In your early days in the gig economy, you will find yourself learning lots at a fast pace when freelancing! After all, there’s so much to get used to, and you will have to be open-minded and ready to embrace your new working environment. To help you adapt, here are twelve top tips that will help you get started as a freelancer in the right way.
Research your industry before setting your prices
One of the biggest challenges facing new freelancers is knowing what to charge for the service that you provide. And our advice is to conduct some thorough research into what freelancers in your industry currently charge before setting your prices accordingly. In the early days, it’s a good idea to price yourself slightly lower than the industry standard in order to win clients.
Offer billable extras
A great way to boost your earnings is to offer billable extras. You might consider offering expedited delivery for a fee or perhaps additional revisions for a small fee. Billable extras enable you to bolster your gigs and will see you increase your bottom line as a result.
Always deliver on time
In our opinion, this is the golden rule of freelancing. When a client pays you to complete a project, the least you can do is deliver it on time. If you’re struggling in the lead up to the deadline to meet their expectations, make sure you communicate with them and provide updates. There’s no excuse for late deliveries in the gig economy!
Develop a freelancer-client contract
As a freelancer, it’s important to protect your professional interests and manage the expectations of your clients. As such, it’s a good idea to put together a freelancer-client contract that sets out your terms and expectations. If you don’t do this, you might find that your client expects more from you than you can reasonably deliver.
Outsource some of your daily tasks
Just because you’re a freelancer, it doesn’t mean that you have to work alone all the time! There are so many tasks involved in running your freelancing business, so we suggest outsourcing some of the more mundane tasks to free up your time and allow you to focus on your billable hours. Hiring a virtual assistant is a great way to help manage some of your less important daily tasks.
Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket
The best way to structure your freelancing schedule is to take work from various clients. Putting all of your eggs in one basket and taking work from just one client isn’t a smart move, as your professional relationship might end at the drop of a hat. This could cause you financial difficulties and means you will have to go back to the drawing board.
Ascertain your capacity
One common mistake that freelancers make is failing to ascertain their capacity. So, instead of committing to working X amount of hours on Y days, some freelancers just take on as much work as they’re offered, which means they then struggle to fulfil their obligations. Start with a plan and decide how much you’re willing and able to work. You can then fill your diary accordingly.
Be clear about deliverables and timeframes
Before taking on a project, make sure you’re clear with your client about the deliverables and timeframes. You will need to put this in writing and ensure you’re both clear about what will be delivered and when. If you’re not transparent from the start, it will lead to a breakdown in communication, and you will probably upset your clients.
Always ask for feedback and testimonials
When you’ve completed a project, be sure to ask your clients to leave you a short review or testimonial based on their experience of working with you. This will help you attract new clients in the future and build up your business.
Develop a system for tracking your work
Organization is of paramount importance for freelancers. You will probably have work coming in from various clients and will have a number of deadlines to meet simultaneously. As such, it’s super important that you develop a system for tracking your work and managing your upcoming deliverables. You can use Google Sheets to get you started, and you might like to upgrade to a project management tool like Monday.com when you get more clients.
Put together a portfolio
Regardless of the industry that you work in, you need to bring together a collection of your work in the form of a portfolio. This is something you can then share with potential clients to show that you’re capable of the services that you offer. You can build a professional website yourself on a site like Wix, or you can hire a freelancer on RadialHub to help you put together a site if you don’t have the time or skills.
Don’t let negative feedback define you
At some stage of your freelancing career, you will almost certainly receive some negative feedback from a client. And whether or not you think it’s just, it’s important to take it in your stride and not let it define you. If you get caught up and fixate on negative testimony from your clients, it will affect your confidence, so just accept it as part and parcel of the freelancing lifestyle!
Find clients today on RadialHub
Last but not least, you need a trusted and reliable platform on which to find clients to build your freelancing business. On RadialHub, we connect freelancers with clients from different parts of the world, and no matter the industry that you work in, our platform will help you find the work that you need to build your business. You can also use RadialHub to find other freelancers to collaborate with if the opportunity arises.
