Freelancing: How To Start Guide, Tools, Tips & Techniques
Introduction:
In this 21st century, especially after the starting of the Corona Pandemic and Lockdown scenario the freelancing industry has just boomed in India as well as all over the world. But there are so many youngsters who sit at home idle and wants to do something, wants to earn money, but they don’t have the concept, clarity, and guide where to start, how the freelancing industry is running, where many of their cohorts are earning in lakhs even per month.
No more wasting of time on social media, instead I will help you to transform your mobile phone into a money-making machine!! I am not kidding, just keep reading!!
Meaning of Freelancing
First thing first, know the basics: what is freelancing? Ok!
Basically, a freelancer is an individual who manages his or her entire business without a team. From approaching the clients, closing the deals, doing the job and delivering the work to the client plus collecting the payment, etc. and every other related task is controlled and managed by that single person - who is called as a freelancer. Whatever a freelancer does and gets paid for his or her work is called a freelancing job.
In a simple way, if I explain to you, the private tutor whom your parents hired in your childhood was a freelancer. But that was offline freelancing. Now the situation changed, the scope has increased and the concept has widened - all because we are online. Here freelancing is focusing on online earning especially.
How to Start Freelancing:
You can’t start it! Don’t get me wrong but it’s not that easy to start anything you are hearing for the first time.
In the case of Freelancing, you need the MONEY mindset first (if you have enough pocket money and are satisfied with that you will simply leave it as the hard time comes in), you need to build an entrepreneurial and risk-taking attitude along with lots of patience. Freelancing is not a hobby, it’s a way to turn your hobby or passion into a business. So hard work is what I am trying to point out.
And if you have already crossed the mentioned stairs, you are very welcome from my inner heart!! Here is your pathway, which I explored as the best way to move into the freelancing industry.
Freelancing Gurus recommend you need to choose a niche first. But I think that is a difficult task at the beginning - especially for someone who is kinda versatile, didn’t plan in such a way like earning money by doing what he does for enjoyment. What I recommend to my juniors and students is to join internships once they have decided on the industry they are interested in, for example currently I am working in the Digital Marketing Industry. You may be interested in the Modelling industry etc. Internships will help you to explore the area of interest you have, it will expose the scope and hurdles your industry has if you choose that niche or industry to work in.
{here is the meaning of Niche (a specific task (specialization) within an industry, you can identify many such niches within an industry. It is more likely to levels in the chain of a final output. Say, Cooking is an industry and you are an expert for Chicken Curry - so that is your niche).
Here is the meaning of an internship: a short-term (may start from one month) job with little remuneration. An internship gives you industry-level experience when you are at the entry gate of that industry. So, I personally believe if you join a good company you will enjoy it and learn many things without paying any money.}
So, when you are decided on your industry, I will recommend going to Fiverr.com
This is a site from where you will get the best of the best idea of what is selling online today as a freelancing service, what are the services you can offer to your clients, by checking in the services offered by other freelancers.
Best Website for Freelancing
For beginners, there is no best website for freelancing projects. But I would recommend keeping in touch with Fiverr.com, as here you will get insights on how to charge for your services, what are the task you need to complete for a particular project etc. For example: if you are a content writer, you should offer your client that, I would do keyword research for you, I will attach relevant photos to your blogs (must be copyright free) and so many related things that need to mention in your service menu when you send to your client. For that existing Fiverr Freelancer will help you a lot. You need to just research their services, what are they offering at what charges!! (IT’S FREE)
Best App for Freelancing
The social media applications you are using currently, are the best apps for freelancing. Yeah, I know that you are laughing at me! Maybe your age on Facebook, Whatsapp, Messenger, Instagram, and YouTube is more than me, but believe me, I collect all my clients from there.
But, ha, apko sahi istemal karna ana chahie!! I should talk on this topic “How to get freelancing clients via social media” later.
Best Tool for Freelancing
To start your freelancing journey just start with the tools or facilities Google is providing free of cost. For example, Google Docs for writing, Google Sheets for planning, Blogger as your portfolio site, or Google Sites, Google My Business, etc select as per the nature of your business and the social media applications you are using - learn them to use as a freelancer.
Plus you can use Canva for all the design-related tasks that will help to promote your service neat and clean. So many free tools are there, we will explore all of them one by one. I have planned for 30 blogs on freelancing business - that will guide you to learn everything related to freelancing from scratch to advanced level FREE OF COST! Keep in touch wherever you can all the platforms I use only for freelancing, no personal stuff that makes no sense to share in public.
Best Website to Learn Freelancing
Before going to any fixed listicle let me tell you the secret!
Always remember this phrase: “just Google away”
Whenever and wherever you want to learn about something, you want to explore online, first get into google and type your query on the search bar and check the results.
However, to save your time, I am exposing the websites from where I mastered the Freelance Digital Marketing Industry:
Coursera
Alison
Udemy
Google Digital Garage
Best YouTube channels to learn Freelancing
There may be so many creators helping newbie freelancers but few are giving the COmplete Information, guide you need to be successful, the reason is they have designed their own course module and you need to buy it! However, few channels are there that are really adding values free of cost: for example - “WsCube Tech”. However, I will recommend, don’t take my words guaranteed. Go out and find yourself. Everyone is trying to stand out on YouTube and they are delivering values in their own way. You need to explore it!
Best Instagram Page / Instagram Freelancer to Follow
I have learned a lot from them, so I am recommending you to them. Definitely, there may be so many other freelancers, pages, and profiles that share value among their audience. But you need to research for that, you need to find out. However, in the beginning, you can go with: Shreya Pattar, Hira Sayeed, Mohit Rathi, Saheli Chatterjee, and many more are there, go and find more.
Best Source to Get Clients for Freelancing
There is no such source, that is the best source. Clients are everywhere if you offer the right product or service that can solve the problem of their business or life. Many freelancers get clients via LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, whereas many others depend upon websites like Fiverr, Upwork, People Per Hour, and many more are there. To get clients you need a strong portfolio and good communication skills plus you need to create engaging content around your expertise on your social media handles. It will help your potential clients to check your credibility and keep faith in you.
Vital Things to Convince Your Clients to Get Freelancing Project
First of all, you need a good social media presence. If you can rule the social media platforms, the client is not an issue, the situation will be like this, you will select the clients with whom to work, not the client who will select you. Although achieving this level is not a cupcake, start early and cross miles and god bless you achieve that level.
Do's and Don'ts in Freelancing
🗹 Be professional
🗹 Improve Communication Skill
🗹 Promise less, Deliver More
🗹 Be confident while clients doubting upon your expertise, but don’t tell lie.
🗹 don’t work for free.
🗹 once declared, never lower too much your charges
🗹 don’t forget to charge in advance, at least 50 percent of your total charges
🗹 don’t forget to prepare an agreement paper with the client
Recommended Online Earning Tips for Freelancers
Only doing works for others won’t allow living your dreams. You need multiple sources of income in this inflationary market. For online entrepreneurs and freelancers affiliate marketing has proved an easy way for a freelancer. You just need to have a blog or a youtube channel or Instagram page along with a decent audience and you are all set. Sign up for affiliate programs like Amazon, Flipkart, and Hosting deals, etc. I use Cuelinks because say it Amazon, say it Flipkart, all are in one place, I don’t need to get approval from them one by one. Plus I can generate affiliate links for more than 1K brands. Definitely, I don’t promote all of them, but yeah I have that option. So, Culinks give a broad range of choice.
Along with Cuelinks I use EarnKaro, it is a platform that allows me to share my affiliate links to share in WhatsApp DMs (basically no other platform allows this) and I generate income when my friends or relatives even myself buy some products using Earn Karo affiliate links.
Besides affiliate marketing, you will explore more ways as you build your online empire like brand promotion offers, you may be seen on YouTube videos, people recommend some products, apps, websites, etc. and for that, they get paid from the brand.