Do you think it is possible to make money online with your skills at home while wearing your pajamas? Even more than that how about hire someone outside our country to do our work that we don’t really know who they are?
I think it’s interesting idea that you could do that and for me is really change my life, as we know working online is really booming especially in the 21 century were all people around the world get connected with the internet.
Did you know During the pandemic, the number of people starting to work as freelancers online has grown about 50% over the last three years, with an estimated 56 million freelancers online globally?
so if you have a goal to become a freelancer online this year, it is not late for you because, i will share my tips on how to become a freelance online with your skill, I will share my tips on How to attract your first client, manage your finance, and how communicate effectively.
Build a Porfolio
First step is to Build a Porfolio, Having a Portfolio is really important because most of the time you potential clients will ask you for it before they decide to hire you, Portfolio is a way to showcase your own skills and uniqueness.
I remember when I was just getting started, it was very difficult for me to get my first clients, because I simply didn’t have enough experience.The best method for me to build a portfolio is to work on personal projects such as making design improvements for an existing website, helping with designs for friends and entering web design contests.
It took me really long time to improve my design, learn the fundamentals and practice it everyday is the key to be good at something.After i created more than 1000 designs finally I can see the quality of my design improving, only show off your best 3-6 projects and make great presentations with them, you can put them on your own website or third party websites like dribble, behance or instagram.
Strong personal branding is critical to your freelance success. But having and building a strong stellar portfolio is even more important and landing those first clients.
Manage your Finance
Another area that you need to consider to learn as a freelance is to manage your finance. One of my main setbacks when I was just getting started is i was not being able to manage my money, I spent all my money on buying a lot of stuff. But that’s okay, because I want to enjoy my hard work, but if you want to commit to the long term then managing money is something that you need to be learned.
Having emergency money for the next 6-12 months ahead to cover your expenses is a very effective strategy for me. Because as a freelancer, we don’t know when the job will come and how much income i can get every month. Sometimes I get a really big project this month, however most likely I don’t get the same opportunity as the previous month.
After you have an emergency money in place, now it’s time for you to spent your money to upgrade your work equipment or investing to yourself like to join a graphic design course. Being able to work peacefully without worrying about finances and bills that we have to pay is one way that can improve your creativity.
Communication is the key
Good communication is a must-have skill If you want to be a successful freelancer, the time and effort you put into improving your communication skills is one of the best investments for you in order to expressing your ideas as clear, concise and confident to your potential clients.
I remember one of my clients in the past asked me to revise my design, because at that time I didn’t really understand English very well, he started to get angry because there was a lot of miscommunication between the two of us. He is a busy businessman so he doesn’t want to waste time, after the project is done I never heard from him anymore. From there I started to decide improving my communication by taking english courses and joining public speaking community.
With good communication people will pay more attention to what you say. That’s a huge benefit. because people will remember what you say when you’re more concise. What you say will have more impact, and ultimately it will help to close the deal with client
Working for myself as a freelance is my dream job for a long time, be able to choose where i work, when i work, and what project i want to take. However Along with this freedom can come some new stresses and challenges. Like where can i find work? How to manage my finance and how to communicate effectively.
Also remember freelancing has its ups and downs. Stay confident in your abilities, and stay sharp by continually improving, innovating and thinking about how to improving your service and business. And most of all, have fun!
