense in getting all dressed up when you can just get out of bed, enjoy a nice cup of hot coffee, watch the news for a few minutes and then plop yourself down in front of your computer to start your workday.
Freelancing gives you the ability to work in your own style and in total comfort no matter who or what you are doing work for.
By working freelance you can also spend a lot more time with your family and friends.
Because you do not have to go to work on a strict schedule, you can spend time with your children when they get home from school and with your friends and your spouse whenever they are off work.
The flexibility of having a freelance career is second to none and there is practically no other job in the world that gives you both the spare time and the financial freedom to do what you want to do when you want to do it.
Finally, with freelancing, you have nearly limitless income potential. Because you work for yourself, you get to keep all of what you earn. Not a penny goes to anyone else (aside from the government in the form of taxes).
All of the profits belong to you so you get to spend it how you please. Furthermore, because you work on a per project basis, you can accept as many projects as you want to earn as much money as you see fit.
You are not salaried, so the more work you do, the more you get paid.
And now, for the drawbacks…
As with anything in the world, there are drawbacks to becoming a freelancer in any niche you choose. The predominant drawback is that you are not as financially stable as you are when you are working for someone else.
You have to take care of all of your money management, you have to work on
These four factors all add up to create a feeling of financial insecurity for many people, and because of the major financial risk involved, many people feel that freelancing is not for them.
There is also heavy competition in the world of freelancing. The internet has been both a blessing and a curse to freelancers from around the world.
On one hand it has opened the doors to make the world of freelancing much more accessible to anyone who has ever thought about setting out on their own and becoming their own boss.
On the other hand, though, the internet makes it very easy for freelancers to get in touch with potential clients and possibly steal jobs right out from under you. I’ve had this done to me by my own assistant.
There was a point in my career where I was getting more clients than I could afford to serve on my own, so I hired an assistant and had a table for her in our house. Set her up with a desktop computer and trained her every step of the way. After about a year, I gave her a loan so she could set up her own office in her home.
It was working out fine until one of my clients emailed me to ask if I would endorse Ana, coz apparently, she reached out and applied for a position with them directly.
The funny thing is that, had she told me she wanted to venture on her own, I would have endorsed her. I have been saying no to clients at that point because I no longer have the bandwidth. Losing one of my clients to her would not have been a problem. But she did it behind my back, and so I was very straightforward with the client. I told them that I believe Ana was capable because, hello, I trained her. But I would not endorse her because she was not honest with me.
The client decided not to hire her. And I let her go. And that was the end of her freelancing career. Last I heard, she’s working in a factory in another province. She just couldn’t land a client on her own.
But back to the drawbacks…
Because of the heavy competition as a result of the internet, you may have to start out with very low pay for each project you do as a novice freelancer.
When your client list expands, however, you will be able to make more in the long term.
How to Get Into The Freelancing Business
We have all read an article, seen a photograph, tinkered around with some software, or visited a website that was designed by some type of freelancer.
Chances are that at some point or another we have all wanted to go out on our own – away from our current jobs – and start a new career path as a freelancer in our field of specialization.
But why don’t we?
What holds so much of us back from going out and doing what it is that we want to do with our careers?
Why do we allow ourselves to be tied to our employer as if some invisible shackles enslave us?
What types of skills do we need in order to finally break free from the nine to five shifts and start out on our own as a freelancer?
You should ask yourself all of these questions before you even think about quitting your current occupation in pursuit of a freelance job.
Each and every year, far too many people believe that they can simply quit their jobs and pursue a career as a freelancer in whatever their specific niche may be – and far too many of them fail, only to go crawling back to their previous employer in hopes that he will give the destitute freelancer his former job back. Again, this situation is all too familiar.
I had a former officemate ask me to teach her the ropes of freelancing, and I did. She resigned from her job. I trained her for one month. I gave her actual tasks she would be doing for a client.
And then I found her a client. Because she’s not confident about her communication skills, we agreed that I would be the face of the service and she will just do the work. I would get a small percentage of the fees for my trouble.
So I found her a client, and on the same day that I signed the contract, she told me she could not go through with it. She went and got herself employed again as an accounting staff with a footwear brand.
This unfortunate circumstance happens for one reason and one reason alone – the person who wanted to branch out on his own as a freelancer had no idea what to expect.
People told him that he could be free, have as many days off as he wanted and retain all of the profits from his work.
But nobody ever told him that he may have to work long and hard to meet deadlines, manage his finances himself, compete with thousands of others for the same clients, and maybe have to learn new skills.
Before you begin your venture into the world of freelancing, you should know that it is not all fun and games – a lot of serious thought must go into your actions if you are to be successful.
Whatever you do, do not quit your current job right now, as you will not have a livable source of income for at least a few months while you search for well-paying projects.
Quitting your job will come in due time, but only after you have managed to net a few illustrious contracts first.
With your passion and desire to push you, the first step should be to log onto your computer, pull open your web browser of choice, head over to one of the top three search engines, and look for work.
Use specific keywords that describe what you want to do. Your search should give you a massive database of different business websites in need of what you have to offer.
And then, create your online profile.
I have been giving this advice for so long I’m so sick of it. Create an online profile, get out there, let prospective clients know what you are capable of doing, let them know your value proposition.
And all those fall on deaf ears. At least, that’s how I feel.
When I started out, that was the very first thing I did.
I created my own website. And because my skills were not in the creative realm, my first website was hideous! But I was determined to let prospective clients know of my background, my skills and my passion that I just went ahead with it.
It also showed prospective clients that I was serious enough to spend money on my business.
So I created my profile on LinkedIn and created an ad on Craigslist offering my services, and shared my website link everywhere.
That’s how clients found me. I did not have to look for them.
It was just so professional to be giving away a domain email instead of a Gmail, or a Yahoo, or a Hotmail account, you know.
In the same manner that when I talk to prospective clients, the first thing I check is their email address. Is it a domain email? And then I go ahead and check out their website to get an idea what their business is about. I would think that legitimate prospective clients have this mindset, too.
Because clients also need to have that assurance that you are legit. Having your own cyber address somehow makes clients feel comfortable venturing into a partnership with you. Prospective clients will be more inclined to trust you.
Having a portfolio may be one of the most important things you can do if you want to succeed as a freelancer, as it will help you move up in the world of freelance work. So again, build a website and build you portfolio in it. Throw in a testimonials section for good measure.
Eventually, you may find that some potential clients may start coming to you with their offer of work, hearing how much you can accomplish or how good you are at meeting deadlines from the people who hired you previously.
When putting out your portfolio, only include projects that you have all of the rights to, because if someone thinks that you may have stolen pieces of your portfolio from others, the word may get out and you risk not being hired for freelance work by anyone – ever.
Furthermore, only add items to your portfolio that make you look good in whatever particular niche you are trying to find freelance work in.
Sure, if you are looking for freelance work as a web designer you could include an article you wrote on chemistry. But why would someone looking for a skilled web designer really care about something you wrote for a chemistry website? Well, maybe your prospective client was also hiring you to write his web copy. So you’d want to show samples of your writing skills, too.
Finally, your competition from around the globe will be another major barrier in your pursuit to become a self-sufficient freelancer.
People from all walks of life and from just about every country in the world will be competing for the same projects as you, so you had better be prepared to offer something that other people simply cannot compete with.
For example, if you are a freelance writer or editor, the best way to compete is to highlight your English proficiency and your fast turnaround time. If you are writing a technical copy, be ready to hyperlink to your resources.
Graphic and web designers, as well as software programmers, should take advantage of online courses to keep abreast on new trends. You can update your website with any recent certifications you’ve earned as you go.
How to Find Clients (or make clients find you)
Starting out as freelancer, the first thing you must do when looking for clients is to get your name out there. Let people know who you are, what you do, how well you do it, and what you can do for them.
There is no better way to get off on the right path as a freelancer than to assemble a clear, concise, and focused portfolio.
You can either include this portfolio as an email attachment when you apply for positions offered to you by clients or you can do what I did and create a personal portfolio website that outlines all of the specific projects that you have worked on over the years for various clients.
Someone would ask this question: What previous clients? I’m just starting out!
Well, any project you have done for anybody that is relevant to the niche you want to freelance for is an item that should go to your portfolio. Want to be a freelance event manager? List down the wedding that you successfully organized for your cousin’s sister-in-law. Then ask that cousin’s sister-in-law for a testimonial. Throw in great photos from the event, too!
Whatever type of portfolio you choose to create, be sure that it is targeted to the audience you are trying to attract, as there is no sense in including work you did as a software programmer if you are looking for work as a freelance photographer
When it comes to finding clients for your freelance business in masses, you need to focus your attention on the various forums and discussion boards around the web.
The groups I’m in on Facebook are WAHM Philippines, Filipina Homebased Moms, Philippine Virtual Assistant Network and Online Filipino Freelancers.
WAHM Philippines is a group I created myself. It’s small and I want to keep it that way, since managing a group is not a walk in the park. It caters to a very specific demographic. FHMoms is bigger and can be a good place to network. OFF and PVAN are also big groups, as they also have male members. I’m not sure about
I think I’m one of the few people who has never created an account with a third party service provider, but when you check out the forums in the net, you’ll find people talking about UpWork, Guru, Freelancer and Fiverr. Those are platforms where business owners go for help with their projects, so that’s where you should be.
The only platform that I’m in? It’s LinkedIn. And I have a mini-ebook on how you can rock your LinkedIn profile so clients can find you, instead of you chasing them,
Because it is so important for you to find freelance websites that are focused to your particular field of operation, you need to decide on one or two services that you think you can find freelance work in and then go from there.
One of the best places to start your search for clients from around the world is CraigsList. This is a one-stop shop where you can find work in your local metro area as well as in cities and countries from around the world.
Most of the jobs offered at CraigsList allow you to work at home although you may have to visit the offices of some of the higher paying positions from time to time.
For myself, I did a combination of doing a job search, and at the same time created an advertisement offering my services and then directing people to my website so they could get to know me and decide for themselves if I would be a good fit.
Another amazing resource for freelancers of all kinds is Guru, a website that helps prospective freelancers in all niches find clients from around the world.
It caters mostly to well-established freelance professionals though, so you may want to turn to it later once you have exhausted your other freelancing options
Is Freelancing the Way to Go for You?
If you are planning to quit your current job and enter the world of freelancing, then you had better be pretty darn well sure that this is something you want to do.
And even if you are totally sure that you want to become a freelancer in your chosen niche, is it something that is financially possible for you?
Can you support your family on the salary you make from freelancing?
What about healthcare, are you prepared to give that up, too, in pursuit of a future as a freelancer?
Can you handle the stress that comes from working with tight, often ridiculous deadlines on your projects?
Do you work well by yourself and can you speak well when talking with a potential client who may want to hire you for his next project?
Finally, do you have what it takes to constantly advertise yourself and your services to anyone who may be interested?
Far too often, people think that they want to be freelancers simply because it sounds cool.
After all, many people get it into their heads that there is no more relaxing work atmosphere than being able to wake up late, work on your computer while you are wearing your pajamas, and take off whatever days you want as your vacation.
Sure, those are all perks of being a freelancer, but let’s be honest here – there are challenges that you will have to go through as a freelancer before you can reach the point where you do not have to worry about your finances anymore.
You cannot expect that the moment you quit your current job, hundreds of potential clients will come knocking at your door in hopes that you will give them the time of day.
There is much more to freelancing than that, so let’s find out if you have what it takes to make it in the cutthroat world of freelancing.
The first thing that you have to realize about being a freelancer is that you may not be able to make ends meet on freelancing alone. Not for a few months, at least. Especially if you get into freelancing with a gig mindset.
If you are thinking about quitting your current job – don’t do it just yet. Instead, test the waters and be sure that you like freelancing first, and find out how much money you can make as a freelancer before you draft your resignation letter.
As a fledgling freelancer, your best bet is to start off with clients that may not pay as much but will be able to get you in the door.
Then ask yourself, will you be able to bring in enough work to keep your family’s lifestyle at the same level it currently is?
If you are thinking of doing freelance work as a supplement to your current income, then no worries. But if your intention is to make your freelance salary your sole income, then pay close attention to the question above.
Next, you have to think about what you will do for healthcare as a freelancer. Without the support of an already established business behind you, you will have to pay for your own (and your family’s) health insurance out of pocket.
This is not a big deal if you have a spouse who gets health insurance from his or her own employment, but if your spouse is a stay at home parent or is also in the freelance business, this becomes a major expense to think about.
Stress management is also something you have to be good at. You may encounter projects that will require you to work on a really tight deadline. Or projects that
Are you a team player or do you work better as an individual? While this question may seem insignificant, remember that as a freelancer you really have no team to rely on should you not know how to do something.
Sure, you could scour the internet for answers to your questions – but that will take away valuable time from your project.
So, if you are the type of person who can accomplish tasks more efficiently working with a group, then you may want to rethink the idea of going freelance because the individualized work environment of a freelancer is certainly not for you.
Finally, can you handle the fact that you must constantly advertise your services to just about anyone who may need you to do some work for them?
Do you have enough self-esteem that you can promote yourself as the best freelancer in
Being able to constantly advertise your services is a major benefit for anyone looking to become a freelancer. Again, you can easily do that when you have an online portfolio.
So, to wrap this up…
I hope you are still reading at this time and I hope you’ve had some takeaways.
But to put more than 5,500 words in 4 simple bullet points, what you’ll have is as follows:
- Identify your niche.
- Create your portfolio,
- Identify your clients.
- Market yourself.
If you have questions, feel free to send them over.
If you need a website, I can help you with that.
I’d like to write about pricing your products and services, but I’ll leave that for another day.
Meanwhile, you can start joining freelancer groups on various social media platforms you can get to learn from the
For now, please, please, please LIKE my page on Facebook. I’m starting to rebuild my audience because I lost my admin access to the original page and hoping that you’ll follow me on the new page.
Thanks for reading!
