Forget Everything You Know About Freelancing
I am sure by now that you heard that freelancing means that you will have short hours, long breaks, and many vacations. Well, sorry to say this, but you are way off. Of course you could do all of that, but then you would never get any work done and you would not make it as a freelancer for very long. Freelancing takes commitment, a skill at multitasking, and the eagerness to learn new things. Most of the time, you never even have a real day off because your clients call you all the time or you are constantly working on new projects to stay ahead of the game.
Once you start working as a freelancer you will soon realize that only crazy people would do this. If you have made it far enough to think that, then most likely you would be considered one of those crazy people. Not just crazy, but someone who truly loves what they do and despite everything they have to put up with, are a generally happy person. Even though you can now make your own hours and you don't have a boss anymore you may now be lacking things that you took advantage of when you had a "J-O-B" like insurance, tax breaks, and a steady paycheck. You health insurance will start costing an arm and a leg (no pun intended), you will be paying probably what your last employer paid in taxes, and your paychecks can come and go.
Hopefully you are still with us to this point and you are not sitting in a corner rocking back and forth. For me, despite all of the cons, I think that freelancing is the best career move I could have ever made. In this article we will show you how to succeed as a freelancer. We will show you how to find work the right way and how to learn to be the best freelancer you can be. Not because we think we know everything, but because at one time, we were all freelancers trying to make a living doing what we love. Hopefully after all of the bad
Where to Begin?
Don't quit your job tomorrow because you think you are going to be the next Bill Gates. It does not quite work like that and you will find out that you have a lot of competition so you may not get every job that comes your way. While working your full-time or part-time job you can do some freelancing on the side to learn how to get business and you can learn how well you handle pressure. Use this time to slowly build your portfolio while you have a steady paycheck. This can help you land future clients.
Where Do I Find Work?
So, you have decided to take the big leap of faith and test the waters of being a freelancer....congrats, now comes the hard part. Many freelancers often ask me to tell them the secrets of starting a successful web design firm and I am happy to oblige. In the beginning, you have to get your name out by telling everyone and anyone who will listen that you are now in the design or development field. trust me, even if they don't need you, chances are that they know someone who might. Also, there is really no downside to word of mouth advertising. Well, that is the first and easiest way. Now, lets jump to more.
I know Twitter is relatively new and mostly untapped but you can use it to your advantage by searching for people wanting to hire freelancers. It is free to create an account and most likely once you get started you will need one to market your portfolio socially. So why not start now?
Everyone you know most likely has a Facebook. Even people you knew a long time ago but lost touch with. Everyone has one. So, it is a great resource to get a wider audience for your word of mouth campaign.
Craigslist
Craigslist remains one of my favorite sites to land new jobs. There is no sign up and you can browse not only your city and state by the entire country. The only bad thing about Craigslist is the spammers. Not every great opportunity is all that great. So don't always get your hopes up when dealing with someone on Craigslist, but it is a great resource when you are not talking with a spammer.
Job Boards
Job boards are a great way to find work when you are trying to establish yourself as a freelancer. Since your rates will most likely be very low you can probably find a few jobs easily, but once you are more established and you can base your rates on your experience and the quality of your work then you will find that job boards are not a good way to have a steady income. You will almost always be underbid unless you take less than what you would normally work for. Don't compromise....ever.
Be Professional
Businesses do not like to deal with someone who is unprofessional and unorganized. You will come off as lazy and that could potentially kill the deal. Always go to meetings with potential clients dresses nice and always come prepared.
Start Working On A Portfolio
You will need a place to demonstrate that you know what you are doing, don't always rely on your degree to get you a job. Web and graphic design as well as development are a very hands on career.
Create A Great Resume
Your new resume either needs to be very professional or very creative. Which ever way best describes you and your personality. Make sure to be very specific that you are not looking for a job but you are looking for work. There is a big difference.
Keep Learning
Just because your are out of school and technically working for yourself, does not mean you have to stop learning. The design world is always changing and evolving and you should too. Learn through sites that are built to help you succeed. One of my favorites is TutsPlus. They have many subsections like Web Design, Graphic Design, Development, etc. So pick your niche and learn.
Keep up with the times or you will quickly find yourself not landing as many jobs because your work is dated. After all the work is done and you are tired, try to research some of the new technologies out there. Master them and you will always find yourself employed. Optimize your freelancing skills by taking courses at online universities in website and graphic design.
For more tips on becoming a web designer specifically you can see our Becoming A Website Designer article. I know we left a lot out, but if I wrote everything I know then I would never get any work done for my clients...so, if you want to know something else, please leave a comment below and I cna try to help you become a great freelancer.
