Being a freelancer, a new career path can be an open, successful experience. The aspect of being able to work on projects of your own choice, charging the rates you desire and working in locations of your choice is enormous. The freelance world is also very competitive and to make it, you must be able to do the right skills. Be it an aspiring writer, developer, designer or consultant, some of these skills will take you ahead and assist you towards creating a successful career as a freelancer. This article will discuss the necessary skills that you require to become a freelancer in 2021.
Time management and Self-Discipline
The decorum of freelancing is one of the largest dilemmas involved; timekeeping. As a freelancer, you are the boss, and no body is going to tell you what to do. This fact implies that you have to be disciplined and motivated enough to work on time, and be productive. In the absence of any office and normal working hours, one is likely to go into procrastination or lack of focus.
Good Suggestions of Time Management
- Set Goals: Divide your work into little manageable jobs. Track deadlines and progress with the help of such tools as Trello or Asana.
- Make a Daily Schedule: Having the flexibility, you still need to have working hours and adhere to them. A routine may also increase your productivity and help avoid burnout.
- Track your time: Another tip is to check where you spend your time with time-tracking apps such as Toggl or Clockify to keep you on the right track.
Time management and discipline is a necessary ingredient to quality work within the stipulated time and effective work life balance.
Communication Skills
Successful freelancers must be able to communicate well. As a freelancer, you are going to be having different clients with different backgrounds and industries. Effective communication aids in ensuring that the client and you are at the same level in terms of project expectations, timing, and deliverables.
Major Communication Skills in freelancing
- Listening: This is how you can accomplish your intention of providing value to a client by understanding their needs. A keen listening to their needs also makes you provide them with what they expect.
- Writing: Most freelance communications are done through messages or emails and are thus required to be clear, short and professional.
- Negotiation: It is an arbiter in the discussion whether it is on rates, timelines or it is about the scope of the project, the ability to negotiate is an essential skill. It assists you in promoting your worth and having an equal working relationship.
The positive interaction with clients will result in improved cooperation, inability to lose each other, and success in the projects.
Technical abilities and proficiency
The essence of any freelancing business is that of being technologically skilful in your area of concern. As a web developer, a graphic designer, a content writer, or a digital marketer, it is necessary to possess the skills making you a valuable person to the clients.
E.g. Technical Skills
- Web Development: Web developers should know programming languages (e.g. HTML/CSS, JavaScript) and frameworks (e.g. React, Angular), and web development tools.
- Design skills: As a graphic designer and UI/UX designer, ability in design software like Adobe Photoshop, illustrator and Figma is crucial.
- Internet Marketing and SEO: As a digital marketer, knowing marketing tools like SEO, Google Analytics, among others is a key to being successful.
Clients employ freelancers because of the nature of expertise that you provide, therefore be sure that you keep upgrading and perfecting your technical expertise to be competitive.
Client Relations Management
Developing and sustaining good relationships with the clients is part and parcel of freelancing. Good relationships with clients will result in repeat clients, referrals and good reputation within your profession.
Client Relationship Management Hints
- Establish Expectations Early: Have clear expectations concerning what you are able to supply, prices and deadlines. Before commencing, make it clear to the client the scope of the project.
- Be responsive: Whenever a client makes an inquiry respond immediately. Professionalism and trust are supported by good communication.
- Periodic Request of Feedback: Request feedback in the project on a regular basis. It demonstrates that you are concerned about the quality of your work, and you would make more adjustments in case they are necessary.
Through good relations with the clients you will stand a better chance of getting a repeat business and reviews.
Financial Management
Being a freelancer means that you have more control over your revenues (it is also one of its advantages) and this requires financial discipline on your part. Freelances pay their own taxes and rates as well as maintaining their cash flow. Lack of financial management can make you face cash flow problems or lose significant deductions.
Important financial management skills of freelancers
- Rate Setting: Avoid undercharging, base your rate on what you can do, and what the industry is charging or the complexity of the job. Never undercharge on yourself, careful also that you don not overcharge of services you offer.
- Invoices and payments: Send professional invoices and monitor payments with invoices tools such as fresh books or PayPal. Make it clear regarding payment (e.g. deposit to be paid upfront, payment to be paid after work is done).
- Tax Planning: One is the tax planning that will most probably require you to pay self-employment taxes being a freelancer. Save up on taxes and think about simplifying your finance with the help of an accountant.
It is important that you get your finances in control so that you can be able to sustain yourself on a steady income, afford your expenditure and save funds in the future.
Promotion/ marketing and Self-marketing
Being a freelancer, you are your own marketer too. Regardless of how excellent you may be, when clients are unaware of your presence, there is no way they will hire you. Marketing yourself is crucial in doing this to win clients and develop your freelance career.
Self-Promotion Techniques
- Achieve an Online Portfolio: An online portfolio that contains your best work and which is organized well is one of the best methods of attracting clients. Add on case studies and testimonies of clients to establish credibility.
- Social Media Presence: LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter will help you to demonstrate your skills and attract new clients through communicating with them. Post on a regular basis about the industry trends and your own work.
- Networking: Participate in online conferences, webinars and freelancing conferences. Connections between other professionals offer ownerships and referrals.
The greater you advertising yourself, the greater number of clients are bound to identify you and to hire you out on the freelance assignments.
Flexible thinking and Problem-Solving
It is hard to predict freelancers who often have difficulties with urgent deadlines, unattainable clients, or technical problems. Due to the nature of freelancing, flexibility and the ability to be critical are important in overcoming the bumps.
The answer to this question has been my developing capability of being adaptive
- Welcome to Change: Clients can ask to make changes or change the focus on the project. Adaptability and being able to adjust to new conditions is a professional approach and may result in positive consequences.
- Problem Solving: Freelancers can face the problem of working alone and should be able to get out of difficult situations. Problem-solving is also the most important skill whether it is in solving a coding bug or thinking outside the box to solve a design problem.
The skill of solving problems in a short period under pressure and being flexible to change will ensure that you do not easily panic even in the difficult situations and will do quality work.
Conclusion
Freelancing provides the McDonalds style of liberation but it also needs its own learning. Technical skills and communication to financial management and marketing, these are some of the main skills that you need to master in this business so that you can establish a successful career as a freelancer. It is possible to expand your freelancing business and become a success with each of your freelancing projects in the long run by constant learning and remaining flexible and adding value to your customers. If you still are not actively developing these skills, it is time to start and you will attract a lot of success in working as a freelancer.