A freelancer is a self-employed person who offers services, often working on several jobs for multiple clients at one time. But as a beginner, is it like working in a corporate job that needs experience to be hired ? How to start freelancing for beginners? Any tips on how to become one ?
Due to a continuous progress of the digital technology and high internet penetration, a lot of Filipino are choosing to pursue freelancing . As per PayPal’s 2018 Global Freelancer Insights Report, at least two percent of the Philippines’ population is said to be freelancers.
Since pandemic hit worldwide, it is very in-demand to work from home as long as you had stable internet connection and laptops, but to think, it is not applicable to most of the employees especially those working in a company who needs physical work, manufacturing, construction, media , etc. A lot of businesses has shutdown and workers are finding and exploring new ways to earn money and one of those is freelancing. Here are some freelancing tips for beginners.
Understand your target market
“When your branding speaks to everyone, it speaks to no one.” - Brent Jones
Freelancers are required to determine first their target market and understand it. Home-based business don't usually determine their target market or sometime they meant "everyone" is their market but it is actually a waste of time and effort. The tendency of not understanding your target market is same as selling but no profit earned, it will eventually lead you to wasting your energy.
Think your target market as an ideal client. It is like you are building your business for that person because he/she is the one whose gonna pay you and will help you to built your growth in business. Consider what other freelancers target. At the same time, look at the skills and services you are confident to give. Finding your niches will help you give your high delivered performance and very best in every client who chooses to hire and trust you.
Create personal brand image
Creating a personal brand image does not mean you need to hire a designer or an artist to promote your brand. You personally can create on your own. Personal brand image is a big factor to impress your ideal client. As a freelancer, you need to promote yourself and as a beginner it will not be a hindrance. Create a business or personal website, there are a lot of free platforms in the internet that can help you to create one like wordpress and wix. A lot of templates are already existing for you to explore and use as a stepping stone to give a first good impression to your ideal client.
Set your work boundaries
“Personal time matters, don't meddle your work time with your personal time”
As a freelancer, one of the privileges is for you to own your time. It's up to you when and where to work but it is really important to set boundaries in your work. Beginners tend to exhaust themselves in work that they tend to forget how healthy to have a work-life balance, that some left corporate job due to toxic environment and enter freelancing to enjoy personal time. Everyone deserves some time off. You may not realize it but you actually need it until one day you burn out. How to set work boundaries? Avoid working late nights and weekends, enjoy your vacation it is your right and everyone needs a break. Just don't mix personal time with your work time. Set time when to check your emails and also set a client expectations on your project deliverable so that they are aware on your personal time and expectations from them that you are available all the time will be gone. Just be organized in your time as a freelancers it is a commitment as well. Stay motivated and be done with guilt!
Be clear on cost
Oftentimes, freelancers undervalue themselves and offer their services for cheap – especially at the beginning of their careers. They fail to consider the operational costs of their business and/or the ability to cover their monthly expenses throughout the year. In addition, some of them are still stuck in the “employee” mindset.
According to one of the freelancer study, one thing is certain: high qualifications and years of experience equal higher hourly rates. However, good communication and negotiation skills can also affect freelancer rates. There are many pricing methodologies you can consider like cost-plus pricing, market-based pricing, and value-driven pricing.
Market-based pricing is easy to understand. It’s also riskier. This is when you check out what others in your field are charging to find the market price. If you offer more services, charge more than market. If you offer less, your services would be cheaper. Next is cost-plus-pricing, it involves computing your monthly expenses no matter how may projects you accept in a month. Remember that all your expenses in a month should be computed before charging your project, it should help you gain money not lose money. Lastly is value-driven pricing. This involves basing your fee on the value of the piece to your clients rather than what it costs to produce. It is explaining the impact of each deliverable to your client — in what tangible ways will it help their business? You don’t want to be seen as a number. You want clients to understand the value of your expertise and the work you do.
Try, try, and try again
Successful freelancers does not guarantee you it will be easy but it will be surely difficult at first. There would be failures or success but in the end no matter how hard one thing is, as long as you keep trying eventually you will succeed. You may even find yourself inspired to start crafting your freelancing journey as long as you want to live in a consistent life wherein you manage your own time. Just keep trying, be flexible, stay motivated, stay knowledgeable and give your high delivered performance always. Everyone starts as a beginner in any field of career we choose to settle. Good luck!