Imagine working only when you have to. You make your morning coffee without a rush, probably listening to your morning devotion. The working location?
It could be your home office or vacation room balcony in the Bahamas. You are not battling morning traffic woes or working in a tight cubicle.
Not to exaggerate matters, but this is a reality for some freelancers.
Freelancing, in the most straightforward description, is working independently. It is working remotely for yourself, with no boss, only collaborating. You dictate the hours, location, and even the jobs you do.
Now, here come the big questions:
What is freelancing, and how does it work? What are the fundamentals and the popular jobs?
You will get the answers to all these queries by reading this piece. By the end, you’ll have all the knowledge to begin and flourish in this industry.
Let’s start.
Definition of Freelancing
Today, almost half of the world’s workforce is freelancing. That’s about 1.57 billion people. Women make up 52.3%, and men make up 47.7%.
With the numbers soaring so high, this industry has much to offer. But you won’t reap the benefits of freelancing without knowing and mastering the basics. The basics entail what you must master to benefit from the industry.
This means knowing the advantages and disadvantages, how to get started, and the jobs to apply for. We discuss all these in the following sections.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Freelancing
The main goal of freelancing is to become your boss. However, what are the perks you celebrate by becoming one?
The following are some of the lucrative ones:
- Career Freedom and Flexibility: You dictate your operational time and the workload to pick. You can work for companies in multiple industries because you are not tied to a specific one.
- Variety and Exposure: The freelancing world will expose you to various jobs with differing challenges. Solving these issues will elevate your skillset, making you valuable job after job.
- Reduced Expenditure: Freelancers save time commuting to work. You also save on the finances you may have used for transport, lunch, or official attire.
- Freedom to Travel: Freelancing can allow you to finish a copy ad on a plane to Comoros. Once you get there, you can complete a blog post while enjoying your tea at the reception. Some freelance jobs accord you this freedom that no other job can.
- Continuous Learning: As a freelancer, the changing market will always force you to elevate yourself. You may take new courses, use the latest technology, work with differing industries, etc.
- You do what you love! The last perk is that you get to do what you love, regardless of age! For example, you can become a mental health freelancer in your 20s and 30s. Then, offer consultant services once you hit your 40s because you have more experience.
Once you get to the grassroots of answering the question, what is a freelancing business? It would be untruthful to say it will always be rosy!
This is because you may encounter some of these issues in your craft.
- Delays in payments. Some clients take time paying or may sometimes forfeit paying at all. To curb this, involve a lawyer and draft law-binding contracts. Also, have efficient invoicing and payment platforms like Ruul to streamline these processes.
- Many Rejections! Rejections are typical in the freelancing world. The reason is that not all clients you approach need your services. They might not also be able to meet your rates. To reduce this, constantly research your target audience to minimize rejections. Elevate your services and present them with a special incentive for uniqueness.
Popular Freelance Jobs
Now that you understand freelancing basics, next are the types of work you can secure on freelancing platforms. Today’s world has quite an extensive list of jobs, so we’ll narrow them down into the major categories. Additionally, we mention the kinds of jobs you can secure under each freelancing class.
Administrative Freelancing
The beauty of freelancing is that it opens up new employment opportunities by enhancing them. Take administrative duties; an office secretary did all the scheduling, but they had to be present in the office. Today, a virtual assistant does all that remotely.
They do the scheduling, email management, data entry, and bookkeeping. They can also handle the logistics remotely without showing up at the office.
This lowers operational costs for both the client and the freelancer.
Freelancer websites also list project managers, transcriptionists, and data entry clerks in this class.
To become an administrative freelancer, you must possess exceptional:
- Organization skills.
- Communication skills.
- Time management skills.
- Honesty.
- Knowledge of official matters like logistics and bookkeeping.
Creative Freelancing
Creative types of freelance work have to be the most popular so far. These jobs include graphic designers, writers, photographers, videographers, web developers, and more.
Such freelancers are the brains behind all the creations you see online. Videos, photos, articles, blog posts, logos, and all other marketing materials are a creative’s forte.
To become one, you must be:
- Creative and innovative.
- A good time and resource manager.
- Possessing skills matching your job offering.
Marketing Freelancing
Under this class of freelancers, we have social media influencers and managers. You will also find SEO specialists who optimize websites and content for search engines. Content managers are the masterminds of content strategies, guiding how creatives create valuable content. Email marketers are the architects of email campaigns.
This class of marketing freelancers is vast, meaning that their skills will also be so. Regardless, the common attributes they possess are:
- Data-driven.
- Customer-centric.
- They follow market trends for success.
Consulting Freelancing
This is your freelancing cluster if you offer professional legal, business, or financial guidance.
Legal consultants offer all legal advice and the services that fall under it. These could include creating contracts or issuing lawsuits. Business professionals may provide consultation services, such as HR services for recruiting, hiring, and firing. Financier freelancers offer strategies to help your business manage funds properly.
Unlike the other freelancing clusters, this one necessitates deep industry knowledge. For instance, you may need the proper credentials to handle a company’s taxes.
On that note, the characteristics of professional freelancing consultants are:
- Years of experience.
- Track record of success.
- Certifications and licensing.
Tech Freelancing
Techies like software developers and programmers are at the top of this class. Then we also have IT consultants, data scientists, and analysts. These types of freelance work also require deep technological industry expertise.
Nonetheless, there are other characteristics, like:
- A problem-solving mindset.
- Research prowess and data-driven.
- Staying up-to-date with technology.
- Flexibility and adaptability.
Health and Wellness Freelancing
These are the freelancers dedicated to keeping you healthy. The most popular freelancers in this class are nutritionists, dietitians, and mental health practitioners. Fitness trainers and coaches also fall into this category.
Nutritionists and dietitians offer dietary advice. Mental health professionals assist people to heal or manage their mental health issues. The last group of fitness trainers helps millions get fit through workout plans. They also help people regain their physical health after an injury or accident.
To qualify for these types of freelance work, you must have:
- The appropriate licenses and certificates.
- Be empathetic.
- Be professional.
- Be a good time and resource manager.
How to Get Started with Freelancing?
To kickstart your freelancing journey, you need to know a few things. These will help you build a robust business that survives the test of time.
Those fundamentals are that:
- Become multi-faceted. As a freelancer, you’re your boss. You’re in charge of the workload, client acquisition, financial management, time management, and everything else. You will have to wear many hats to run a successful business.
- Become flexible and adaptable. Despite the lucrative nature of the job, freelancing is highly volatile. Sometimes, you will make a killing; others, you’ll go months without pay. Here is where the mastery of flexibility and adaptability comes to save you.
- Your input dictates your output. In most types of freelance work, your input dictates your production. This means that you earn only when you work. For example, expect better pay if you work long hours on several projects. Or work fewer ones that pay really well! Still, this is never guaranteed because freelancers also have their fair share of worries on the job.
- You have to think outside the box. Unlike traditional jobs with set systems, freelancing forces you to think out of the box. The industry is highly competitive, meaning you must uniquely frame your offerings. You might have to offer specific incentives or advance your skills to become invaluable to your clients.
- Always protect yourself. Traditional jobs offer employees a substantial protective umbrella. This may be in the form of insurance and other benefits. Freelancers don’t have this privilege. Hence, one must take self-preserving measures. For example, you must create client contracts to safeguard your income. Or work for multiple companies to increase your income channels.
Building a Successful Freelance Career
Freelancing is lucrative only if you do it the right way.
Start by understanding the fundamentals, like working independently. You also have to master communication and resource management. After that, pick a niche and dive deep, gathering all the training you can get. If you want to be a techie freelancer, find courses, attend conferences, and get mentors to start your journey. Don’t stop there!
Keep elevating and growing. This journey will entail a few nos and rejections, but persevere, and you’ll emerge victorious. Be patient and dedicated; you will celebrate all the perks mentioned.
Resources for Aspiring Freelancers
To sum up our piece, here is a list of resources you can use to find the best freelance jobs:
- Freelancer platforms and websites.
- Job boards.
- Referrals.
- Social media.
These offer various jobs that will onboard you at any level. Once you find one, ensure you deliver exceptional work. But remember, contacts and workflow tools like Ruul are your best friends; use them!
