With the prevalent shift in the corporate and business realm, it isn’t surprising that the freelance workforce is dramatically expanding. Globally, many people work as freelancers and their reasons shall surprise you. From immense flexibility, and remote work, to competitive pay, freelancing is becoming an incredible choice today for many.

The latest findings indicate that 47% of the global workforce is freelancing. Precisely, freelancers are professionals who work for businesses on a short-term basis. They can also work part-time or full-time depending on the projects. In this new piece, we present the significant ways through which freelancers can thrive in their careers.

A Reliable Guide to Building a Thriving Career in Freelancing

The freelance workforce is an established field worldwide and studies show that the US has the biggest freelance workforce. Freelancing offers a competitive edge to working professionals. Currently, you don’t need to remain a full-time mom, but you can also freelance to grow professional-wise.

Freelancers also have a higher power to decide which projects to accept or reject. They can also choose the number of clients to work with during a given period. Additionally, freelancers can work from the convenience of their home coworking spaces. However, as much as the freelance market is powering economies, there are certain factors one must consider to establish a thriving career in this realm and here they are;

1. Research

As much as you may want to establish yourself as a freelance professional, there are several things to keep in mind. Career trends are ever-changing and so is the pay scale. This means that understanding the most in-demand careers today can impact your market opportunities.

It should be noted that building a thriving career will also depend on career development chances. There are many times when professionals opt for careers with limited scope. A career with limited scope will hinder personal and professional development.

You will also have to evaluate your expertise in a given field. Your expertise and competence are what cultivate success chances in the freelance field. Therefore, consider researching the most reliable freelance jobs that can offer good pay and as well enable you to build a successful career.

On the other hand, consider seeking guidance from long-time freelancers to help you understand more about freelancing.

2. Define Your Career Goals & Objectives

Do you want to temporarily or permanently work as a freelancer? What is the major push factor for your decision? How does the decision impact your career? These are some of the questions you must ask yourself if you are to establish a thriving career in freelancing.

Freelancing is an ideal option when one wants to keep his or her career ongoing in case of a sudden occurrence like relocation. Freelancing can help a professional eliminate employment gaps or reduce their impact.

However, establishing a thriving career in freelancing will highly be influenced by individual career goals and objectives. Freelancing can help a professional attain advanced expertise and job skills without opting for training. It can also improve competence and adaptability in a given area.

It can also help one build a strong professional network that can lead to better opportunities. However, all these depend on individual goals. If you want to expand your reach and increase professional knowledge and earnings, then freelancing is a perfect choice.

3. Build a Network

One of the fundamental mediums for building a thriving career in freelancing is cultivating a professional network. The bigger your network, the better your chances of landing more projects.

It should be noted that gigs are everything in freelancing. When you have projects, that means that you are earning, but without them, this affects your earnings. Therefore, focus on building relationships with your audience.

Partner with reputed companies and work on expanding your project portfolio. Working on a range of projects will help you upgrade your knowledge and expertise at your job. Additionally, build your brand.

There are so many ways you can choose to build a stable freelance business or brand. These include building your digital presence and partnering with companies or digital PR experts. If you are starting a career in freelancing, ensure to cultivate relationships with clients.

Provide quality work that will make you the first option when it comes to outsourcing. Also, stay open to trustworthy clients that are willing to collaborate with you on a prolonged basis.

On the other hand, promote yourself on social media or freelance platforms like Upwork. These can help you receive a wider reach.

4. Learn Time Management

Effective time management is key to managing client projects and delivering them on time. Any freelancer that is a good time manager has an increased likelihood of building a successful freelance career.

The fact that you might handle multiple projects within the same time frame and yet meet deadlines, you must cultivate quality time management skills. Managing time effectively can help you attain a work-life balance and reduce stress chances.

It can help a freelancer nurture and maintain professional relationships. Therefore, ensure to improve your time management skills through strategies like work prioritization or adopting proven techniques like the Pareto Principle. These will help you stay in line with your career goals.

5. Learn Project Management

Another key consideration when it comes to building a successful career in freelancing is by adopting top-notch project management skills. Project management generally refers to the competencies one displays when it comes to handling client projects and staying organized.

Proper project management normally involves implementing time management techniques and leveraging tools to ensure efficiency. Consider tools like Trello, ClickUp, and custom dashboards to properly manage your projects.

Quality project management skills allow a freelancer to attain optimal autonomy in project management. They also increase flexibility and ensure a smooth workflow. So, avoid procrastination, follow a reliable schedule, and identify your productive hours.

6. Develop Excellent Communication Skills

How can you secure more projects and nourish client relationships without good communication skills? Communication is everything in the freelance domain. It is through good communication habits that your clients learn to trust you as a brand.

Also, it’s through good communication skills that professional business habits are cultivated. Effective communication characterized by clarity, coherence, and completeness can pave a way for smooth collaboration.

Furthermore, it is through ideal communication skills that project goals are met. Besides that, it eliminates confusion. Some of the best things to consider to ensure excellent communication are;

• Abide by the proven working hours
• Update clients whenever the project is done
• Monitor projects in the pipeline
• Schedule meetings with the clients

Also, ensure to pay attention to project guidelines, and say no to projects that are beyond your capabilities or those that you won’t complete as per the deadline.

7.Keep It Professional 

With the fact that freelancing highly depends on your skills, it is important to maintain a high degree of professionalism when you are freelancing. Professionalism as a freelancer cultivates reliable work ethics and excellence.

It portrays you as a reliable business partner and one that can keep clients’ confidential information. Beyond that, it cultivates a sense of accountability. It is usually important to display a high level of professionalism as a freelancer and some of the immediate ways to showcase professionalism include;

• Developing a professional image
• Saying “No” where necessary
• Communicating with clients during appropriate hours
• Accepting projects as per your skills while upgrading your capabilities, on the other hand,
• Ensuring self-discipline

8. Cultivate Agility

If you wish to work on more projects and expand your earnings via freelancing, then you must maintain a high level of agility. Agility in freelancing generally means the ability to juggle between tasks while adhering to project guidelines.

It is the ability to easily adapt to changes, meet deadlines, and remain productive. Agility generally allows freelancers to manage multiple projects within the same time frame without feeling overwhelmed.

Adopt agile methodologies like using collaboration tools, project management tools, and time management techniques. Additionally, reshuffle to-do lists smartly and understand the necessary resources before starting a project. This will ensure a high degree of efficiency and work-life balance.

Wrapping Up

Freelancing is an open opportunity for working professionals and the good thing is that one can also freelance besides his or her full-time job. However, it should be noted that certain jobs don’t cater to freelancing, for example, engineering among others. On-site jobs limit one’s likelihood of adventuring into the freelancing arena and this can affect one’s freelancing options.

Therefore, it is essential to first research your area of interest and specialization if you wish to build a thriving career in freelancing. In this piece of content, we’ve looked at several factors that can help any professional build a successful freelancing career. Whether you want to be a full-time freelancer or a part-time freelancer, these tips will work as a perfect guide for you. You will surely learn how to embark on freelancing projects, how to handle them, and how to relate with clients.

Author Bio:-

Jessica Robinson loves to write interesting and knowledgeable blogs regarding business management, education, and life to satiate the curiosity of her lovely readers. Currently, she is serving as a content manager at the ‘Speaking Polymath’. Every piece of content that she writes demonstrates her immense love and passion for her profession.