If you always wanted to live a freer life and get rid of limitations that a regular 5/7 work puts on you, freelancing might be just what you need. Just remember that this is not for everyone. Freelancing requires a lot of self-discipline and enormous dedication as well as ability to work with clients and manage your own finances.
We have a couple of great tips for people who want to try freelancing.
1. Start when you can afford it. Freelancing is a lifestyle of balance. You will have moments when business will slow down to the point when even the lowest paying gig is the only source of income. Sometimes, you will have enough work to pay all bills and then some. However, those moments of silence may last for some time if you don’t have an established group of loyal regular clients. This is why you need to be ready and have some money in the bank before you start your freelancing career.
2. Don’t sell your services for cheap. One of the biggest problem for newer freelancers is that they are ready to do jobs for a low price. This not only dilutes the market with low quality offers and reduces the median price of the service in general, but also makes you spend time on projects that are not worth it.
3. Know how much your time costs. This is a thing that many freelancers simply forget. They do not know how much an hour of their work actually costs. Some think that they can do $15 per hour. Others think that they are super professionals and should receive $100 per hour. What you really need is to know how much you should be paid for each project. Exactly. In numbers.
4. Constantly monitor multiple websites for gigs. Websites like freelancer.com and upwork give you a lot of choices. Thousands of people are searching for high quality specialists and you can definitely find a gig or two on such marketplaces. However, you need to be picky and constantly check whether a new good gig is up for grabs.
5. Learn money management. Lots of new freelancers do not know how to use their money and save them. Spending too much while having an inconsistent source of income is the worst possible idea. Try to be smart with money and count every dime. You must be good with money if you want to work on yourself.
6. Get paid upfront (at least partially). This is something that newer freelancers just don’t get. If you do not want to be scammed, ask for some upfront payment or sign a contract. This will allow you to work without worrying about the payment which can be quite stressful and slow you down significantly.