What do you want from freelancing? Do you want to create your own hours so that you can spend time with your family and friends? Do you want to build your portfolio in preparation for an eventual career change? Whatever the reason, it’s easy to fall into common traps that lead to dissatisfaction and eventual failure in this line of work. Key to Success in freelancing means finding ways to achieve your goals, whether that’s building a solid portfolio or earning enough money to pay the bills every month.
Set Clear Goals
The first key to success in freelancing is a clear goal. Goals are what your business is striving for and will help you stay on track. For example, if your goal is to grow by 20% this year and you know that the only way you can accomplish that goal is by acquiring new clients, then one of your goals should be acquiring 10 new clients by the end of the year.
Goal setting also helps with motivation because it gives you something to work towards. If you have a tough day or week and feel like giving up, having a goal can help motivate you and keep going. Setting goals also helps focus your energy on achieving them instead of spending time working towards something with no payoff, which may lead to burnout. A freelancer’s job doesn’t start and stop at their desk; freelancers must be willing to get out there and promote themselves in order to gain exposure.
Invest in Yourself
Investing in yourself is just as important as finding clients. You’re the one responsible for your workload, so take care of yourself by investing time and money into your growth. Take a course, invest in new software or technology, go back to school, create a website or portfolio – whatever it takes! If you don’t have time for these things, find someone who does and pay them for their time. You’ll be happy you did when you start getting more work than you can handle. You deserve a break.
Remember that freelancing means you are running your own business. Your business needs regular attention to stay profitable, but that doesn’t mean every day has to feel like a job. Put aside some time for activities that make you feel good about yourself and bring out the best in you. Taking care of oneself should be an essential part of any freelancer’s routine, whether they freelance full-time or part-time on the side while maintaining another career. So indulge sometimes with that $6 caramel latte, purchase that dress online, or catch up with friends who live far away on Skype.
Have Multiple Income Streams
One of the most important things I have done for myself as a freelancer is to diversify my income streams. Doing this has given me more time and flexibility, which has helped me be key to success in freelancing and growing my business. One way I have done this is by taking on a few side gigs that I enjoy, but don’t take up too much of my time so that I can focus on my main work. This means if one gig isn’t going well, I still have others to fall back on.
Another thing that helps me maintain a successful freelance business is providing value to all of my clients. When they see how valuable they are receiving from working with me, they are more likely to continue doing so. If someone doesn’t like my service or I am unable to provide what they want, it is not hard to find someone else who will be able to do the job. As a freelancer, you need to be willing to let go of what doesn’t work and stay focused on what does.
Know Your Worth
Know your worth as a freelancer. You need to know the worth of your time, skills, and expertise. This will help you from under-valuing yourself and taking on tasks that don’t match your skill set or experience level. Know the market value of your work by doing research on what other people are charging for similar services. If you’re not sure about how much you should be charging, ask potential clients for their budget and get an idea of what they can afford. From there, you can decide if this is a good fit for you. Be Prepared: Be prepared when it comes to marketing and promoting your business.
Have some sort of online presence so people can find out who you are. Develop social media profiles, create graphics that represent your business, create blog posts related to topics like this one, participate in forums related to your industry and make connections with people who may become potential clients down the road. Do What You Love: It sounds cliché but it’s true – do what you love! It doesn’t matter if it’s something totally new like web design or something more traditional like editing pictures; just make sure it’s something that makes you happy.
Enjoy It
Freelancers have the freedom to decide when and where they work, as well as what projects they take on. There is a lot of flexibility with freelancing, but also a lot of hard work involved. If you want the key to success in freelancing, here are five keys that will help you get there:
-You need to enjoy what you do. You’re going to be doing this for a long time so if you don’t like it then it’s not worth it. Make sure you enjoy your work because if you don’t then there’s no point.
-Find people who care about your key to success in freelancing and support them. Whether these are friends or family, find people who care about you and your success because when things get tough (and they will) having those people around can make all the difference.
-Find something that makes life enjoyable outside of freelance jobs so that even if things go south, at least life won’t be all bad. I’ve got two cats at home which has really helped me through some really tough times with my freelance job – just knowing I’m coming home to two fluffy fur balls waiting for me has helped immensely!
Conclusion
Freelancing is a tough business. It’s not for the faint of heart. You have to love what you do and be willing to put in the time and effort it takes to make your own key to success in freelancing happen. As with any profession, there are some challenges that come along with freelancing: clients who don’t pay on time, finding work when you’re between gigs, and negotiating rates. But if you stay dedicated, determined, and focused on your goals, there’s no limit to what you can accomplish!
