Preparations Needed For Freelancing

As the saying goes, “don’t go to battle unprepared”. Before you start your Freelancing journey, there are certain things you must do in order for your journey to be smooth sailing. Going into this business unprepared is like going into war without a plan and an armor. Today, we will be sharing with you the 6 things you must prepare before working as a Freelancer.

Prepare your portfolio

Some clients ask for your portfolio first to see your previous works before they decide whether they want to hire you or not. The purpose of this is for them to be able to evaluate whether your style matches theirs. A client wants someone who can produce outputs the way they envisioned it to be. If you are planning on working as a Freelancer but have no portfolio yet, worry not! You can check out this post to see how you can build your portfolio from scratch.

Decide what services you will be offering

Assess your skills and decide on what services you will offer potential clients. Are you good at writing? Then you can work as a content writer and work on some blogs, e-books, articles, scripts, and webpage content. Are you good at Photoshop? Then you can work as a graphic designer (make e-book covers, design company or brand logo, design business cards, make posters and banners, etc.). Do you know another language aside from your mother tongue? You can work as a translator. You have to figure out what your niche is in order to know which clients to pick and which ones to decline.

Prepare your terms and conditions

You need to have your terms and conditions sorted out before you embark on the freelancing world. This includes your rates for each project, how long it would take you to complete each task, and how many revisions you’ll be giving for each output based project. This is important so as not to have any confusion or misunderstandings between you and your client. These terms, of course, can be subject to negotiation and you can go with whatever you and your client will agree on.

Laptop and a stable internet connection

There are freelance jobs you can do using your phone but these are very limited. For instance, you can’t use your phone to edit and create high-quality logos for your clients, or to write an e-book that is ready for publication. Using smaller gadgets like your mobile phone and tablet is good for communication purposes but if you are to start on the project or task assigned to you, it is best to use your computer or your laptop. A stable internet connection is a must too. You will be communicating with your clients, researching your topics, looking for additional references or materials, downloading files, and uploading your final outputs and if you will be running on data, this will consume a lot of money. Opt for an affordable and reliable internet plan instead of going for the consumable data.

Mindset and attitude

Your journey into the freelancing world is not going to be easy. There will be days when you’ll have to stay up late after a long day at work just so you can finish what your client has assigned to you. There will be days when you’ll have to sacrifice your comfort and enjoyment because you need to finish a project that is close to the due date. Working freelance will require patience, discipline, and perseverance and you have to prepare your mind for this because if you don’t, you will immediately give up once things don’t go your way.

Continuously add value

Even if you’re a beginner or an expert in this field, you have to continuously add value to yourself. Take up free courses, read informative blogs and articles, listen to podcasts, watch YouTube videos, and do your research. You must always do something that will add value to yourself and improve your skills. Don’t just settle for mediocre – always aspire to be the best.

Do you have any freelancing tips you want to share with us? Let us know in the comments section!