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If you are thinking that you will be getting work as a freelancer while you are sitting at home and chilling.
You are certainly wrong! To succeed as a freelancer, you need to work hard, build a network, reach out to clients, and have a social presence is a must.
However, still many freelancers struggle to get work.
One of the main reasons to succeed is to remain consistent.
Maybe at the start, you might not be able to earn a living, pay all your bills, and consider freelancing as a stable income.
But it takes time!
You need to build your portfolio at the start.
Never ever hesitate to work for free, when they are offering to build your network, and referring you.
When you will have your network built you won’t be having that much trouble as a freelancer.
However, always look for returning clients, they will make your income stable.
Many people consider freelance as a spoon-feeding job, they wonder if clients are waiting for freelancers, and it is one of the easy businesses in the world.
It is never that way! You really have to struggle hard even to get your first client.
Here in this article, I am going to share some of the tips that brought me some success (Even though I am just at the start of my career).
Tips to Succeed as a freelancer
There are certain tips and techniques that beginners can follow to get success.
Having a mentor is a must-have thing because if you want to avail success following someone who is a master of their field is great.
- Build a Network
- Work on your Personal Brand
- Master your skill
- Find a Mentor
Built a Network
You may get a job without building a network, by just applying for a job.
But building a business will always need a network, you need to have friends and people who know you, and know what you are selling.
So, to sell your services as a freelancer you need people to know you.
Most of the time your first client is from your own network.
Most of the time even a single client is enough to kick-start your freelance career.
Some of the benefits you get…
- References
- ‘Skill endorsements and reviews
- Maybe some permanent work
Work on your Personal Brand
As a freelancer, your name is your own brand.
If you think you can win jobs and clients without having a portfolio, that is never going to happen.
Your name is your own brand as a freelancer!
You can follow certain tactics like having a website as a portfolio, having diverse social accounts, and a strong profile on different forums.
When you follow these tactics, it will be quite clear that you will have a social presence.
Even if someone googles you, you will be having the top space there.
Moreover, when you are bidding for jobs, you can easily show your portfolio website, and that shows your professionalism.
Not just that, but when you build your brand, you get other benefits as well.
Like a brand always charges more than a local.
Your charges will be worth it and believe me, there will be clients who will be willing to pay you even more than 50 USD per hour.
This is how great freelancing could be if you build your own brand while working as an individual freelancer.
Master Your Skill
Suppose you are charging a lot for a skill you are not a master at.
Who would like to work for you?
The most major step to succeed as a freelancer is to master your skill.
It does not matter which skill you are master at; the thing is you should be able to identify and resolve every single problem that is related to that field.
If you are not able to solve the problems of clients or the company you are working for there will be no work for you in the future.
Maybe at this point, your freelance career will be ended.
So, it is highly advised by me, and every professional freelancer to master a skill before entering the field of freelancing.
Find a Mentor
“Behind every successful person, there is a mentor.”
If you want to succeed as a freelancer, having a mentor is a must-have thing.
If you are proceeding in your field with your eyes closed you would be nowhere!
So, it is great to have a teacher who is successful in their field and follows them.
If you want to be successful you should never even miss a single chance to get advice from them.
There must be a person for you with whom you can discuss all your problems related to your field.
Learning a skill from a person, and following a person is a completely different thing.
A mentor is a person who is successful in his field and is capable of teaching their students.
In a nutshell…
So, if you want to succeed as a freelancer, you should put together all the points.
You can start earning without following some of the points but to be a trademark of your field you can not ignore any of the points.
Remember…
Freelancing is never easy, it requires consistency.
To develop a consistent earning as a freelancer you need to work really hard.
Maybe work in a group to build your network or think out of the box.
A single freelance marketplace is not enough sometimes, you should also look to target other market places as well.
This is only possible once you are successful in a single marketplace.
Never try to be everywhere without successfully completing a single one.
Further Reading: How to Create a top-ranked gig on Fiverr
