Whether you’re a designer, a developer, a writer, or even a customer service expert, at some point in your career, you have probably considered working for yourself. Maybe in the past, you felt that you weren’t experienced enough, or you weren’t sure how to get clients, or you weren’t comfortable with the potential ups and downs of freelancing. Whatever your reason for not doing it before, though, now’s as good a time as any to start your freelance work. With better technology tools available today and a general shift towards remote work, more and more people are considering the move to freelance.
But making the transition from in-house employee isn’t always easy. There are a lot of things to consider and to do in order to get a freelance business up and running. We’ve already discussed essential questions to ask yourself before starting a freelance business. But once you make the decision, how do you best move forward and actually start one?
Here are a few tips to get you started.
Save, Save, Save
First off, if you’re going to start a freelance business, you’re probably going to need some money. Not only for some early expenses such as website hosting, software licenses, and others. But you’ll also need money to live on while you build up your client base. Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to have a minimum of six months, especially if you’re starting with no clients.
Build a Website
No matter what your skill set is, it’s essential these days to have a website that showcases your professional talents. Think of this as your portfolio, business card, and brochure, all rolled into one. Now, you may not get a lot of clients just through organic searches, but whenever a prospective client has any questions or wants to see your work, you’ll have your website at the ready.
Luckily, there are several free or low-cost tools out there to help you build a site. Just remember the KISS rule: Keep It Super Simple (or Keep It Simple, Stupid if you prefer the pejorative version). You don’t need to have a big, complex website with a fancy design. In fact, you could have just a one-page site with a clean, streamlined design that houses all the critical information about you, such as:
- A summary of your skills
- Work samples
- Testimonials from past clients (if you have them)
- Links to social media profiles
- A short bio
- Your resume or CV
Practice Your Pitch
Even though you’re no longer working in a boardroom as a freelancer, you’ll still need to pitch clients on your skills. To help you accomplish this, it’s a good idea to make a list of your strengths and work them into a pitch. Keep it succinct—one or two paragraphs maximum—and try to anticipate some of the questions you’ll get, such as, “Have you ever worked in X industry?” and have responses ready for them.
Know Where to Find Clients
There’s an old saying in business that you need to “Fish where the fish are.” This is absolutely true when it comes to finding clients for your freelance business. An excellent place to start is your own personal network. When you get your pitch down and your website up, it’s a good idea to send out a message via email or social media to notify people that you’re now freelancing.
Another great place to start is right here at CitronWorks. Our global marketplace is entirely free for freelancers to join, so you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
Sign up here to get started. Good hunting!
