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What is a Freelancer?

A freelancer is a person who works on their own, that is, without a relationship of labor dependence, and can do so for several clients who hire their professional services.

The difference between a freelancer and an entrepreneur is that the freelancer usually works on their own and in a personal capacity and not as a company or with business partners. In addition, most freelance jobs are done by project. That is, they are contracts for specific tasks and have a short duration.

The work areas in which a freelancer can perform are many: From projects that can be done online such as programming, graphic design, web design, translation, social media management or web content creation. But also face-to-face jobs such as photography, sales, private lessons, event organization and much more.

Today we will broadly address the topic of what it is like to be a freelancer, since this work modality has become an increasingly viable way to gain experience for when you want to work full-time or even if you prefer self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Read in this article how to start working freelance without previous experience

What are the Advantages of Working Freelance?

Being freelance is not just a way of working, it is a lifestyle and it is not trivial to say it. A freelancer can work part-time or full-time. Because they are not permanent employees, they can do their work at their own pace, as long as the client’s requirements and the established deadline are met. This allows them to have greater freedom than an average employee.

Another advantage is that freelancers can choose which projects to work on. As long as they are fine with the number of projects and are sure they can meet the deadlines, the sky is the limit.

Therefore, many professionals who start as freelancers do not return to permanent employment.

Unlike what happens with permanent workers, with a freelancer, the company is not obliged to provide specialized equipment. The freelancer generally has their own equipment. For this reason, more and more companies are leaning towards the trend of hiring a freelancer. This way, they save money without having to make a permanent hiring commitment. The flexibility offered by freelance work also benefits the client.

Some of the most Requested Careers and Skills in the Freelance World are:

  1. Programmer or web developer
  2. Digital marketing
  3. Data analyst
  4. Graphic designer
  5. Copywriter, proofreader or SEO expert
  6. Virtual assistant and sales
  7. Accounting
  8. Project management
  9. Photos and video
  10. Translator

⭐ See a complete list of all the jobs you can do freelance

What is Needed to Work Freelance?

To be able to work as a freelancer you need:

1. Professional Training

While it is true that to be a freelancer you can start even without having work experience in a company, you do need to have knowledge in a specific professional area. Although it is not essential, it is better to have a technical degree or a university degree and specializations or master’s degrees. But you can also have certifications from courses and diplomas that accredit you as knowledgeable in the subject of the service you want to offer.

⭐ Read our top 10 sites to learn online for free or at a very low cost, with certification.

2. Sales and Self-Promotion Skills

A fundamental part of being a freelancer is having the ability to promote yourself personally and seek new business opportunities. A freelancer must always be looking for new projects to work on. In addition, you must know how to prepare attractive offers for customers. Another important point is knowing how to negotiate, but it is not just about haggling prices, but about knowing how to handle the client so that the price yields in exchange for something and not just for discounting money. A negotiation should not be based only on price and a freelancer should know this.

3. An Attractive Portfolio

To be able to support your sales work, you need to show your customers that you can help them with what they need. A portfolio of products and services will help you with this. It is a catalog where you show work done either for other clients or as simple samples. That is, you do not need to have done it on demand.

Have you ever seen posts of the type “Disney Princesses if they were men”, “The Simpsons if they had drawn them as an 80s series” or similar? These are ideas that an artist develops only to demonstrate what they know.

You can have a portfolio of designs, writings, translations, interior remodeling, improvements to programs or websites, etc., with things done on your own. And of course, if you have them, also work done for others, as well as testimonials and logos of companies with which you have worked.

⭐ Recommended: how to Create a Portfolio when You Have No Experience

4. Online Presence to Make Yourself Known

Your portfolio should not only be in a format that can be attached by email (such as a PDF or a slide presentation). You should also try to have an online presence: Your own blog, a website, an online catalog or profiles on the main social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube or others. It all depends on the nature of your work and your possibilities. In addition, it is important to have a presence on freelance platforms, where customers can rate the work they do with you.

If you want to know more about how to create and increase your presence on the web, we invite you to read: How to improve your online reputation – 6 key tips.

5. A Lot of Desire and Perseverance

Of course, the idea of working for yourself excites you right away. But keep in mind that you must be constant in your efforts. As a freelancer you are directly responsible for your successes and failures. There is no one to blame, but above all, there is no one else to tell you what to do or “motivate you”. You must have self-motivation, organize yourself well to do it well and not neglect the sales work.

If you do it well, you will soon have an important portfolio of clients that will allow you to live 100% from it and achieve your personal and professional goals. After all, there is nothing more satisfying than working on fulfilling your own dreams and seeing them come true.

If you think: “It would be great, but what services can I offer?”, remember the skills you possess and the many knowledge you have in areas that are not part of your work. To give you an idea, you can see some examples of jobs you can do freelance.

How to Better Sell Yourself as a Freelancer?

The first thing you should do is know what service you are going to offer. Once this is done, you must work on the portfolio that we have already mentioned, collecting samples of everything you have done previously or creating them directly for the portfolio.

Define your own personal brand (you can even create your own logo or signature) and start opening your profiles on social networks. Do not forget to detail all the information as completely as possible within each one. Place photographs of your work in them. All this is important, because many consumers now look for the company on social networks before going to the browser to search for the website. Your profiles on networks will be their first contact with you.

Having done all of the above, the best way to start your sales process is with your natural market and referrals, to gradually expand your business contacts. Another good idea is to send emails to companies where you briefly comment on what you offer and attach your portfolio.

On the other hand, you must register on a freelance platform and start bidding within it. The crucial part when bidding inside or outside the platform is knowing how to present a professional service proposal. In it you must detail not only the price, but break down everything that your services include, making the client see that you are the best to help them.

⭐ Learn more details about the steps to start working freelance.

Talk about your experience with the client. Tell them about similar jobs you have done and some random ideas of what you could propose firmly if they hire you. Also establish the delivery dates and formats in your offer. Once you have presented it, follow up on the proposal to know the client’s opinion.

Why be Encouraged to Work Freelance?

Being a freelancer is one of the fastest and easiest ways to start working in your area and acquire professional experience.

Especially currently, since there are various opportunities on the web, where potential clients publish what they are looking for to hire professional services.

An example of this is SoyFreelancer.com, where registered freelancers have the opportunity to offer a service proposal to those who publish their projects.

Working independently offers many advantages, not to mention that you are your own boss. Let’s see some of them:

1. You Work on What Interests You and save Time

It allows you the possibility of working on the projects that you like. You can decide the workload you handle, unlike a permanent job, where you can’t say no, no matter how overloaded there is.

Of course, in a permanent job, if you are lucky enough to work for an employer who pays overtime, you can earn more money. But this payment is not always fulfilled.

In addition, if what you need is time to attend to your personal matters, working more hours is very exhausting. This can affect your performance and even your health.

On the other hand, being a freelancer you can work at your own pace, schedule your daily activities and choose the best time to work without interruptions.

Another point in favor is that there are many services and tasks that can be performed via the internet. Therefore, you can work from home and avoid wasting valuable hours of your productive time in traffic. Or in meetings that start late and digress on topics of little relevance.

Being a freelance worker, you can work on your projects from your home, or from wherever you are. You take full advantage of your day and have more free time.

2. More Experience and Direct Contact with the Client

When you are an employee, where your role is that of the intermediary between the client and the company as such. But when working independently, you establish a direct link with the client.

This allows you to personalize the contract conditions and establish your own rates. In addition, the profits are 100% for you, so you can offer a better service at a more competitive price.

Being a freelancer gives you the opportunity of working with diverse clients and projects. You will constantly be learning new things. You will be able to update yourself with new knowledge and trends and become more and more technical.

This also translates into more opportunities. The higher your level of skill and technical knowledge, the more complementary services you can offer.

3. Being a Freelancer Can be the Beginning of your Own Business

Something important to highlight is that being a freelancer can be the first step to starting your own company. Depending on the service you offer and the diversity of clients you get, you may start to need the help of another freelancer to subcontract for an area that is not your specialty.

This implies the coordination of a work team, which could be the basis for managing your business or small agency.

The best thing is that, if you have a permanent job, you should not give it up. You can start your career as a self-employed worker offering your services in something you are good at. You will be able to take advantage of your talent and your free time.

Does it Sound Interesting?

Now that you know what a freelancer is and the advantages of working freelance, we invite you to register on SoyFreelancer.com and visit the Search Projects section.

You can apply to the ones that most catch your attention, in areas such as: graphic design, programming, app development, community management, sales, article writing, video editing and much more.

Dare to test your own potential! Bet on yourself. You have a lot to gain.

 

Autor: Patricia Gutiérrez, redactora de Soyfreelancer.com

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