How to start freelancing

Are you thinking of venturing into freelancing? Well here is a guide on how to go about it.

 In this post, I shall outline how to start a freelancing career.

Step 1: Carefully consider what you are good at

Are you good at writing, photography, mathematics, statistics, accounting, web designing, computer-aided design, online marketing, or financial markets? Carefully evaluate what you are good at and what your strengths are.

If possible, you can make a list of some of your skills that you think you can monetize. By monetizing I mean those things that you think you can use to earn money. If you are a writer, for example, you can monetize writing by writing articles, press releases, guides, etc. for websites. If you are a web designer, for example, you can monetize it by offering web design services to companies or individuals who want their websites to be designed.

The amazing thing about freelancing is that you don’t have to have any formal education to do freelancing jobs. You just have to learn a skill even if it is from your friend or colleagues or has a passion for a certain field.

Step 2: Find out which skills are selling most in the market

Once you list your skills and passion, you should go ahead and find out what skills people are looking for most from freelancers. For maximum returns, you ought to pick a skill that a lot of people will be willing to pay for. You should consider how many people will want to pay for the services that you are offering.

If you are a writer for example and you also have financial market skills, you may go for writing but concentrate on writing about financial markets.

Step 3: Get the equipment you need to start

The most basic freelancing equipment includes a computer and an internet connection. However, you could need more than just that depending on your area of specialization or the skill you have chosen to monetize through freelancing.

For example, if you have chosen to venture into photography, you shall require a good camera and video editing software. If you choose to venture into computer-aided design, you will require a powerful computer, CAD software, mouse among others.

As the saying goes, you have to spend money to make money. Only this is a one-time investment.

Step 4: Find a mentor

Once you have everything set, it is important to find a mentor who can show you a few things here and there like the best freelancing site, how to create freelancing accounts, what clients are looking for, etc.

To motivate your mentor, you have to show him/her that you are motivated to this endeavour and it is paramount that you do thorough research on what you are venturing into.

Your mentor can also assist you in setting your charges keeping in mind that you may increase your rates as you gain experience or as your profile grows.

Step 5: Create a profile and sell yourself

When most people hear of freelancing, they think of working through an online working platform like Upwork, Fiverr, freelancer.com, and the like and that is very fine. Those sites offer the freelancer the best opportunities to find well-paying clients without having to go through the toils of advertising themselves too much.

When using the online working platforms, you only need to craft a good selling profile highlighting your skills, and your work history, and where possible provide a portfolio of projects you have handled in line with the skills you have stated.

However, freelancing does not only depend on online working platforms. If you are a web designer, for example, you can go the extra mile of creating a website that clients can visit for your services. The only challenge is that when you decide to follow this route, you will require to do a lot to advertise the website. The best channels for advertising your website and your services are social media channels.

Step 6: You are good to go!

After doing all the above, you will be good to start freelancing.

You will however be required to put in a lot of effort and practice patience during the early stages as you try to attract your first clients. Remember that clients are mostly looking for people who have something they can show and it might take you some time to land your first job.

It is best to have low charges to attract customers and after your profile grows, you can raise the charges accordingly.