Ready to build your freelance business? Here are 3 steps to launch with success. getty The etiology of the word “freelance” comes from Sir Walter Scott’s novel Ivanhoe . It’s two words combined to refer to medieval mercenaries who would fight for whichever nation paid them the most—mercenaries yielding a lance. Today the word is used to describe pursuing a career free of long-term commitment, and not unlike its origin, many freelancers work for the highest bidder. Freelancing as a career is growing. A Fiverr study reported that 73% of US workers plan to freelance in 2023, and 31% of full-time freelancers make more than $75,000 per year. In fact, Google hires more freelancers than permanent workers. As companies tighten the reins to prepare for a potential recession, more will turn to freelancers to avoid the costs of hiring full-time staff—one employee typically costs 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary , according to the Small Business Association. But what is the most successful way to launch a freelance business? In the simplest terms: decide on a niche, get the word out, and ask for reviews. 1. Find your niche . Begin with a list of 10 to 15 of your top skills—think about your soft skills and your hard skills. Soft skills include communication, problem solving, and project management. Hard skills include tactical capabilities such as website design or programming. Prospective clients will hire you for your skills, not your passions. If you’re an incredible copywriter but love writing fiction, consider saving fiction writing for your free time; choose copywriting as your niche. And by the way, social media marketing is the most sought-after freelance marketing skill! Once you have your list, narrow your options by identifying the problems you solve. You will ultimately develop your marketing message from this step, so dive deep. Ask potential clients what their pain points are, visit forums, and research Google Trends to identify problems your ideal customer faces. For example, if one of your skills is website design (the most in-demand tech skill ), find out exactly what challenge your ideal customer is facing. Is it back-end, design, SEO? Research the competition within your niche. Learn whether you need to tweak your niche to find work or to stand out from the crowd. Competition isn’t a bad thing—it can mean that there’s an unfulfilled need where you can make an impact. Most importantly, you can change your mind, so don’t stress out about finding the perfect niche off the bat. Often your niche evolves anyway. 2. Get the word out . Once you find your niche, spread the word. Use your customer’s pain points to develop your marketing message … this is the problem you fix. There are platforms where you can market your services, like Upwork and Fiverr. While you may get some work from using those sites, you will get a lot more work and for better pay by going after the jobs you want. The hardest freelance job you […]
