When the opportunity arose for me to take the leap from the 9-5 to become a freelance blogger, it was a no brainer really. With a demanding young family requiring so much of my energy having the flexibility of being able to work for myself was invaluable.
Even though it was a great opportunity, it hasn’t been without it’s fear and unknowns. I worked in an office environment for all of my career, and had reached a management position. Leaving this behind could have been a sheer act of stupidity, some might have thought.
In some respects I am still at the very beginning of my journey, but it has been a long time in the planning. You cannot go from a full time job to a freelance career and expect to make the same kind of money overnight. Climbing the hill again can be daunting, but there are some things that I have learned can help you get up there.
1. Research The Freelance Career You Are Interested In
If working for yourself is something that appeals to you, the first step of your plan needs to be research what you are getting into. What are people offering already? Can you offer something better? What are you able to bring to the party to make a success of this new venture?
This isn’t an exercise in putting you off becoming freelance, it’s about being realistic about the work you need to put in. Find out who is doing something similar, and how they are getting work. Will you need a website? Will social media help you? Are there networking groups you can join? Make notes and jot down ideas as you go along, as these will become invaluable when you start to get things of the ground.
2. Share Your Dream With Friends And Family
Getting support is going to be invaluable if you want to make it as a freelancer. Thinking your going to be able to swing through the door one day and say ‘look at me, I’ve been working for myself and it’s going great’ isn’t realistic.
There maybe times when you doubt yourself and wonder what the hell you are doing and having the support of your friends and family is going to be invaluable. They will be the ones that keep you going when things don’t go quite to plan.
3. Find Other Creative People To Spur You On
We need to surround ourselves with likeminded people to spur us on. This may mean getting some new people into your life who share the same passions and dreams as you. It could also mean letting go of some people who just don’t get it.
Having the right people around you can make such a difference to your success, so reach out to people via social media and other networks and make connections. There maybe events and conferences you can go to in your field which will be a great chance to meet people. Be friendly and professional and you’ll soon get to know people that will give you advice and help on your freelance career.
4. You Need A Plan
If you want to make it in the freelance industry, you need to make yourself a plan. Where are you now, where do you want to get to and what are the steps that are going to get you there.
A clear plan will give you direction and something to measure your success against. Plans can always be modified and adapted if things aren’t going as you expected and being flexible is a key part of making a success of a freelance career.
Breaking down the journey into manageable chunks will make the journey to becoming freelance so much more manageable.
5. Develop Your Brand
Being successful in any freelance industry has a lot to do with knowing your brand and then taking out into the two sided market or any marketplace for that matter and pitching clients.
Know exactly what your brand is and why clients should come and hire you. Be clear what work you will do, and don’t deviate from that. Developing a brand has a lot to do with being consistent. You want to be known as the person to come to for a specific type of work.
Having a brand name can make it easy for you to be recommended by clients and get return business. Later, when your business grows, you can consider investing in software and equipment that can help streamline your daily processes.
These tips can help you start and grow your freelance career. Joining freelancing networks will also provide you with an invaluable resource of like minded people and knowledge for you to tap into.
Freelancing is the best! I decided to leave the corporate world and go it alone as a writer back in 2009. I’ve never looked back. In fact I think I’m unemployable now!
Now I don’t believe that for a second Laura. Thanks for stopping by and reading my post 🙂
This is really interesting to read – I would love to do something like go freelance but I am not sure I am brave enough or have the confidence (and resilience) to pull it off – I am scared by the word No!.
Read this post at a great time as I’m launching a website, my new business in September! All great tips. I’ve been relying on my close friends and family for moral support. I keep on getting last minute fears and doubts but their words instill confidence in myself.
I’m just going to fake it until I make it, haha.
Good advices. And thank you for sharing social network Hiive. I’ve never heard about it before. In my point of view, the most important advice be confident in yourself and beleave that you can do more.
I would like to share with you with my post and hear your thoughts about it.