Introduction
I’ve been freelancing for over a year now. When I started out, I wasn’t sure how things would go. In fact, there were many days where I wondered if this whole freelance thing was going to work out at all! But thanks to some of my first clients who gave me feedback and helped me refine my services and messaging, along with a lot of hard work and persistence, my business is finally starting to grow. And the best part? This growth has given me the freedom to quit my job for good! So if you’re thinking about quitting your job too—or just starting out on your own as a freelancer—I want to share some tips from those first few months that have helped bring me here today:
Recommendation #1: Start with your current network.
The first thing you should do is get yourself some clients. This can be a difficult task, especially if you’re new to freelancing, but there are many ways for you to find clients.
One way is through your current network of friends or colleagues. If you’ve been working at a company for a while, chances are that some people in that company would be happy to pay you as an outside contractor. Many freelancers begin their careers by taking on work from their former employers or colleagues they know at companies they’d like to work at someday.
Another method is reaching out directly via social media or emailing coworkers whose jobs interest them and asking if there’s any work available (and also mentioning that you could use the extra cash). You can even offer these people discounts if they’re willing!
Recommendation #2: Be generous.
Be generous.
Be generous with your time, be generous with your knowledge, and be generous with your money. If you want to quit your job and reach financial freedom, you have to start giving value to others now. You have to show people that they should hire you for what you can do for them because the work is worth it. If you don’t have any clients yet, then this means that those two people from DMs must be the ones who will give their trust into hiring someone like us who has a lot of potential but no experience or track record yet in order for us not only ourselves but also our business become successful someday soon!
Recommendation #3: Don’t be weird.
Don’t be weird.
As a freelancer, you’re going to have to deal with a lot of people who are not your ideal client. Even if you do what I recommend in this article and only work with people who are an ideal fit for your business, there will still be plenty of other people that contact you through DMs or email or phone calls because they don’t know any better. They just think “Hey! You’re a designer! I need some design work done!” and then they get disappointed when it doesn’t work out because the real problem is that the two of you aren’t a good fit for each other. The best way to avoid being lumped into that category is by being friendly but also professional at all times—and by not being weird!
Recommendation #4: Stand out.
Recommendation #4: Stand out.
It’s easier to sell what you’re good at, and it’s easier to be good at what you love. But you need more than just the right combination of these two things; you also need a unique story and a memorable name for yourself. Think about how many people are out there trying to do what you’re doing, and how much noise they make in their marketing. How can your business stand out from the crowd?If it doesn’t have a “wow factor,” then why would someone choose yours over someone else’s? You have one chance to make an impression on them — in fact, if they don’t remember who you are after your initial contact, then that means they didn’t find value in what you offered them enough times to remember!
Recommendation #5: Make it easy for people to help you.
- Make it easy for people to help you.
The easiest way to make this happen is by making it easy for people to say yes. Have a clear, simple pitch that explains what you do and how it benefits them in just a few words. If someone asks, “What are you doing?”, be able to answer quickly with your elevator pitch. A good test is that if someone asks if they can help you out for free, without hesitation say “yes” and let them know how they can do so—this shows that not only are you willing to accept their help but also gives them the confidence that they can actually be of assistance because there’s no catch or hidden agenda behind the request (i.e., “I don’t need any actual cash”). This will make it easier later on when they decide whether or not they want pay for your services!
- Make your business as easy as possible for clients/customers: There are tons of ways people who are interested in working with us could contact us—phone calls/text messages/emails/etc.—but most importantly we want them not having any excuse not reach out right away because there’s always something holding back progress.”
Recommendation #6: Talk about the benefits of your services to your audience.
Recommendation #6: Talk about the benefits of your services to your audience.
You need to talk about the benefits of your services to your audience. You do this by telling them how they will benefit from using them, and why having you on board is more beneficial than doing it themselves or buying a product off the shelf. It’s not enough to just tell them that they need a certain solution—you also have to convince them that you are the best person for providing it.
All you need is two clients and you can quit your job.
I’m going to tell you the story of how I left my job and became a full-time freelancer. But first, let me tell you a quick story about what happened when I went backpacking in Europe for two months:
When I got there, I was ready to go! I had done my research on what languages people spoke where, which were good places for solo travel and which were not so good. And as soon as I landed in Lisbon, it was off to the races! But then something strange happened: The first week was uneventful. There were no long walks down cobblestone streets with interesting architecture or richly colored boulangeries with mouthwatering pastries or anything else that seemed worth writing about here. Instead, each day felt like eating French fries at McDonald’s every morning; it was just another day passing by without much thought put into it — until suddenly it wasn’t anymore because that Monday morning turned into Tuesday afternoon and then Wednesday evening before realizing “Wait! Have we even made any progress?”
But after some time passed came our breakthrough moment — an interaction between two strangers on an airport tram — when one person approached me while waiting behind them at security gates asking if they could borrow my glasses so they could take their contact lenses out before boarding their flight (which would normally have been impossible due to strict security rules). They offered me money but since money isn’t really useful there anyway (most things cost way too much), instead agreed upon payment by handing over both lenses so we could trade them back once done removing contacts from eyesight entirely (which again would normally be impossible due to strict security rules).
Conclusion
I want to leave you with two important points. First, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Asking for a recommendation is never going to be easy, but it’s also one of the most powerful things you can do as an entrepreneur. Second, don’t give up! If there’s anything I’ve learned from starting my own business, it’s that even if your first few clients don’t work out (like mine didn’t), keep going. There is always another opportunity out there waiting for you!
