How to be successful your first year of freelancing
It’s not a secret, starting a freelance business can be challenging, but with the right mindset and approach, you can actually be successful in your first year! Here are some tips to help you be successful in your first year of freelancing:
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Set realistic goals. Start by setting realistic goals for your freelance business. Consider your financial needs and set achievable targets for your income and workload. Also, consider your time availability. As a mom, I know that I couldn’t commit as much time to work as I once was able to. When I first started, I would take any work that was thrown at me but this led to burn out, constantly feeling overwhelmed and like I was being a bad mom. Knowing how much money I needed to make and knowing how much time I could commit to work helped me stay motivated and focused on my freelancing hat.
Establish a routine Creating a routine is important for managing your time and productivity as a freelancer. Set specific work hours, plan your workday, and create a schedule that helps you balance work and personal life. What works for me is no work before 9 am. At 9, I drop my toddler off at school, come home and put my baby down for a two-hour nap, and HUSTLE for two hours. Then when he wakes up, he has my full attention until lunch time. I work and eat while he eats. Then we pick up brother, play for a little, and then it’s nap/quiet time/mom working time. After this, we play until dad comes home. I will work when he gets home if I have something pressing, otherwise, we play until dinner and then bed for the kiddos. After the kids go to bed, I finish up my work day!
Keep learning To stay competitive in your industry, you need to keep learning and developing your skills. Take courses, attend workshops, and keep up with industry trends to stay relevant and offer the best possible service to your clients. Meta, Tiktok, Pinterest, Later, Canva, etc. all have great webinars and classes to take. Bonus: Most of them are free!
Find your niche Specializing in a specific area can help you stand out and attract more clients. Focus on your strengths and develop expertise in a particular niche to differentiate yourself from other freelancers. Are you just going to work with real estate agents? What about lifestyle brands? Healthcare? Restaurants? Hone in and it will make your life easier, I promise.
Network. UGH, I am not a fan of networking. It just feels SO cringy to me but it is a necessary evil. Networking is key to finding clients and building your reputation as a freelancer. Attend industry events or panels, join online communities like Facebook groups, and connect with other freelancers and potential clients to build relationships and expand your network.
Manage your finances. Another ick of mine is money. I am terrible with it but you obviously have to be on top of it to have a successful business. I personally like to keep private money diaries but love being a nosey b and reading other people’s. Keep track of your income and expenses, set aside money for taxes (typically like 30% of your income!! remember this when setting your rates!!) and emergencies, and create a budget that allows you to meet your financial goals. I like Wave for my invoicing platform and it is easy to add in expenses from there.
Provide excellent service. A given but if you do rockstar work, the work will keep coming. Be a good communicator and email responder. Be willing to go the extra mile (but be cautious that you’re not being taken advantage of) get your shit in on time and just be proud of the work you do. This will make referrals more likely and I am a firm believer that you get back what you put out into the world so put some good out there!!
Follow these steps to a T and you will be successful! No, I am totally kidding but I do hope they help. My biggest advice is don’t give up. Being a freelancer and business owner means that not only are you the worker bee but also HR, marketing, accounting, sole decision maker, and more. 🥲 But its a rewarding career and I wouldn’t change it for the world. YOU GO GLENN COCO!
xx- Emily