- Azfar's Newsletter
- Posts
- A Mini-course on Starting Your Own Freelance Business for Beginners
A Mini-course on Starting Your Own Freelance Business for Beginners
Would you be interested if I told you that you can Start Making Money from the comfort of your home without ever having to leave the house?
If yes, then this mini-course is entirely for you.
This mini-course is based on 15 years of experience. Well, I began freelancing during my college days and made just enough money to support myself as a student.
With years of experience freelancing, I have embraced it as a way to supplement my income while I work a full-time job. Specifically, I make more money freelancing than I do at my day job.
Today, I learned how to be a freelancer without actually doing much work. You'll learn everything I know in this mini-course, and I hope you enjoy it.
Table of Contents
1. What does Freelancing mean? 2. Why is it called Freelancing? 3. How does freelancing work? 4. What are the reasons people freelancing? 5. How much can I get paid freelancing? 6. 7 proven ways to get started as a freelancer Here are seven steps to becoming a freelancer: 1. Find your Passion & Skill 2. Finding Jobs 3. Quoting Price 4. Create a Portfolio 5. Make a Proposal 6. Prepare Quotation 7. Keep Relationship with your Client 7. What type of work can I do as a freelancer? Admin Support Jobs Design and Creative Jobs Writing Jobs Web, Mobile, and Software Development Jobs Accounting and Consulting Jobs Legal Jobs Data Science and Analytics Jobs Sales and Marketing Jobs Customer Service Jobs IT and Networking Jobs Engineering and Architecture Jobs Translation Jobs 8. What are the best ways to get Clients? Local Clients Freelance Job Websites LinkedIn Instagram 9. Recommeded Video 10. Conclusion
What does Freelancing mean?
Freelancer means being your own boss rather than being employed by someone else. Freelancers are self-employed and sometimes called independent contractors.
The freelancer is hired by other companies on a part-time or short-term basis, but they do not have same commit to the company as other full-time employees.
Why is it called Freelancing?
"Freelancers" were medieval mercenaries who would fight for whoever paid them the most during the 1800s. Lancers are weapons used by knights on horseback to knock opponents off their horses.
How does freelancing work?
A freelancer accepts payment in exchange for providing some sort of service. Most freelance agreements are short-term or part-time.
For Example: If I hire a freelancer to build a website for my company, he will work until it is delivered. He will terminate the contract once it is delivered.
Some people even pay freelancers for only a certain number of hours per week or per month rather than one lump sum. A lot of legal professionals work on an hourly basis.
Freelancing is one of the simplest and most pure forms of entrepreneurship: freelancers provide a service or outcome, and buyers pay them directly.
What are the reasons people freelancing?
Freelancers set their own schedules, work with whichever clients they choose, and may even be able to work remotely. Freelancers generally set their own hours, work with whomever they want, and may even be able to work remotely
As a freelancer, you are also a business owner, which means you have total control over your income. Since freelancers do not have a fixed salary, they can earn as much as they are able to charge their clients.
Freelancers are their own bosses
As a freelancer, you can also do a variety of work. You can explore all kinds of projects and industries with freelancing if you have a lot of interests and are drawn to trying new things.
For people to freelancing forever has not been the norm historically. Either they can hire other freelancers to build their own agency, or they can create their own products to replace their freelance income.
Most people also prefer freelancing as it gives them flexibility in figuring out their next career move.
How much can I get paid freelancing?
The median freelance income, according to that same 2019 study, is $20-28 per hour. Obviously, with so many different freelance jobs available, that number can vary quite a bit.
The average salary for software engineering roles is $75-100 per hour, while transcriptionists may only earn $5-10 per hour.
To get an idea of what you could earn as a freelancer, it is best to compare the freelance rates of your skill set.
7 proven ways to get started as a freelancer
If you want to become a freelancer, but don't know how to get started, you've come to the right place.
Here are seven steps to becoming a freelancer:
1. Find your Passion & Skill
If you want to begin a career in freelancing & to offer your services, you should first identify your true skill along with your passion for that skill.
If you have good skills but no passion in that field, you will eventually lose interest and quit freelancing. Passion is more important than skill, since skill can be acquired, but passion may take time to develop.
As an example, if you are experienced in photography and enjoy it, I recommend starting your freelance career in photography. Likewise, if you are a good web designer and enjoy web designing, then consider freelancing as a web designer.
Therefore, find your best skill and passion to become a freelancer & offer your services to clients.
2. Finding Jobs
Once you've created a freelance service, you'll need to identify an audience. Find clients that will be a suitable fit for your service by identifying the type. Are they facing the same problem and sharing similar characteristics? Are they in the same industry?
Simply being excellent at what you do will not bring you clients as a new freelancer. It's essential to position yourself in front of potential clients so they can learn about your services. Finding new clients will require active involvement on your part.
Generally, freelancers have few ways to acquire clients:
Go to websites that post freelance jobs
Make use of existing connections
Paid marketing
Social Media Marketing
Outdoor Sales
Telephonic Sales
Later in this course, I'll teach some good marketing techniques that I have used to successfully get clients.
3. Quoting Price
The next step is to determine your price once you've identified your service and market. Ideally, you want to charge as much as possible without losing clients. Begin by researching your competitors in the market. At what price are they offering similar freelancing services?
Pricing freelance services is not a straightforward process. A number of factors can influence how much clients are willing to pay.
The following factors determine this:
Experience: The more you know, the more you can ask.
Industry: Your quotation rate can vary depending on the industry.
Time affects payment: The faster your service, the more your client pays.
Project complexity: The more difficult the work, the more it will cost.
Client’s Location: Payments from clients may depend on their country.
Start without worrying about your pricing structure. You can change your rates at any time. They can be changed in the future. Don't overthink your price point and be comfortable with it to start.
4. Create a Portfolio
To become a successful freelancer, it is essential to create an eye-catching portfolio. Portfolios allow you to showcase your accomplishments and past projects as a freelancer.
It is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your abilities and value to clients, Ofcourse, the first client is unlikely to experience this, but in the future, it becomes extremely important in order to build trust and credibility.
The work you highlight in your portfolio should be relevant to your service offering. Portfolio pieces should clearly illustrate your contributions and how those efforts benefitted the client.
You should also seek the permission of past clients before including their materials in your portfolio to avoidany legality issues.
Portfolios can include the following items:
Client Testimonials
Your previous project Images
Data driven results & Charts
Wireframes & Mockups
Create a simple website to showcase your portfolio if you don't know how to create one, follow my tutorial here - "Build Your First Website in Under 30 Minutes".
5. Make a Proposal
If you wish to succeed as a freelancer, your first project should be closely aligned with your passion and skills. Once you are confident that you will be able to deliver excellent service, you should submit a proposal.
Freelance proposals are made to clients inviting them to hire them for certain tasks. The proposals can be sent over email, text message, or social media, depending on their type. Here are some free templates for reference.
The right proposal can make the difference between getting the job or not, so it's vital to create one tailored to your needs.
You can search the Internet for some samples that relate to your freelancing work to prepare your first proposal. You may refer to them, but do not copy and paste the exact content.
You can make a template to organize your proposal next time, but the most dedicated freelancers personalize it for each client and project.
Your sincerity, enthusiasm, and professionalism are demonstrated when you dedicate that extra time and effort up front.
6. Prepare Quotation
Once your client has agreed to a project, it's time to submit a quote that outlines the price, your completion timeline, and the payment terms.
The quotation should be professionally prepared using PDF format. To avoid any possible legal issues in the future, it is always advised to send from your email.
The following contents need to be mentioned on a quotation:
Date: Start your quotation with today's date.
To & From: Make sure you include both To and From details. Include the name and address of your client under To, and your name and address under From.
Quote Expiration Date: Please remember to include the quotation expiration date, it gives validation to the prices and terms on your quote.
Description of Your Services: You should make a table with list of four columns. The first column should mention your service, the second column your timeline (Time required to complete the task), and the third column your quantity and fourth followed by the price. If timeline & quantity is not necessary, you may skip it. But do mention total price at the bottom of the table. Total duration in days for completion if necessary.
Tax & Discounts:In case of a discount, make sure the discount price is shown after the total price. If Tax is applied do mention it before the final total price.
Payment Terms: Payment terms are agreements between you and your client regarding your payment.There are several ways of asking for payment, such as 50% in advance and 50% after the work is complete.Alternatively, you can split your payment into several phases, and make payments upon completion of each phase.
Terms & Condition: Before a client agrees to the quotation, make sure you list all your terms and conditions.This can be anything, for example, you are requesting client cooperation in completing the work in a timely manner or perhaps you are requesting the client give you photos for the website.
Notes: Any additional comments not covered above can be added here.
Signature: In addition, you can also add a signature column at the bottom of your quotation, but this is an optional component.
Note: Payment Terms and Terms & Condtions can also be combined and mentioned has just Terms & Condtions.
Sample Quotation:
7. Keep Relationship with your Client
You are a freelancer if you have clients. Establishing a positive working relationship with clients may seem obvious, but it's crucial.
Most successful freelancers develop relationships with their clients instead of thinking of their work as a one-time task.
Establishing a long-term partnership can lead to repeat business and new client referrals.
When establishing a relationship with your clients, you should keep these things in mind:
You need to deliver excellent work to your clients if you want them to be satisfied. In order to build a long-term relationship with the client, you must provide value and solve the client's problem.
Communicate with your clients: Communicating effectively with clients helps to build a stronger business relationship and encourages future business.
Providing accurate deliverables and completing your work on time can build trust and show your client that they can rely on you.
You prove the value of your potential to the client by taking the initiative, identifying new solutions, and taking on additional responsibilities.
What type of work can I do as a freelancer?
I have listed here some freelancing jobs with categories. Please don't choose these jobs blindly, please refer to my full article before deciding on your freelancing career.
Admin Support Jobs
Virtual Assistant
Data Entry
Transcription
Online Research
Design and Creative Jobs
Branding
Animation
Powerpoint Presentation
Production of audio
Visual or Video Production
Graphic Designing
UX/UI Design
Photography & Videography
Writing Jobs
Copywriting
Proofreading
Ghostwriting
Grant Writing
Content Writing
Career Coaching
Web, Mobile, and Software Development Jobs
Freelance web, mobile, and software development jobs include:
Web Designing & Development
Mobile App Designing
Ecommerce Website
Programming Jobs
Building Custom Softwares
QA & Testing
Accounting and Consulting Jobs
Freelance accounting and consulting jobs include:
Business Analysis
Instructional Designing
HR Recruiting
Business Accounting
Bookkeeping Jobs
Analyzing Financial Data
Modeling the Financial Situation
Tax Preparation Help
Management Consulting
Development and Training
Financial Management
Legal Jobs
Business Law
Labor and Unemployment Law
Corporate Law
Securities and Finance Law
Tax Law
Immigration Law
International Law
Intellectual Property Law
General Counsel
Regulatory Law
Data Science and Analytics Jobs
Deep Learning
Data Mining
Data Engineering
Data Analytics
Data Visualization
Data Extraction
Knowledge Representation
Machine Learning
A/B Testing
Data Processing
Experimentation and Testing
Sales and Marketing Jobs
Social Media Marketing
Marketing Strategy
Lead Generation
Community Management
Display Advertising
Telemarketing
Search Engine Optimization
Public Relations
Market Research
Search Engine Marketing
Email Automation
Marketing Automation
Customer Service Jobs
Technical Support
Customer Service
IT and Networking Jobs
Network Security
Network Administration
System Administration
Information Security
DevOps Engineering
Solutions Architecture
Database Administration
Systems Engineering
Systems Architecture
Systems Compliance
Engineering and Architecture Jobs
Civil Engineering
Product Design
CAD Designing
Structural Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Architecture
Mechanical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Sourcing and Procurement
3D Modeling
Interior Design
Translation Jobs
Medical Translation
Legal Translation
Language Localization
Language Tutoring
Written Translation
Technical Translation
What are the best ways to get Clients?
Local Clients
The most effective way to start a freelancing career is by approaching local customers. Although this may not be the case in all cases, if your job allows local customers, then this is the most reliablet way to get started.
Clients in your local area can be contacted directly by phone or by booking an appointment to meet them in person. The yellow pages or the telephone directory are good places to find their contact information.
Participate in local Meetups and conferences. It's always more memorable to meet face-to-face, since there's just something about it that can't be replicated over the internet.
Attend conferences and events that are relevant to your interests. Attend events relevant to the interests of your potential clients (e.g. attending meetups of local business owners if you're a graphic designer).
Freelance Job Websites
Another popular way to find clients is through freelance marketplaces. I find this to be one of the fastest & easiest ways to get clients to hire my services.
My favourite marketplace is fiverr.com here I have worked with several clients across the world.
I have successfully completed and delivered several projects on a variety of platforms.
Here are some of the popular marketplaces:
Check More Marketplaces here - colorlib.com
There is a lot of competition on marketplaces like Upwork and Fiverr, and it may be difficult to get hired or paid what you're worth.
But over time, however, if you build a strong reputation, you will be able to find work without prospecting tirelessly.
As a transaction fee, they will also keep a small portion of each job.
1. Start making new connections with consumers.
2. Once connected ask them directly via message if they are interested to buy your freelancing services.
3. Make your profile stronger by posting valuable posts everyday relevant to your services, this will help you build credibility and proves your expertise.
1. Create a business profile on Instagram. In order to gain the first 200 followers, you can use the follow and unfollow technique.
2. Once you have 200 followers, you can contact other Instagram influencers to share your Instagram profile on their page in exchange you will share their page on yours.
3. Now that you have enough followers keep your Instagram handle active by posting some valuable graphics and videos regularly. Let these posts be relevant to your business.
4. Once in a while you start promoting your services to your followers.
5. Use Instagram to contact other businesses asking if they are looking for similar services.
Blogging
1. Start a blog. This can be an extension of your website or a separate personal blog.
2. Start Posting valuable and useful SEO friendly contents relevant to your services.
3. Post at least 1-2 times a week to get free visitors from Google.
4. Add an email signup page to collect emails from visitors. Use lead magnets such as ebooks in exchange for their emails.
5. Once you get their email, mail them asking if they are interested in your services.
Emailing
1. Start collecting emails from social media platforms and from your blog.
2. Send emails once in a while that add value to your subscribers.
3. Pitch your freelancing services at the end of the email.
Recommeded Video
This video describes "How to become a pro freelancer" and how to work remotely from home. From scratch, I will show you step by step how to become a freelancer, build your online business, and make money online.
Conclusion
If you are starting a freelancing career, this post includes the detailed steps you need to take. It has taken me a good amount of time to research in depth and prepare this free mini course for everyone.
My experience as a freelancer over the last 15 years is reflected in this entire course. Throughout this article, I draw upon my own successful freelancing journey. Here are all the things and strategies that I've used in the past that worked for me.
A successful freelance career can be started by reading this entire article. I have also included some amazing video tutorials from other professionals in this industry that you should watch to gain a deeper understanding of the subject.
I would love to hear from you if you have any questions or queries regarding this mini course, please email me at hey(@)azfar.co.