How to start freelancing
A question I’m commonly asked is “how do I get started in freelancing?” I never answer this question because it’s so complicated whole books have been written on the subject.
But today I’m going to answer it because once I’ve done so, I’ll just start sending people the link.
Here are the basic steps to follow to get started freelancing:
1. Figure out why you want to freelance. Is it for flexibility? Is it to make more money? Is it because you hate working hard? Some of these reasons will lead to a more successful freelancing career than others. Freelancing requires hard work but it does offer flexibility and in many cases more money than you could earn at a staff job. Be honest with yourself. If you’re not a self-starter or can’t flow with income ups and downs, find a staff job that suits you better. If you don’t like working hard, find a wealthy spouse. Freelancing isn’t for everyone and that’s okay.
2. Determine what your niche is. This is likely to change over time but you have to start somewhere. What are your areas of competence? Are you organized and efficient and would make a great virtual assistant? Are you a skilled editor and/or writer? Do you have design chops? If you’re not good at some specific skill, even if it is a very specific skill (“I knit sweaters for kittens”), you’ll struggle as a freelancer. “I can do anything for anyone” is not actually a skill a client will hire you for.
3. Once you know what your niche is, figure out what product or service you’re going to sell in that niche (“Custom sweaters for kittens in small, medium, and large.”) Figure out what variations make sense (“Pick from three different patterns and five different colors.”) For a VA, you might market “respond to emails” and “set appointments” and you might sell packages of “10 hours per week” or “20 hours per month.”
4. Decide who your clients will be. In some cases, the product or service automatically tells you who the audience is. If you’re knitting sweaters for kittens, then the answer is “kitten owners.” Obviously you can also expand to include knitting sweaters for dogs, but starting with the one specific audience is ideal because it’s easier to imagine where you might find those clients. In some cases the product (“respond to emails”) doesn’t really narrow things down much (“people who receive emails”) so it helps to think of where your skills and experience intersect. If you used to work in a law office, then being a VA for lawyers makes sense as you can stress that you understand legal terminology, understand confidentiality, and so on.
5. Calculate how much you’re going to charge. “What to charge” is the kind of question that deserves its own book, but the key factor is: How much do you want/need to earn? A full-time job basically involves 2000 work hours per year. If you make $40 an hour that equals $80,000 a year. But in freelancing, you’re not able to bill every hour you work. Some of that time is spent marketing for clients. Some of that time is spent on administrative work like filing taxes and buying a new laptop. Additionally, you have to pay for your own benefits. A good rule of thumb is to charge double per hour to make up for marketing and other downtime. So, if you want to make $80,000 per year working full-time, you need to charge $80/hour. If it takes ten hours to knit a kitten sweater, you need to charge $800 per sweater. If you think you know where you can find people who’ll pay $800 for a kitten sweater, then proceed. If not, rethink your plan. If you’re not sure, try selling one.
6. Develop a website or some kind of landing page (such as a Facebook page) so prospective clients can learn more about you. Use this website to share information about your services, including your portfolio (if relevant) and testimonials about your services. This does not have to be especially AMAZING! it just needs to be a place where people can go to learn more about you.
7. Spread the word about your new freelance career. Let friends, former coworkers, and acquaintances know that you’ve set up shop as a freelancer. Ask them to help you share the news. Build your social media network by following and interacting with people who could be potential clients – for example, kitten owners or lawyers in solo practices who might need a VA. Join relevant organizations to connect with others and learn effect marketing techniques.
That’s it in a nutshell!
