How to Start Your Freelancing Business

Working full time but barely making it? Or maybe you just want to go into business for yourself and leave corporate slavery behind.  You’re not alone. It’s estimated that 1 in 3 Americans are picking up freelance work to not only supplement their incomes but to go into business for themselves.

Be your own boss. Have your own schedule. Choose your clients. Sounds awesome, right? Well, It is that awesome and more, but it’s also quite difficult.

To freelance successfully, you must aptly position yourself in a way that people are eager to utilize your services. So, if you’re looking to get started in the wonderful and difficult world of freelancing, here you go.

Find your niche

If you’re looking into freelancing, I hope you’d have already found yours. But if not, this is an exciting process. Get deep inside yourself. What motivates you? What’s your purpose? Can you profit from it?

Whether you have a hobby, an acquired skill, or simply an idea, ask yourself:

* Is this something I enjoy doing?

* Can I provide effective solutions to others’ problems?

Do you build creative websites? Market yourself to bloggers. Maybe your friends really love the way you do their makeup. Start offering your services to others.  Are you great at bringing people together? Throw events!

There’s so much awesome potential for freelancing. It maintains the flexibility in terms of what you like to do, and with the Internet at your disposal, you might just turn your hobby into a viable business. Your key focus should be on finding your value proposition and marketing it to your target audience.

Market & brand yourself

Imagine that a stranger has approached you, whether online or in person. Their Twitter bio or business card claims their “guru” status. You’d be silly not to want proof, right?

Well, the same holds true for any freelancing business. The correct marketing tools and credentials are essential to the survival of your business. Great news for you, it’s now easier than ever to brand yourself/company. This is the age of the information, friends. Nala the cat has a huge Instagram following.

So, instead of the mind-numbing hours you already spend on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, it will behoove you to invest that time spent into your brand and online presence. With several platforms at your disposal, identify where your target market is most, and start there.

Act like a professional:

With the inner-workings of your business, it’s crucial you’re decisive in how you expect to operate and if you have the capability to do so. Will you write contracts for clients? How are you expecting to do business? How will they pay you? You should have these plans organized and detailed, so that when a prospective client asks, you’re more than ready to answer them capably. This type of professionalism will bode well for you, as referrals are a huge side of freelancing that is easily underestimated. Yes, your branding is huge. But the spoken word of past clients to future clients is golden.

Whether freelancing is that thing you were always interested in or that thing you want to start now, these three tips will help get you on your way. Enjoy the freedom 🙂