Tag Archives: Freelancer Tips

6 Ways To Be A Better Freelancer

July 8, 2018 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , , 27 Comments

As the number of freelancers increase, you’ll start to feel the pressure of competition. To stand out from the crowd you have to consistently work on yourself to be the best freelancer in the industry.

 

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Although being the best is not easy, it’s not impossible either. All you need to do is to be committed to following these 6 simple things that will make you a better freelancer.

 

  1. Plan your week

Freelancers thrive in efficiency. If your schedule or routine is disorganized, it can affect the quality of your work and the speed of your delivery.

That is why successful freelancers make sure they plan ahead of time. They plan their year, quarter, month, weeks and days in advance.

You may not have to plan that far but you should at least have a clear picture of how you want your month to be, the goals you want to achieve and the exact things you need to do during the week to make sure you get there.

 

  1. Develop your skills

Freelancers never stop learning. If you want to get better then you need to set aside time everyday to hone your skills and develop your craft.

Which aspect of your skills do you think needs a lot of work right now? Dedicate time to improve that skill. The more you work on it the better you will get.

 

  1. Under promise, over deliver

Clients love freelancers who are able to satisfy their needs far above their expectations. The way to do that is to under-promise and over deliver.

Most freelancers promise heaven on earth when they pitch to their clients but hardly put in the work that will meet that standard.

A good freelancer will stay humble about their promises and then strive to give their clients the best.

 

  1. Exercise to stay healthy and stimulate brain activity

It’s sad that few freelancers

\engage themselves in regular exercise. You may be working from home but you must never neglect your health.

Set aside time – at least three days a week – to exercise your body.

Exercise helps to stimulate brain activity. This will help you stay sharp and alert while working on client work. Exercise also helps to boost your mood.

If you can, try to schedule exercise in your planner everyday so that you begin your work pumped anytime you’re ready to work.

 

  1. Build your personal brand

Your potential clients won’t get to know you if you just hide behind freelancing sites like Upwork. To increase your reach you need to work on building your personal brand.

Share valuable tips on social media, create helpful content on your blog, and engage with owners of brands and companies. Put yourself out there and let people know about your skills.

As more people get to know you and what you are capable of offering, you will be seen as a go-to person in the industry.

 

  1. Collaborate with other freelancers

Freelancing is a lonely business, but you need to realize that you can’t succeed as a freelancer alone. Collaboration pushes you to reach out to make friends with like-minded people in the world of freelancing.

As you collaborate with other freelancers it’ll expose you to a larger audience, plus you get to learn more about the trade from the eyes of another freelancer.

 

Do you have any freelancing tips to share? Please do share in the comment section below.

 

10 Things No One Tells You About Freelancing

July 4, 2018 By in Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , 34 Comments

In the world of freelancing, a lot goes on that people don’t know about. But let’s face it, working as a freelancer is very different from working as an employee in a 9-to-5.

It’s easy to get carried away by the wonderful opportunities and benefits freelancers get to enjoy for being self-employed.  But it’s good to see the other side of the coin. Here are 10 things no one tells you about going freelance.

 

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Freelancing is lonely

Unlike in a 9-to-5 where you get to work with colleagues or go to meetings, freelancing is lonely. It’s only you in front of your computer working on projects for your clients.

When you do want to go out or hang out with friends, they are either at work or they are busy with something else. You no longer have the same work schedule as they do. So most times you stay alone.

However, to combat the loneliness you can make friends with freelancers who live near you and spend time with them. It’s nice to spend time with those who understand the loneliness of freelancing.

 

You end up working more hours than you did in your 9-to-5

Many people think that freelancers have a lot of time on their hands since they don’t have to go to an office everyday. What people don’t know is that freelancers work around the clock.

Freelancers don’t have fixed work hours. They work everyday, including the weekends and often late into the night and start all over again early in the morning.

In a 9-to-5 your work hours are defined, that’s one luxury won’t have as a freelancer.

 

People expect you to work for free

Although there are more freelancers in the world, it’s not receiving the status it deserves. People still see freelancing more as a hobby than a real job.

When you get started as a freelancer, don’t be surprised when you get people coming to you to ask if you could work for them for free. Since they don’t consider freelancing as a real job, they don’t see the trade as something that should be paid for.

It now depends on you to educate such people that freelancing is as real a job as a 9-to-5 and as a freelancer you deserved to be paid like any other worker.

 

You have to deal with distractions

Freelancers spend most of their time working at home and are often distracted by the presence of the TV and internet. So when faced with these temptations everyday it can get difficult to finish projects on time.

To be an efficient freelancer, staying laser-focused is key. You may be working at home but you’re still running a business and that requires a lot of discipline and focus.

 

You need to ace up your productivity

Most freelancers run service-based businesses. That means that their income is in direct proportion with the number of clients or projects they have on their plate.

More projects means more money. Therefore, the faster you’re able to work within a day, the more projects you’ll be able to accommodate. And that means a higher income. That calls for you to learn to be more productive.

 

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You may have issues getting a loan

When you’re self-employed some lenders tend to refuse credit even if you earn as much as or even more than you used to earn as an employee.

Most banks and mortgage lenders ask for at least three years of accounts to prove income. Very few of them even consider one to two years. That has posed a serious challenge for freelancers.

 

You have to be in charge of your own pension

The perks of working in a 9-to-5 is that your pension is handled by your employer. Which means freelancers have to take care of their pensions themselves by allocating money for their retirement.

 

Cash flow isn’t always steady

It’s not all rosy when it comes to cash flow. There will be months when you’ll experience dry spells and months when you’re overwhelmed with projects.

That’s where the need to diversify your income comes in. When you create more income streams you can somewhat guarantee a steady flow every month.

 

You can be spontaneous

Freelancers have the freedom to work anywhere they want to. As a freelancer, you don’t have to wait until the summer to travel. You can book a flight or a train ride to anywhere at any time, without having to be answerable to anyone.

 

You have to do everything yourself

Unfortunately when you’re starting out as a freelancer you have to do everything yourself.

Before you have enough funds to outsource some of the operations of your freelancing business you have to do it on your own.

You have to do your taxes and accounting of your business. You write your own copy and edit your own content, post on social media and even negotiate with brands.

But remember that this is only temporary. Once you’re able to build an audience and raise your income you can start hiring extra hands to help you out.

 

Does anything on this list surprise you? How has your freelancing experience been?

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Experience of Mobile Working

April 7, 2017 By in Blogging Tips, Freelancing/Self-employed Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 36 Comments

I started Fashion and Style Police in 2012, but I still held my full-time job working as a customer service advisor for a big multinational in Manchester. The job looked liked the best thing ever but the reality of it was that I hated it and I hated working there, so I focused on building my blog alongside a regular paycheck. This was a good idea because I made less than £100 in my first blogging year. Leaving the security of a regular paycheck then because I was frustrated with my job would have been very stupid.

 

 

After blogging for a year, I went on maternity leave and I never looked back. I knew I was never going to step into that office as an employee again. I knew there was something bigger and better for me, but I just didn’t know what it would be. Definitely didn’t think it was going to be blogging or working as a freelancer. I didn’t honestly believe I could start earning a full-time wage from my online hustle, but then I started to eventually.

While on maternity, I put all my leftover energy from caring for my twins into my blog. So while they slept in the day, I ignored the books that told me to sleep too (this is not advisable), and hustled like mad. My twins are over 3 years old now, and Fashion and Style Police has grown and it is still growing like weed. I have also gone into freelance writing and outreach for companies, and it has been a great experience so far!

Working for myself has its pros and cons as expected. I written about this a few times already; I even had a proper moan about it some days ago in The Ugly Side of Freelancing post. But 1 thing is for sure, I would not change my mobile working conditions for anything! The fact that I can decide to work 1am or 1pm from my sofa or bed is amazing. Mobile working is the best thing ever since WiFi!

 

 

 

However, one of the main issues that concerns me as a freelancer is the fact that I could lose all my work if anything ever happened to my laptop, camera or mobile phone. I carry my iPhone with me everywhere, and I am usually with my camera and laptop when we go on holiday, so I need to ensure my work stays stay. Also, we all know how easy it is to have gadgets stolen when we are out and about, and how easy it is to have our laptop or phone flooded with coffee. Well, this is where InMyBag comes in. This company is like the Messiah for us mobile people.

InMyBag can cover your mobile devices from loss, theft and damage so you can carry as normal. They guarantee same day resolution which is fantastic, and you can enjoy the same service abroad as you would do at home for up to three months a year.

This is 1 service I see myself forever having as a freelancer. I think it is smart to have a cover like this as a freelancer because you never know.

Do you have your mobile devices insured?

 

*Collaborative Post.

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