12 Steps To Start A Freelancing Business (And Why You Should) - CareerAlley

12 Steps To Start A Freelancing Business (And Why You Should) - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. As of late 2018, around 57 million Americans considered themselves to be freelancers. Those are pretty big numbers, and if economic trends and figures are to be believed, theyre only going to get bigger. Freelancing is taking off in a major way, and its not hard to understand why. The benefits of freelancing are manifold. You dont answer to a boss; you work wherever you like and whenever you like; you get to choose your clients, and so forth. There are many benefits of freelancing. You dont answer to a boss; you work wherever and whenever you like and you get to choose your clients Tweet This Of course, starting your own freelancing business isnt easy. If it was, it wouldnt be half as rewarding as it is. There are a number of steps youll need to take before you consider getting started in the business. Its not as easy as simply deciding what you want to do and starting to draw up a client base (although thats definitely part of it). Freelancing can feel like an arduous journey, but when the work is flowing in, youll feel like it was worth it. Here are 12 steps to starting a freelancing business. 1. Brush up on your finance When youre a freelancer, nobodys going to manage your paychecks for you. Youll need to make sure youre on top of your invoices when theyre due, how youre going to get paid, et cetera. This is one of the most important aspects of the job. If youre looking for a solid invoice tool to help you, try this online invoice maker from Hiveage itll give you a great headstart. Professional-quality invoices get you paid quicker! 2. Understand the scope of your venture What do you actually want to do with your freelancing business? Are you going to use this as your main source of income, or is this something that youre doing to drum up business on the side or chase a major life goal? Whatever the answer, it definitely pays to have a solid and well-crafted business plan, even if youre a freelancer. Youll need it for the future. 3. Create a list of goals You wont get very far if the goals youre thinking of arent actuated in some way. You need to write down exactly what youre hoping to do at every step of your business journey. Start small secure a web domain, decide on the name of your business, think about the size of your operation, et cetera and then you can start on the big stuff. 4. Dont chase the same audience as everyone else If youre tempted to start a business because you saw someone else succeeding in that area and thought it cant be that hard, you might want to think again. Finding a profitable niche market is definitely more desirable than simply opting for what everyone else is doing because youre minimising competition and making sure you stand out in your field. Image by Pexels from Pixabay 5. Research the competition Whatever you decide to do with your freelance business, youre going to run up against the competition. Unless your niche is super-specific, there will be others trying to do what youre doing. Its a good idea to know who they are, how they operate, and where their weak points might be. When you know that, youll be much better equipped to run your own freelance business. 6. Know your demographic Knowing your market isnt quite the same thing as knowing your demographic. You need to research exactly whos going to be consuming your product or your content, whatever it might be. That will enable you to better craft content that your audience will definitely like. Language, tone, and marketing are all affected massively by who your demographic actually is. 7. Maintain a strong social media presence Whether youre a social media addict or a chronic avoider of the gram, the fact is that if youre not on social media as a business these days then you may as well not exist. Maintaining a strong social media presence is key to growing your client base, promoting your content, and managing a good relationship with your chosen demographic. The best part about being a freelancer is that you can typically set your own hours as well as pick and choose who want to work for. The bad news is that until you build your business up, you are likely to have times where you dont have any work. How to Build Your Career Working Freelance Jobs 8. Network aggressively One of the best ways you can publicise your budding freelance business is to get out there and introduce yourself to potential partners. Have some business cards made and make sure to take them to any event you go to thats even remotely business-related. Dont be ashamed of introducing yourself and making sure people know who you are and what youre about at all times. 9. Know your stuff In an increasingly competitive era, if you dont know your stuff youll be destroyed by your competition. Whatever your business is writing, crafts, plumbing, or anything you need to know what youre talking about. Word of mouth is essential for growing your business, and you wont grow good word of mouth if your work is shoddy or shows a lack of understanding of your craft. 10. Be your own taskmaster When youre making the jump from a conventional desk job to a freelance gig, the freedom can be a little daunting. You need to be your own taskmaster. Dont be afraid to scour the internet for good freelance productivity tools; just because teams use Trello or Asana, that doesnt mean you cant use it as a solo freelancer. Delineate your work hours and youll feel better for it. 11. Consider a variety of media If youre a writer, that doesnt mean you have to limit yourself to just writing your own content. You could guest blog on other peoples sites, for example, or you could seek out podcasts that interview writers and see if theyd be interested in interviewing you. Theres nothing stopping you from going multimedia and creating a video series for YouTube or your own podcast, either. Image by rawpixel from Pixabay 12. Enjoy yourself If you dont love the freelance life, it wont love you back. Freelancing should feel great, even when the bad times come; you wont always love your work, but you should always feel like its a better alternative to desk work. If you dont, then it might be time to hang up the work-from-home keyboard and return to the office life, because true freelancers love what they do. What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. 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