Be Your Own CEO: Top reasons why professionals are adding freelancing to their career profile.

The world of work is changing and online solutions can change the way you work.

Skilled freelancers, are earning more per hour than 70% of workers, and they are making this choice and don’t want traditional jobs. It’s not surprising more people are freelancing their skills to replace the 9 -5, to create a full-time income from part-time hours as I have achieved, or as a side income.

But why are more people turning to self-employment in 2019? The main questions people ask me as their freelancing coach is the sustainability of income. My response is transition into freelancing from your 9 -5, and it's OK to just dive in.

When I got serious about freelancing after deciding the flexibility was perfect for my family and farming life, I grew from a $1k per month hobby to a consistent $9k per month business in 6 months.

I’m not the only freelancer doing just fine. You can become a freelancer in almost any industry. There are freelance writers, business analysts, students, photographers, administration assistants, graphic designers, accountants, engineers, lawyers -- the list goes on and on.

Freelancing can be the vehicle that unlocks freedom in your life. Don't be fooled, it's not a four hour week, you will be working and loving every minute as you find and choose your clients.

Here are four key steps to get you started.

1. Identify Your Best Skills to Freelance

The first step is to identify your skills to can deliver that are in demand for a good price. You want to have or learn a skill that is in high demand -- the higher the demand, the more money you can potentially make. I’ve researched 68 online job boards and documented over 200 skills people freelance.

At a recent presentation, I asked an "all-female" audience for eight skills they would like to freelance.

They chose administration, writing, editing, proofreading, photography, grant writing, transcription, and translation.

On the spot I found 75,000 jobs from one job board across the eight skills.

2. Build Your Credibility

The key to getting clients quickly is establishing credibility. Online platforms have low hanging fruit i.e., jobs with clients needing your skills. Focus only on applying for the jobs that you are 100% certain you can do.

Build a portfolio or profile to showcase some of your best work. If this means creating samples for the sole purpose of using them on your portfolio site, then do exactly that. Depending on the skills you are freelancing, list your experience and the value you provide to your potential clients.

Keep your profile concise and relevant, perhaps have a few examples and target to the needs of your client. Remember they don’t want to wade through endless paragraphs of redundant information.

3. Finding Better and Repeat Clients

First, what is a “better client”? It’s one that is big enough to have ongoing work, they are clear about their needs and they are willing to refer you and will give you a testimonial. Referrals from existing clients are one of the best ways to get more clients and earn more for your services as well.

Another strategy is to cold email potential clients and it’s not as scary as you think if you use the proven techniques. Another is to use industry-specific job boards and connect on social media.

Freelancing using a variety of my 9-5 skills, turned my life around when I could no longer do the 9 – 5 for family, and the long commute and work hours were impossible.

If you’d like a free 30 minute strategy session schedule a time here.

Got a question, send me a message.