Execute and Optimize
05
Being a freelancer means you have to constantly be on your A-game. It’s a career in which you have to constantly be working hard to help retain the clients you have, whilst securing new leads for any future work. The work you provide as a freelancer is important because when you’re selected by a business or individual, they’re expecting value for money. Here are some helpful tips for doing awesome work as a freelancer.
Regardless of what you do as a freelancer, remember that every client or customer is different. With that said, you might need to focus on offering a tailored experience for each and every person or company that pays for your services or products. By giving them the best experience first-time around, you better your chances of them coming back.
That’s what most businesses and freelancers will want when it comes to customers - repetition.
As a freelancer, your work and effort is naturally set at a higher expectation and standard than those employed within a company. So with that in mind, being comfortable or putting yourself into a position where you’re not pushing or challenging yourself is risky.
Always look to see what you can do better and how you can make your services or products better than they are already. There’s always room for improvement because nothing is ever perfect!
When it comes to freelancing, staying organized is key. Why? Well because there’s a lot of elements to juggle that aren’t typical of someone who works full-time in a company. Not only are you managing yourself but you’re effectively running a business. If you work with clients, then you might have multiple clients on your rosta and so that can prove quite challenging to manage.
If it’s chaos, then that’s only going to have a knock-on effect with everything else. Try to find things that help whether it be using an online tool or software to structure your day a bit more efficiently.
It’s very easy to see the dollar signs and get sucked into that mindset of everything you do as a freelancer, being about money. That’s definitely not the case and if you do have that mindset, then it could certainly end up hindering your efforts to be more successful with your work.
There are going to be times where you don’t earn a lot of money and times where you will. Focus on nurturing leads and creating those incredible customer experiences that are going to bring them back again and again. That’s where the money lies and that’s where progression and success can also be made.
Doing freelance awesome work takes time and growth is part of that work. As mentioned above, try not to get comfortable or set in your ways. Challenge yourself as a freelancer and always strive to do better in everything that you’re doing, day in and day out.
80% of freelancers are happier than people working the traditional 9-5. What’s not to love? But, like any career, there are a few common issues, normally around clients. Luckily, we have some advice on how to manage these client freelance problems like a pro.
You’re getting ready to invoice your client, and they turn around and say they’re unhappy with your work. How do you handle this?
There’s always that one client that just doesn’t want to pay out. Here’s a few ways to reduce risk for your business:
They ask for status updates every day, they look at costing with a magnifying glass and set you impossible tasks and deadlines. You could manage them by:
Now extra work is great, right? But how do you avoid project creep? You can handle this by:
Your client asks you to do something a bit borderline, or create something you know won’t benefit their business. What do you do?
Freelance problems might arise in a variety of different ways, but generally speaking will fall into these categories. The key is to be ready for them so you can keep growing your business. What’s the worst that can happen? You no longer work together. Sometimes clients will be difficult, the key is to develop relationships with the ones that will benefit your business.
As a freelancer, you need to have a system in place that is going to maximize your potential for growth and success. A freelance system is how you do and conduct yourself as a business and so having an optimized one in place can certainly be beneficial. Here are some tips on how to optimize your system as a freelancer.
Your workflow is something that’s going to be different from every other freelancer out there. There are certain processes that you’ll have as a freelancer that work for you but that don’t work for others. With that being said, when it comes to optimizing your system, you want to refine the workflow so that it matches exactly what you need from the process itself from start to finish.
It might be that there’s more focus on the initial consultations with clients or that you spend more time on collaboration parts of the process. Look at what works for you as a freelancer and what doesn’t. Make a habit of refining and tweaking your workflow constantly where necessary.
There are going to be weak points in your system. We all have weaknesses as individuals and businesses are exactly the same. As a freelancer, you are your business and so it’s important to spot those areas in your system that are letting you down. It could be the organization and management of your clients or it could be the quality of the products you provide.
Look at your system in general and find those points that need more of your attention than others. It’s important for the sake of growth for your freelance career.
There are some incredible tools and software out there to take advantage of and they can be a real help when it comes to your freelance career. Quickbooks is a prime example for helping with money management and making sure everything is as it should be with your accounts, invoices and expenses, etc.
Organization software like Asana can be great when you’re juggling multiple client projects at once and need to separate them efficiently.
Your clients are an integral part of the process and that of your system too. So with that being said, it’s good to consider your clients and how you can ensure they remain happy and content with their experience as your customer. Look at the system you provide and where they slot into it. Are they getting good value for what they’re investing in? Look at how you can improve the quality of service and how to better your client’s experience from start to finish.
Optimizing your system as a freelancer takes time but you’ll get there. Don’t give up and always try to set yourself to a high standard. That can only be done though when you have a system that works for you and you alone.
Have you ever wondered how you can take your freelance to a full-time venture? The challenge of transitioning over from full-time employment in a company to going for it on your own can be difficult to gauge. It’s not just about the money but it’s also about the timing of when you do it and how you do it in order to maximize its chances of being a successful move. Here are some tips when it comes to making the leap to full-time freelancing.
Going freelance isn’t easy and this is particularly so when it comes to your finances. It’s not only difficult for yourself but it may prove challenging to your household or to those who are financially dependent on you as the income provider.
With that being said, it’s essential to prepare your finances and look at how realistic things are when it comes to making the move. It might be that you do have the ability to go freelance or it might not be possible yet. It’s worth assessing your finances but also looking at your budget. How much do you need in order to live the same lifestyle you have now or to simply afford your bills and everything else you pay for?
A portfolio or evidence of your work is really important for your freelance career, especially when you’re only starting out. For example, if you’re a writer and want to do freelance writing, start collating all your writing experience and examples. Any published works or unpublished works should be brought together under one place so that it’s easy to see for those individuals or businesses you pitch to.
Another way of creating a portfolio is by having a website and this tends to be a common feature for freelancers or those starting their own business. It’s a necessity in today’s world and society that’s driven by the internet and technology.
If in doubt, make it a side hustle to begin with. A lot of individuals who eventually go freelance have been moonlighting until they’re ready to take the plunge. Spend as much time outside of your full-time job as you can to work on your services or products as a freelancer. There will eventually come a point at which you can justify taking it full-time. However, that point is going to vary from person to person and only you will know when the time is right.
There are lots of benefits to promoting yourself online and offline because it builds your reputation. Reputation is important, especially if you’re offering services and need to create a client list. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself or feel as though it’s something that you should be embarrassed about. It’s essential to sell yourself and market your services or products as a freelancer because no one else will.
Use these tips to prepare yourself and find the right opportunity to take that leap into full-time freelancing.
Even the most successful individuals have unproductive days. So what’s the solution? Try harder? No! Willpower alone is not enough. Here are our top 6 list of productivity issues and how to combat them with some freelance motivation.
Maybe you went out the night before, had no sleep, or had a huge bowl of pasta for lunch. You have low energy. What do you do?
You have 100 tasks to do on a Monday morning. Too much work? Perhaps you’re likely to do nothing. Here’s some things to help:
When you start a new project do you find it incredibly hard to motivate yourself? You aren’t alone. Here are some tips to combat inertia:
By nature we are all forgetful. It’s not our fault, we just have multiple distractions to react to. Try the following to fight the forgetfulness:
If you have a side business, you can feel less pressure to achieve tasks without a manager breathing down your neck. Here’s how to break this pattern:
The task seems bigger than you thought, or will take more time than expected. How do you fight discouragement?
Stay Motivated By Making Tasks Simple
There’s no secret recipe for freelance motivation. But you don’t have to rely on willpower alone to complete tasks. Creating simple steps you can follow on your most unproductive days will help you achieve even when you have low energy. Work smarter to maximize your productive days and accomplish even when you aren’t at your best.
Networking is critical for growing your business. Yet so many people hate it. Why? People think that networking seems sleazy or fake. But there’s an art to networking that adds value to both parties. Here’s how to engage in effective freelance networking, and how to leverage it to grow your business.
The simplest way to grow your network is to leverage your existing one. You can do this by:
You don’t have to attend every event! Sometimes less events and more planning is a good way to network. Do this by asking yourself:
Even the most introverted of people can look good with some well selected questions. Some tips for freelance networking:
It’s okay to ask for something when networking. It’s just about how you frame it:
You need to pay attention to your existing network, and not just keep adding to it. Some simple steps are to:
When planned and scheduled, networking can become a natural part of your existing business growth. It can also be fun! Networking also allows you to socialize and develop greater knowledge of a particular sector.
Hopefully, this book has helped to highlight the benefits of freelance work and has further sparked your interest in adopting this working lifestyle. Of course, while the information above gives great insight into freelancing success, there’s always room for further progression. If you’d like to advance further in your freelance and remote working career, you should seriously consider joining a freelance mastery course program. You can find out more about this at mastery.andrejthefreelancer.com.