Are you considering a career change, perhaps as a freelance entrepreneur? Maybe it has stalled in the ‘thinking about it’ stage due to the fear of losing the safety net, or steady paycheck, that your current employment offers right now. However, the fact is nothing about the workforce resembles a safety net these days.
Every time I look at the news it seems that another business is downsizing, if not closing. Or, perhaps you work for a company that will soon join others in the trend of replacing senior employees with new employees to lower their cost.
Sure, the pendulum might swing back…eventually. But, why wait until it does? It’s possible that even when it does, you might do far better on your own anyway. Not too long ago I started freelance writing, and have enjoyed the flexibility it allows me.
Whatever your motivation might be, there are a few tips that can help you start, or boost a freelancing career. And, they could apply to any field you are in, or hope to get in.
1 – Set the Scene
First thing you want to do, is to create a professional work environment for yourself. Working from the dining room table has bigger drawbacks than working around missed crumbs. You also have to work around the family’s dining schedule.
Even beyond that inconvenience, is the fact that it takes time to set up and take down your work…time that could be spent on a project.
And, perhaps most of all, having a dedicated work space, which is professional and permanent, sends a message to all (including yourself) that your new adventure is not a hobby, but a career to be taken seriously.
2 – Goal Setting
Even in the traditional work environment, it’s important to set goals. However, I believe it’s even more important when we are on our own. You won’t have a manager, or other co-workers to push and motivate you any longer.
When you have the main goal in mind, create milestones to meet along the way. They will help to keep you on track, as well as re-evaluate your terms throughout the period in case you need to make some adjustments. Circumstances beyond our control can…and will happen. Therefore, as you reach the individual milestones you can see where, and how to adjust the plans in order to still reach your goal.
3 – Website Development
It doesn’t matter what field you are in, you will most likely want to develop a high-quality website. If nothing else, it can help you promote your business. You can create a decent site through programs such as WordPress that will look and perform professionally.
Make sure it’s relevant and current to your industry. You will also want to keep the content fresh and updated on a regular basis, especially if you rely on repeat customers or viewers.
4 – Use Freelancing Platforms
A great way to stimulate more business is to use freelancing platforms such as Elance. These sites offer a community of both buyers (potential clients) and independent contractors, who are looking for each other to collaborate on projects together.
Elance is world-wide, with more than 500,000 independent contractors as members. Companies, or individuals can post projects in several categories in hopes that contractors will bid on them.
Once a client accepts your bid for their project, make sure they fund escrow before you start. This protects you from completing any work without getting paid. There is a large community on Elance to provide work opportunity, as well as gather tips and advice from others.
5 – Boost Your Resume with Continued Education
If you are going to be selling yourself, then you need to make sure your resume will catch the eye of potential clients. It doesn’t matter if it’s an online resume, or a hard copy that you present in person.
One way to do that would be to stay current with education in your field. Online courses are available for most fields, allowing for even the busiest entrepreneur to beef up their resume. For example, if you are in IT, you may want to look into VMware training, which can enhance your knowledge, as well as your resume. This particular field is going to require continued education, so take advantage of online courses to save time and money.
6 – Writing a Great Proposal
If you are going to dive into the freelancing world, then you need to know how to write a winning bid. Here is a very simple guideline that should fit most proposals:
- Make sure it is grammatically correct
- Explain what you have to offer the project
- Provide relative past samples
- Be clear on your price and what it includes
A word of caution, if the proposal is written in a generic manner, the potential client will typically notice and put it to the back of the pile, if not ignore it completely. Individualize each proposal to meet the needs of each individual project.
Just keep in mind, no matter how well you write the bid, and how much time you spend on it, there is no guarantee it will be what the potential client is looking for. Know what you are worth, and don’t settle for less.
7 – Use Social Media to Promote Your Business
A way to promote your business for little, to no money, is to utilize social media pages such as Facebook and Twitter. You can easily start a business page on the site and share the link with friends and family. Hopefully, they will also share…and it could grow from there. Simple, and free.
8 – Utilize other Freelancers
When it comes to areas you are not familiar with, or if you don’t have time to work on some details, look to other freelancers. Just as you can use Elance to enhance your business, you can also use it to help you with projects.
For example, if you need help with website design, or written content, look to other Elancers to help you. This will save you the need of hiring a large company, or an employee to work on certain details.
In Closing…
Starting a freelance business is a wonderful opportunity to start a new career, or to even supplement an existing career. I hope that I gave you some tips that you will be able to use in getting started. Good luck!
About the author: Kathy Barber is a freelance writer, currently writing a series of articles that was inspired by researching CCNA online training www.ecourseclassroom.com. When she is not writing, Kathy enjoys spending time with her husband Jon and their 6 year old son. Cooking, traveling, boating, and photography are some of the hobbies she finds herself dabbling in.
Photo credit: Mackenzie Kosut