13/09/2021
Freelancing is hard. But for some, it pays well. Research shows in the United States, the number of six-figure freelancers (those who have reported incomes of over $100,000 / ยฃ72,000) is growing year on year. At present, 3.1 million people (20% of the U.S. workforce) earn over $100,000 (ยฃ72,000) per year as a freelancer (Brodmin).
๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด?
With job security being a concern stemmed from a fluctuating economy, more people are looking to freelance on the side to bring in extra income. For others, the perks often associated with freelancing (the flexibility, being in control of your own time etc) pushes them to work harder and smarter to make freelancing their primary source of income. In most instances, itโs to replace their corporate 9 to 5 job which no longer interests them.
Forbes predicts the majority of the US and UK workforce will be made up of freelancers by 2027. According to research undertaken by Brodmin, over 57.3 million people in the United States and 4.7 million people in the United Kingdom currently work on a freelance basis in 2021.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ?
Ideally, start with a service that youโre good at and fully qualified in (if required to practice your work independently). Whether itโs accounting, law, consulting, IT, tutoring, software engineering, copywriting, video editing, marketing, graphic design or coding - businesses and solo entrepreneurs will need to hire freelancers to help out in areas in which theyโre not so good at or have no interest in doing.
๐๐ผ ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ?
It is recommended to have experience and proof of work before you begin freelancing. Being great at what you do does help to win work. However, it is not essential to be the best at what you do to start freelancing. You just have to be more knowledgeable and skillful than the person or business who is looking to hire for help.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด?
The first step is to build up a portfolio of freelance work and references who would be happy to vouch for you. Your portfolio and references should be included in your freelance CV and personal website if you have one.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ฝ ๐บ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ผ?
Talk to your friends and family about your freelance services. Ask if they know anyone that may need help in what youโre offering. This would be the easiest way to start building up your freelance portfolio and pool of references.
No luck from friends and family? Start looking at Facebook groups and Reddit communities that are relevant to you. Create a post offering your freelance services and make it clear to everyone that youโre building up your freelance portfolio. People love to help.
๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฝ ๐บ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ผ?
If progress is more important to you than money, working for free (strategically) will help speed up the portfolio-building process. For instance, assuming you do a good job - offering free work to high-profile businesses or charities will pay dividends in the form of future referrals and social proof. Once you have a portfolio of work that you can show off with references, it is easier to win paid freelance work.
Meanwhile, if you have bills to pay then working for free isnโt usually viable. Instead, offer your freelance services at a discounted rate to build up your freelance portfolio.
๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ ๐๐ผ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด?
Assuming youโve got bills to pay and little savings to fall back on, quitting your job to build up a freelance portfolio is not recommended. Instead, freelance outside your contracted work hours to give you peace of mind of a monthly income (from your job) whilst building up your freelance portfolio.
๐ ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ณ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ผ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ - ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐โ๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐
๐?
Ensure to add your portfolio of work into your freelance CV and website if you have one. Make it clear that youโre looking for freelance work. Include your hourly/daily/monthly rate in your freelance CV. This makes it easier for business owners and hiring managers to qualify themselves before getting in contact with you.
The reasoning for this is that if your freelance rate is outside their budget, they wonโt bother contacting you. This saves time for both sides - no point taking part in calls or interviews if they donโt have the budget to hire you. If they like your CV, they may keep it on file for future work thatโs relevant to your skill sets and portfolio.
Ideally, businesses will get back to you to arrange a call/interview to discuss more about your freelance CV, how you work, and typically to also confirm your freelance rate.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ท๐ผ๐ฏ๐?
Simply apply to roles advertised on job boards such as Indeed and LinkedIn Jobs using your freelance CV. Where it is possible to include notes or a covering letter, make it clear that youโre looking for freelance work. If they like your CV and the decision-maker is open to contracting work to a freelancer, they will be in contact to discuss more.
Another viable approach is using Google to search for businesses located near you. Call them to introduce yourself and to see if there are any current or upcoming opportunities that are relevant to your freelance work. If there is scope for potential work, arrange a time and day to meet the manager in person. This is where you can listen to their needs and see if you can help them. Also, a great place to talk more about yourself and show them your portfolio of work if thereโs an appropriate time to do so.
Email marketing is also a great way to scale your outreach when finding freelance work. Search for businesses that you want to help using business directories, Facebook and Instagram pages. Then take the time to reach out to them via email. Thankfully you can now use email marketing automation software to do the bulk of the work for you. Personally, I would recommend SendGrid as you can send up to 100 emails (no spam email) per day for free.
๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐?
Upwork and Fiverr are the most popular freelance sites. Itโs a great place to start if youโre struggling to market yourself and win work as a freelancer. You can also use freelancing sites to build up your portfolio of work. However, the main drawback is that you usually have to compete on price. Many freelancers will undercut you to win work.
The best approach is to build up your own pipeline of prospective clients, win work and do a great job! Then ask for recommendations and referrals.
๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ. ๐ฌ๐ผ๐โ๐น๐น ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ.
Fancy being coached by me? Email: [email protected]
๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐:
1. https://brodmin.com/case-studies/gig-economy-case-study/
2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/elainepofeldt/2017/10/17/are-we-ready-for-a-workforce-that-is-50-freelance/?sh=4c89d1a23f82
