How To Start and Run a Successful Freelance Business Online

Freelancing is used recently by many job seekers to supplement their income. With the availability of numerous online platforms, the freelance business is now accessible easily and safer than ever. Freelancing online is one of the most feasible jobs you can do without affecting your daily job. A freelancer works with a number of companies, organizations, and websites without necessarily being employed by any of them. Freelancing means offering of skills in a self-employed manner to different clients. Freelancers mostly dictate their time even though they have to meet deadlines and company’s business expectation. Basically, it entails the use of your skills and ability to get contracts to augment your daily income. It’s not only the money, it is beautiful for many reasons.

Types of Jobs You can Do Online As A Freelancer
Data entry

Creative writing

Assisting Blogs

Transcription

Translation

Web design

etc

How to Start A Freelance Business Online
Well, before you start, you should be sure of the reason why you want a freelance job online. Once your goals are set in your mind, then you are the one that will determine largely your success with freelancing online.

• Define your goals – It will be a very difficult task to get to where you want to reach if you did not clearly set up your goals.
• Finding a profitable niche – By taking your time to find a more profitable niche, you are accurately seeking out an industry and you will find customers who value quality.
• Identify your target clients – Ability to attract right kind of customers is equally as important as getting a profitable niche.
• Set strategic price for your services – Your price of a work should not be based on what your competitors are charging but on the value of the work.
• Build a high-quality portfolio website – This is often the first impression of you a potential client will have, your style, your work, and clients you have worked for. Put your relevant skills, education status and accomplishments on the site.

Skills needed for freelance business online
Here are skills you need to succeed as a freelancer

• Communication and Interpersonal Skills – There is always a need to express ideas and needs of potential and existing customers even other third-party clients or freelancers.
• Problem-Solving Skills – it is normal for unexpected problems to arise during the project and it is your job to tackle these problems successfully.
• Project Management Skills – Freelancer is expected to ensure that any given project is done in line with work agreement on time.
• Basic skills – This consists of different sets of skills required for the specific service you render. Since you will be engaged as an expert or someone with experience and competence, then you should have all these skills and continue learning more.
• Marketing Skills – This is probably the skill you think of when you think of freelancing. Since freelancers tend to have many skills.
• Management Skills – There is always a need to manage others such as hiring a virtual assistant for routine tasks. Time management and stress management is also important
• Negotiation Skills – Freelancers must be able to work with clients to institute an acceptable project agreement and terms.
• Networking Skills – must be able to network, both online and off to develop relationships with potential customers.

Tools Required for freelancing business online

There are a number of free and paid tools for all aspects of freelance and this makes it easy to maximize what you earn and make your business more efficient. Here are some of the tools you can find handy;

• Research skills – Available as its own research and development department. They must keep abreast of new trends and technologies in order to discover what is best for your business. self-employed should also do research on future customers.
• Collaborative Working Tool such as Google Drive.
• Effective Communication Beyond Email tools like Asana.
• Meetings set up tools e.g. Oovoo and Skype
• Time Management tools for Productivity. For example, Wrike, Toggl
• Marketing tools and platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+, MailChimp
• Brainstorming tools such as MindMeister
• PandaDoc for document signing
• Networking tools
• Website Hosting clients

With the availability of these tools in your freelancing toolbox, you should be able to build a scalable and profitable business online with a strong customer base, full of prospects with stable cash flows, enhanced productivity and creativity.

Best Places to earn as a Freelancer

In October 2015, 54 million people living in the US only have done a freelance job in the past year. That’s about 34 percent United States workforce. With so many freelance work available everywhere, the freelance marketplace has grown tremendously. Many job sites have grown to connect buyers and sellers in this market for profit using a simplified platform that eliminates most of freelancing complications. Here are some of them.

Toptal

Upwork

guru

crowded

Freelancer

PeoplePerHour

Simply hired

fiverr

Having a Freelance business Online is a great way to make money and apply improve your skills at once. It is easier than working part time because of the privilege of working from home at your own schedule. And if you have skills in consulting, writing, design and so on, it is a great way to dip your feet into the freelancing industry and exercise your skills probably in a part-time position. Your freelance projects can actually boost your resume to a great extent.

ByAngela Scott-Briggs

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