What You Need to Start Freelancing

What You Need to Start FreelancingWhat You Need to Start FreelancingFreelancing isnt all working in your pajamas and cashing client checks. If you want to escape the rat race for good, you need to make sure that youre prepared for both good times and bad. Back your passion with the right preparation, and youll never have to go back to working under those buzzing fluorescent lights ever again. Heres what you need to get started. 10 Things You Need to Start Working as a Freelancer 1. An idea. What do you have to sell that others want to buy? Even if you dont produce widgets, or specialize in a single service, its a good idea to clarify this point before you get started. Think about what differentiates your business from your competitors. Its perfectly fine for your answer to evolve over time and it will but you need to start out with this question in mind. 2. A plan. Think business plans are for people with employees? Think again. A little prep time before you hang out your shing le will save you time and trouble down the road. You dont need to be pitching to investors in order to benefit from stating, even to yourself, what your goals are. 3. A pricing system. Freelance rates vary widely by industry, geographic area, skillplatzdeckchen, and experience. Theres no set formula for determining yours, but a few things to keep in mind are Your rate of pay for the same work at your day job. If you were full-time and salaried, dont forget to add in the value of benefits like health insurance, paid time off, and retirement.Whether you want to bill hourly or by the project. (This will likely change from gig to gig.)Your absolute drop-dead dollar amount. Do not pitch this number, of course, but keep it in mind. You might accept lower pay when youre starting out and building experience, but youll want to develop an idea of how low is too low, so that you dont keep taking jobs that dont pay enough. Theres no quicker way to become an ex-freelancer than by consistently p ricing too low. 4. Savings. The magic number is often listed as three to six months of expenses the more, the better. For most working people, that can see like a prohibitively large of amount of money. Before you give in and give up on your freelance dreams, think big. There are plenty of ways to raise money, without borrowing against your 401(k) or putting everything on a credit card. (Note do not do either of these things.) The best is probably starting your freelance career while you still have a day job, and banking the money you make to take a leap. 5. A client base. The need for money in the bank is just one reason why its a good idea to start freelancing on a small scale while you have a day job another is that youll have an opportunity to build up a roster of clients before you go out on your own. Having two or three solid clients before you get started means that you have a measure of security, right from day one, because youll know, roughly, when youll be paid. Plus, y oull have time to work out any kinks in the client-freelancer relationship while you still have a job to fall back on, if things dont work out. 6. A way to handle money. You dont necessarily need an accountant, but you do need a way to keep track of expenses and invoices, and a means of tracking and paying quarterly taxes. Keep your receipts. William Perezoffers a list of deductible expenses here. When you work for someone else, they provide the equipment, from computers to desks to software. When youre on your own, well, its up to you. The upside is that you can set up your work environment in a way that meets your needs, not those of an employer and you can write off your purchases. (See previous, re save your receipts). 8. Discipline. Many people go into freelancing assuming that the best part about it will be flexibility, in terms of time, only to discover that clients get tetchy if they routinely cant get a hold of you during normal business hours, and that its almost impossi ble to put in 40 or 50 hours a week if you get up at noon. (Almost impossible night owls might prefer a later schedule, and if theyre willing to work at night, and have amenable clients, anything is possible.) Just remember that while your clients cant ask you, for example, to be available for a total of 15 hours a week, but demand instant access whenever they decide those 15 hours should occur, you will need to be accessible. Its a fact of modern working life that everyone is in a hurry, all the time. If youre not available, you wont get or keep the gig. 9. Persistence. Even the most successful and blissfully happy freelancers have dark days, especially in the beginning. Dont be discouraged if you find yourself wondering whether youve made a mistake. If you and the freelance life are a good fit for one another, things will work out. Either way, a bit of self-reflection is any career-minded persons friend. 10. A willingness to reassess. Finally, its a good idea to start off your freelance career by situation the goal posts. Decide what you want to accomplish, and by when. At those set intervals, ask yourself if youve achieved your goals. Its OK if the answer is no the important thing is to check in with yourself occasionally, to make sure that freelancing is still providing what you need. The best way to stay on track is to stop and look around from time to time. Read More 9 Types of Freelance Jobs 6 Places to Find Freelance Listings Online Resume Tips for Freelancers