Matthew Mottola Remote freelancers working together in Portugal. Lauren Detweiler 700,000 white collar workers quit their job in May. Almost 60% of employees say they’ll quit if forced back to the office. The Great Resignation is real and here to stay. If you’re one of these individuals, have you thought about translating your skills into a freelancer career ? 51% of freelancers say no amount of money could convince them to take a full time job. 75% are optimistic about the future of their work. These are just a couple statistics powering the shift from full time employment to remote project-based work we call the freelance economy . How can you start freelancing? Try these three quick steps. Identify your freelance outcomes Find your ideal clients Win the deal Step 1: Identify Your Freelance Outcomes Freelance clients hire your outcomes, not your skills. Instead of expecting 5+ years experience in a relevant field, the lead priority is the outcome you can deliver, followed by how much you charge (bonus points if you can teach them your ROI). Examples of Outcomes: 1,200 word thought leadership article 1 minute product demo video 15 slide deck for external presentation How do you know what your unique outcomes are? Analyze your past 5 years of experience. Deeper than your role, what outcomes did you enjoy and excel at? After 9 years at Nike, J Cheema realized his superpower was creating executive level decks. Now he’s a leading freelance presentation designer for Fortune 100 companies. Now quantify these outcomes by scoping a time and cost. Lauren Detweiler , copywriter and content strategist scoped her outcomes into below. Lauren Detweiler, Copywriter and Content Strategist, Scoped Outcomes Venture L Likewise, graphic designer Kemal Avdovic scoped his brand positioning outcomes below. Kemal Avdovic, graphic designer helping clients around the globe with brand positioning and web … [+] presence, scoped outcomes Venture L Step 2: Find your ideal clients There’s a difference between clients and ideal clients. Clients pay you. Ideal clients make you part of the team. Clients tell you what to do. Ideal clients tell you what success looks like then trust you to make it happen. Clients look at you like a replaceable contractor. Ideal clients look at you as a trusted expert they’ll collaborate with for the rest of their life. Ideal clients are the result of matching three variables. What clients need What you offer (step 1) Where clients express their need There are four main places to find ideal clients. Your existing network Freelancer communities Social networks like LinkedIn or Twitter Freelance marketplaces, either general like Upwork or niche like Paro for finance and accounting Each person is different. If you’re highly experienced, you might have 30 contacts that already hire freelancers and would be ready to hire you from a quick message. On the contrary, if you don’t have this network, indexing social networks with searches like ‘looking for graphic designer’ might lead to your first client. Or if you’re somewhere […]
