“How do I start freelancing? I’m overwhelmed with so much advice I don’t know where to begin!”
This is the question and the feeling that most people get when they venture to be their own bosses. You may have the same feeling.
Every day Filipinos opt to join the freelance bandwagon. In 2014, DOST experts said we were already close to a million and the government is supporting the trend by aiming to increase home-based workers in the provinces to up to 500,000 this 2016.
This begs the question: how are we helping these people start on their own?
This week’s podcast episode answers this question and so much more.
If you are having a hard time starting your own gig online (or offline) and you feel overwhelmed with the amount of advice out there, then you’re in the right place. This podcast episode was recorded just for you.
My goal in this episode is to help you start TODAY by teaching you only the most essential steps you can take now to get the ball rolling.
So without further ado, here are the…
7 STEPS TO START A SUCCESSFUL FREELANCING CAREER TODAY
* Take stock of your skills. Write a list of all the skills and strengths you have and identify those that you both love doing and people are willing to pay for. Start with these skills.
* Make a list of potential clients. These are not paying clients. You won’t start with paying clients. Well, actually you can, but that’s not the best advice because you have to get free clients to provide you with really good testimonials that you will use to promote yourself later on.
* Make yourself visible in the freelance marketplaces online. And there’s a lot! Upwork.com, OnlineJobs.ph, Raket.ph, Freelancer.ph and many more. It won’t hurt you to get visible in all these platforms. So work on creating your online portfolio in these marketplaces.
* Create your home base online. Freelance marketplaces may be the easiest place to get paid online. But if you’re serious with freelancing you want to build your own sustainable client list on your own platform in your own terms. Freelance marketplaces have certain rules that may limit your potential as a freelancer. Plus they cut a good portion of what you earn. So although you still have to make yourself visible in these places it’s best that you create your own home base online. This is best done through a personal website or blog.
* Use a secondary channel. These days a blog is not enough for you to stand out. You need to have a secondary channel (or channels) to complement your home base. This is done through a podcast, like I did here in Freelance Blend, or a YouTube video channel, among many other things.
* Work towards getting your first paying client. You got a home base, you have a secondary channel, and you got exposure in the major freelancer marketplaces. You’re all set. Just continue to do the work and you’ll get your first paying client soon.
* Rinse and repeat what works. And stop doing what doesn’t work. That’s just it. Simple. Repeat the entire process that led you to someone handing his or her money to you. Because that meant you provided value to others. And value is what people pay you for.
I hope these 7 simple steps will help you get started today. Tune in to the podcast to get learn more about these steps.
Quotes
“Freelancing is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Definitely it will take you weeks, days, months, maybe even years, to get your first clients.”
“While you are still working,
