How Can I Become A Freelancer?

08.03.2022

First off, let’s be clear. There is no one way to be a freelancer. Everyone will find their own way, make their own mistakes and learn from them. In this post I’ll share my own experiences, my mistakes and how I dealt with them. The important thing is to be ready for anything, and to be prepared to lessen the negative effects of your mistakes.

First: Research and Learn

So, you want to be a freelancer? Maybe you are working in a full-time job, you’re a student, or you’re looking for a side hustle. Whatever you’re doing, to make this life change you will need to study your craft and do your research. Don’t worry, you don’t have to search you’re a** off. Just set aside a couple of hours a week.

You need to check:

• What do freelancers provide to customers around the world?
• Which types of projects do employers generally offer to freelancers?
• Which sectors tend to hire freelancers more?
• What are the conditions? What terms do they offer?
• What are the rules I should follow?
• Is there a contract of employment? Will I be protected by labor laws?

Second: Prepare a Plan

You should prepare a plan. Before starting any freelance work, you’ll need to check many things, apply to many jobs, and be rejected by most of them. Life loves to give us surprises. So, you need a flexible plan.

Ask these questions to yourself and answer them:

• What is the job I want to do?
• How I maintain my lifestyle, expenses etc. until I find a job?
• Why do I want to work as a freelancer? (if you can’t answer this one, maybe this post isn’t for you)
• How will I reach out to employers and customers?
• How should I set up my business? What is the legal procedure? (this is important because many customers want bills and to pay everything according to them. You may need a legal consultant for this step.)
• What is the minimum budget I can survive on while I expand my business?
• What (if any) equipment do I need for my business? (This can be anything from a computer to a chisel, it depends on your work)
• What are the major milestones I need to achieve to reach my goals?

Third: Friends and Family Support

Freelancing is a relatively new type of employment for most people, and is especially new for many parents. In my case they didn’t fully understand the concept. Our older relatives come from an era where engineering, teaching, doctoring was the steady government-supplied employment which most people aspired for. Whether they understand freelancing or not, if you get their support, you’ll be more relaxed and confident. And you can do your bit to help them understand too. Here are some steps I took to explain my freelancing situation to family and friends:

• Explain everything to them; do not hide anything, especially from family. They are your most important support base
• Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help; they are your family, they are your friends. You’ll have ups and downs in this journey and they will be with you for the ride.

Having supporters in your journey to freelancing is really important. Don’t forget, working efficiently and being successful will make them happy too. Remind them you’re doing this job to earn money, not to waste your time. If you are living in the family home or your partner is working, this will really help you as you set up your freelance business.

Fourth: Your Workspace

You probably won’t hire an office, and you won’t want to spend half your income on that chain coffee shop. So, you should prepare a work environment in your house.

I paid particular attention to these:

• Be sure your work environment is work-oriented and separate to your ‘home life’
• Prepare a separate study room if it’s possible.
• Get the equipment you need for your job; make sure they are compatible and up-to-date. (many customers will expect you to be using cutting edge tech)
• If you will be having video calls with customers, pay attention to your equipment and surroundings. Is your camera is broken? Is your mic squeaky? Will your brother wander into the room naked during a Skype meeting?

Fifth: Work-Life Balance

Freelancers need to pay special attention to their work-life balance. Your work is at home so it can be hard to leave work behind. But if you burn the candle at both ends, you will burn yourself out and you won’t be working efficiently. Whether you’re living alone or with family, here are some tips to make sure you still have a life while freelancing:

• Daily: keep your tasks, meetings and project work within a strict daily schedule. Give yourself coffee and lunch breaks
• Weekly: make time every week to check your progress since last week and plan for the next. What meetings are coming up? How can I reach new customers next week?
• Monthly: send monthly reports and invoices to your customers, gather accounting documents (if you are setting up a proper freelance business, you may need an accountant)
• Quarterly: check your progress and be sure you’re on track to reach your longer-term goals. If you failed on a project or lost a customer, ask yourself why this happened and what mistakes were made.
• Yearly: today there is a focus on constantly improving yourself at work. Attending one or two training courses and getting new qualifications/certificates will really help you.

Don’t forget, fun stuff like going out with friends, going on holiday, or working out don’t stop just because you are freelancing. They are essential parts in the rhythm of life.

Sixth: Make a Budget and Follow It

At least for me, this is by far the most important step. Make a budget and stick to it so you don’t get surprised by extra expenses at the end of the month.

• Before starting to work as a freelancer, try to put aside some money for a rainy day.
• After every payment, put it in a savings account or consider investing (bitcoin, gold, silver, stocks etc.)
• Keep every bill and receipt for your work-related expenses; you may be able to get some tax refunds for them.
• Pay bills before their deadline. No one wants a fine for delayed payments.
• Be careful when you use your credit card, it can be tempting to use it far too much. Keep checking your credit card bill; you may notice unneccessary items you paid for but haven’t used, or you may have forgotten something you still need to pay for.
• If you have a family needing to be fed, don’t forget to include some unexpected costs for them in your budget.

Day by day, things will improve and you will learn and grow. Once you make a name for yourself in your sector, projects, orders and demands will keep coming in. However, you’ll definitely struggle on the way. Be patient, work hard and don’t forget freelancing is a rocky road.