A Beginner's Guide on How to Become a Freelancer

Do you want to earn a limitless amount of earning by working only 6 hours a day, then freelancing is the way for you.

In today’s time, there are over 15 million freelancers in India, who are working independently and earn somewhere between 1 lakh to 12 lakhs per annum. Working flexibility and better earning opportunity is what makes people want to become a freelancer nowadays. And the change in mindset has occurred due to the popularity of work-from-home jobs that have emerged as a result of the pandemic.

So many people have also started freelancing along with their regular job as a second source of income. If you want to become a freelancer and have no idea about it, you are at the right place. This article will cover almost all the aspects of a career in freelancing.

Let us get started.

7 Steps to Become a Freelancer

Becoming a freelancer is not an easy task and you might wonder how to be a freelancer. Don’t worry, here is 7 steps journey that you can follow to become a freelancer in no time. So, let’s get started then.

Step- 1 Choose Your Freelancing Niche

The first and foremost thing you need to do is to choose your freelancing niche. You can become a freelancer for any niche, but it is highly recommended that you choose the field that attracts you and you feel enthusiastic to work for. So, before taking freelance work try to explore various niches, read about the niche which attracts you, and interacts with people working in that niche. This way you will work for the niche that is best suited to your skills and interest.

Some of the freelancing niches to consider are digital marketing, graphic Designing, sales and marketing, translation, social media coordinator, logo design, freelance Writer and many more.

Also Read:
Guide to Freelance Content Writing Jobs
Guide to Become a Freelance Digital Marketing Professional
How to become a Freelance Video editor
How to be a Freelance Graphic Designer

Step- 2 Build a Professional Freelancer Profile

Creating a profile that makes you stand out from the crowd is the next important thing. A freelancer profile is mostly about expressing yourself. It is the ultimate expression of what you do, who you are, your experiences and expertise, and the services you offer. Your clients will know about you from your profile. Therefore, make it intriguing if you want to become a freelancer. The freelancing market is highly competitive; hence an amazing profile can help you stand out.

Step- 3 Select a Platform

To find online freelance jobs you need to select a platform where you can find the right clients who need your services. There are several platforms where you can search for your clients, some of the famous freelancing platforms are Upwork and Fiverr. These platforms follow a bidding system where freelancers and clients bid at what rate they want to provide and take services. Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are also good places to find clients.

Step-4 Search for Suitable Clients

After building your professional portfolio and selecting a platform, the next major step that you need to take to become a freelancer is finding clients. Mind you, this will not be an easy task at the beginning; however, as you find your first client you will start finding more. And make sure that you clear all the guidelines and terms of your freelance work before taking any work. This will only save you time but protects you from any exploitation too.

Step- 5 Determine Your Price

It is very important to determine how much you will charge your clients for your freelance work. The fees for your services depend on your skills, expertise, and your work experience along with the type of work you provide. You cannot charge a very high amount just after you start freelancing.

Clients will not hesitate to pay an experienced person to get their work done. At the same time, they may not want to pay that much for just a beginner freelancer with no experience.

If you are a beginner, give discounts to your clients. Once you have built a great profile, start charging as per your need. That is why do not leave your full-time job immediately to start freelancing. Once you acquire a stable position and your freelance earning is enough to cover your expenses then consider pursuing freelancing as a full-time profession.

Step- 6 Start Working

As soon as you have found a suitable client and have determined the price of your services, start working. And before starting work remember a few things don’t start working on a real project immediately. Draw a draft, show it to the clients, take their feedback and approval then start working. This trick will save you time and money both.

Step- 7 Maintain Customer Relationship

One of the major and undermined steps of working as a freelancer is the customer relationship. Several newbie freelancers make the mistake of not maintaining a healthy customer relationship even after the work is done. If you maintain a good relationship with your customers then it increases your chances of becoming their regular service provider and sometimes, customers also recommend their favourite freelancers to their friends and other people. Increasing your chances of finding work.

Source: TechAbu

Tips to Outshine with Your Freelancing Profile

Clear and Concise

Always create a clear and concise freelancing profile, from the title to the content everything should be presented in an understandable manner. Don’t try to overdo it , clearly state your services, skills, years of experience and contact details. This way your customers will not get confused and more likely to contact you for work.

Show Your Face

Showing your face in an intro video or having a professional display picture builds trust in your clients. This shows that you are reliable and will show up whenever they need you. So, make sure that you have a clean and professional-looking picture in your freelancing profile or add an intro video in which you can introduce yourself and talk about your services.

Highlight Your Best Work

Put your best work in the front row, and highlight it with client testimonials and feedback. This will show your future clients the type of work you have done and what is the best freelance work that you can offer to them.

Attach Certificates and Awards

If you are new to freelance work and have done the job or studied before this then you can earn some cookie points showing your certificates and awards you won in your previous work. This works as great feedback for new freelancers and helps them in bagging new clients.

Work on Visuals

In this digital world having appealing visuals for your freelancing profile is cardinal. If your profile looks plain and boring or cluttered and chaotic no one will stay to look at your work. So, make sure that you make your profile visually attractive with bright colours, font type and size, and good quality images.

Link Your Socials

If you want to become a freelancer you need to become a social person, from finding new clients to advertising your services everything needs to be done. You can do this work much easier if have social media presence on multiple platforms, from where you can interact with clients. So, link your social media handles with your freelancing profile.

Keep Profile Updated

Always keep your freelancing profile updated, don’t let it look like a shut-down site. Post about your latest projects, attach new client testimonials update your profile picture from time to time. 

Also Read: Tips for Freelancers to Help You Succeed

Freelance Work Opportunity with Chegg India

Now that you know how you can become a freelancer and what are its benefits let’s know about a great freelancing opportunity that can be bagged by anyone with the right skills and knowledge.

You can work with Chegg India as their Q/A Expert, as an expert, you are required to answer the questions that are posted by students worldwide on the Chegg platform. Several subjects like English, Mathematics, Economics, Business, Science, etc. are available. You can apply for any of these subjects as per your area of expertise. You can become an expert at Chegg and earn per question you answer.

Benefits of Freelancing

Freelancing jobs offer several benefits. Let us discuss some of the advantages of being a freelancer.

Benefits	Description
Work Flexibility	The major benefit of becoming a freelancer is that you get work from anywhere and at any time you like. The freelancer can: Work Remotely Can work as many hours they want Can work any day of the week
Self- Management	While doing freelance work you have to do self-management. As you will be your own boss, that doesn’t only mean that you have freedom but you do have more responsibilities. As a freelancer you have to: Do every task yourself Complete the task within timeline Seek new clients
Better Earning Opportunities	In today’s time of rising inflation having an additional or better-paying job is crucial. Freelancing gives this opportunity to earn a limitless amount of money. Because when you do freelance work, you get to: Take as many jobs you want Fix the rate of your services Be in better financial position
Global Exposure	Working with the same employer for several years leads to monotony. However, when you become a freelancer, you get to choose with whom you want to work. You can work with National and International Clients Multiple clients at a time
Enhance Skillsets	Doing that one work year after year diminishes one’s enthusiasm to do something new. However, when you take online freelance jobs you work for multiple clients and do multiple tasks for them. This means you Learn new skills Become expert of your field Work on exciting projects

Also Read: Freelancing Meaning, Pros & Cons

Disadvantages of Freelancing

Freelancing offers greater benefits from limitless earnings to working with international clients. However, there are certain drawbacks to this profession too, that one must keep in mind before they become a freelancer.

• Less Job Security: There is lesser job security in the freelance work, as you have to constantly seek new customers and retain the older ones. This leads to inconsistent work flow and income.
• Solely Responsible: It looks good to become your own boss, however, you are not just boss but the employee too in your freelancing business. As freelancer you become the sole responsible person to get every job done, without any assistance.
• Tax Filling: As the freelancer’s earnings are limitless, so are the tax worries. As a sole proprietor, you have to take up the responsibility of filing taxes and maintaining final accounts.

Become a Freelancer Today

To earn, to grow and to live is what freelancing allows you. Starting to do freelance work is one of the best decisions that one can make in today’s time. Even if you have a full-time job, you can still become a freelancer by giving 2-4 hours a day to start a side hustling business.

And after reading the article you might have got some good idea how you can become a freelancer. So don’t wait up for any crisis start upskilling yourself, build a freelance portfolio and earn some extra cash in your free time. This way you will not only have financial security but you will be able to live the life of your dreams too.

Dive in to our Freelancing guide, to learn strategies to find full-time/ part-time freelance projects to generate more income.

Frequently Asked Questions