What Is Freelancing, Who Are Freelancers, What Do They Do, How Much Do They Earn And How Do You Become A Freelancer?
Dear Netpreneur,
In this article, we will talk about what freelancing is and who are freelancers and many more things you need to know about freelancing. You can call this “The Ultimate Guide To Freelancing”
Today you will discover:
- What is freelancing and who are freelancers;
- Why this direction is so popular in recent years;
- How to find a freelancer job;
- How much you can earn;
- Which direction is worth choosing
What is freelancing in simple words?
In recent times, you can often hear the words freelancing and freelancers. If for some citizens this is a mysterious word, then for others it is a way of life. So, what is freelancing?
Freelance is a remote “free” job. A special type of employment, where it is not necessary to officially get a job and carry out orders of the authorities during working hours, since in this direction everyone decides on their own, with whom to cooperate and what services to offer to customers. For some, this is a simple part- time job, while for other citizens it is a stable, good income.
Who Are Freelancers?
Some still do not even guess who the freelancer is. Translated from English, “freelancer” is a free specialist who works for himself via the Internet.
He is looking for the customer, and also decides on what work to do and sets the schedule. Work freelancers can both with one, and at once with several customers.
In most cases among freelancers, you can meet representatives of creative professions. Although recently remote work involved engineers, consultants, teachers and many others.
Finding a job today is very simple. All that is necessary is to visit a special exchange, register and start actively carrying out work.
In practice, freelancers earn 1.5-2 times more than ordinary office employees. The incomes of successful free employees range from 50,000 to 100,000 per month. There are, of course, stars that have their own business and receive more than 100,000 a month. Everything is real – the main thing is to work hard and get to your dream.
Fields of activity of remote work:
1. Copywriting. It’s earnings to write articles solely based on your own knowledge. If you are an expert in a certain field, you can write author’s useful advice. The texts are necessary for everyone today, so you will not remain without work. For a convenient search of orders there are copywriting exchanges.
2. Rewriting. If you do not have enough experience and knowledge, this direction will help you. In this case, you need to carefully read the finished article on the Internet and just rewrite it in your own words. The main thing is that at the output you get a completely unique material.
3. Translation of the material. It should be noted right away that this is a very demanded activity and well paid. All you need is to translate small articles and get paid. Just do not expect that you will be able to translate the article with the basic knowledge using an online translator. Customers only need quality work.
4. SEO-optimization. This unknown word is well known to those who are engaged in the creation of their own sites and their promotion. This is a very good profession with high pay, which requires special care and experience.
5. Administration. Today among the vacancies you can meet such a position as the administrator of the project. But who is this? This is a person who leads groups or projects in social networks. It will be required to always be online and control all actions: remove mate, spam, and other obsessive advertising.
6. Programming, layout and creation of sites. It should be noted right away that special knowledge is needed here. For some, this direction is from the realm of fantasy. Thanks to this kind of activity you can earn good money.
7. Design. Today without design anywhere. To choose this type of activity, you need to be able to use all graphic editors. As they say, the main goal is to make beautiful and stylish. The designer can earn good money.
As you can see, there are a lot of directions, so everyone can become a freelancer and start earning at home.
Why freelancing is becoming more in demand?
Why are more and more people choosing remote freelancing today, calling it a trend and claiming that there is a future behind it? If you look closely, today freelancers are students, pensioners, mommies in the decree and office employees.
Probably, the whole demand is freedom of action and self-realization. Thanks to this direction, you no longer need to get up at 6 am, quickly run to work and go in a crowded bus.
If at work all the time you were told what and how to do, then only the wishes of customers and complete freedom. What could be better? No bosses or envious employees, no penalties for late or non-fulfillment of the plan.
But do not forget that remote work is, in turn, an interesting job with which you can combine several directions at once and constantly evolve. Working with so-called “office plankton” can hardly get good skills and engage in what brings positive emotions.
Every person has hobbies. They can bring not only positive emotions but also good money. There are a lot of directions in freelancing.
Pros And Cons Of Freelancing
As in any direction, there are positive and negative aspects in this sphere. Before you start remote work, you should carefully study them. Let’s start with the positive.
The advantages of freelancing:
- Free work schedule.
This is perhaps the most basic thing that is appreciated by people who have chosen this direction as their main job. You can decide how many days a week you will perform work, which days you take a weekend and when you go on vacation.
The main thing is to fulfill the order on time. You can wake up and go to bed at a time convenient for you and do not worry about the fact that you have to get up by the clock.
- Work at home.
What could be better than doing work at home with a cup of fragrant tea? You no longer need to spend time on the road and communicate with unpleasant colleagues. Working at home, you are in a comfortable environment, next to your close people and decide with whom to communicate.
- It does not matter where you live.
If you look at the level of wages, then in large cities it is much higher than in small cities. At the same time, specialists are the same everywhere. This is the biggest drawback of the usual work, because the salary depends on where you are geographically employed.
As for freelancing, it does not matter where you live. You get paid only due to your abilities.
This is the most pleasant thing that a freelancer has. Immediately it is worth noting that the level of income here is unlimited. Your earnings will depend on what kind of work you do. In some areas, payment depends on the number of works performed, while in others, on the quality.
- Quiet work.
Tranquility is what many citizens appreciate. No more nervous clients who will bother you and ask different questions. The same goes for the nervous bosses, who often swear and load useless work.
- Ability to combine work and travel.
Some might think that you cannot work and travel at the same time. Everything is real if you work as a freelancer. All that is necessary for work is a computer or a laptop with access to the Internet and some free time.
As mentioned earlier, any work has its drawbacks. Consider what they are in the remote work.
Cons Of Freelancing:
- There Is No Fixed Salary.
For many years, many citizens are used to doing the same type of work and getting a fixed payment. As for remote work – it is difficult to find an employer who will agree to pay a fixed salary for the work done.
- Search For Customers.
Do not expect that you just register on the freelance exchange, and orders will be poured on you. You should look for customers, submit applications and actively develop.
The competition in this area is quite large, but finding a permanent customer is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.
- Downtime In Work.
It is necessary to be prepared for the fact that you can have downtime in your work. This, of course, will affect earnings. Downtime is usually only for beginner freelancers. With experience, you will be able to develop a base of regular customers and perform work on an ongoing basis.
- There Is No Control.
If for some this is a huge advantage, then for an ordinary person this is most likely a big flaw. There may be ordinary laziness. If you plan your schedule yourself, you can just relax and lose productivity.
For any work should be treated very responsibly. To earn well, you need to control yourself.
- Risk Of Non-payment.
This frightens many novice freelancers who are afraid that they will spend time, do the work and do not get paid. It is worth noting immediately that this happens, but very rarely. To prevent this from happening, it is only necessary to look for customers on trusted freelance exchanges.
- Necessary Equipment.
All that you need for work, you have to buy at your own expense.
In the event of a breakdown, no one can quickly fix the problem and you will have to solve all the problems that arise. In practice, it is enough to buy a personal computer or laptop, which is almost everyone’s today.
How to become a freelancer: step-by-step instruction
If you are tired of office life and work on a strict schedule, then it’s time to become a freelancer. At the same time, it is necessary to consider that starting to work as a freelancer at home should be correct. Consider how to start working properly and what to pay attention to.
Step-by-step instruction:
- Learn what freelancing is.
Any work begins with learning the basics. This sphere was no exception. If you have not heard anything about this area before, then you should carefully study everything.
Also, special attention should be given to the direction and to understand which one is right for you. The undoubted advantage is that you can choose a direction that does not require special knowledge and skills.
- Workplace.
You must prepare the workplace. It is necessary to take into account that for a good work you need a high-speed Internet. You should always be in touch, as the acceptance of orders and the delivery of work is carried out in real time.
The same goes for the personal computer. To work, you need a technique that will allow you to perform tasks as quickly as possible.
Recently, freelancers prefer not computers, but laptops. It is convenient and allows you to perform work in any place convenient for you: at the table, on a comfortable couch.
- The price of services.
Once you have made a decision, which direction suits you, you should understand how much you can earn. A minimum and maximum payment is taken into account.
You should clearly know yourself the price and not work for a penny. And, of course, do not go too far and ask for more fees, if you just start cooperation and do not have a rich experience. Everything comes with experience and it must be taken into account.
Experienced staff advise for remote work to create a special electronic box. This will not confuse personal life and work. Thanks to this, you can quickly get the necessary information and not be distracted by private messages.
You can indicate your business address in your portfolio or use it when registering on stock exchanges.
Also, it is worth considering that a separate mailbox is good. But for quick communication, it’s better to use the services of social networks.
- Registration on the exchange.
To find your first customer who will provide work, you need to register on the freelancer exchange. The most famous exchange for today is freelancing.ru.
When registering, try to specify as much personal information as possible. It is necessary to take into account that the customer, before entrusting the work, will necessarily look at your questionnaire and portfolio. The more competently you write down all the information in your application, the more likely that the customer himself will offer you cooperation.
- Search for the first orders.
After all the preparatory work is done, you can start looking for a customer. To do this, you need to visit the “orders” section on the exchange and study all the offers.
Every day several thousand orders appear on the exchange. The main thing is to carefully study the task and see the payment.
Do not immediately recruit many orders; you should start work with one. Once you do it, you can take on the next one. It is important to count your opportunities because after not performing the work on time, you can get a negative feedback and get on the customer’s blacklist.
- Quality execution of the order.
You have to do your job qualitatively to get new orders and good feedback. Do not forget about the timing, because they are not “rubber”.
Also it is worth taking into consideration that in most cases freelancers receive payment for an electronic wallet. Do not be afraid of a virtual currency. To receive, you simply need to register with the payment system and receive a personal account number for free.
How much do freelancers earn?
How much can a freelancer earn? This is the most popular question that arises in all newcomers who have decided to give up office work and start earning while doing what they love.
The main mistake of many newcomers is that they believe in beautiful advertising, expect to receive big money and do nothing about it. Immediately worth noting – this is fantastic. To make good money, you should work well.
It should also be taken into account that in each field of activity there is a range of payment. The more useful information you know, the higher your payment will be. If in some direction the size depends on the number of completed tasks, then in the other direction – on the quality.
If you approach work responsibly and devote at least 8 hours to remote work, then you can earn from 50,000 or more. As for the beginner, the first time will come out a smaller payment. But do not give up and always need to strive to move only forward, develop and get more cash.
As experienced freelancers advise, you should clearly understand how much you want to earn. The plan will need to be divided into the number of working days.
Is the real amount for daily earnings? If so, then everything is in your hands. The main thing is to strictly follow the task set and perform its work qualitatively.
Today in freelancing you can meet many successful professionals who receive more than 200,000 per month. Their achievements are shared on the World Wide Web.
The most demanded freelancing profession
What directions are available, we have already briefly considered above. Let us consider which directions are most in demand.
How to earn freelancing:
- Graphics editor.
To attract new customers and expand the client base, your business needs well-designed promotional materials: leaflets, business cards, brochures, etc.
To qualitatively perform the work, you need to be able to use graphics editors. And, of course, it is necessary to be creative and to follow the novelties that appear in the field of design.
- Developers of sites.
Almost every firm seeks help from specialists to create its own website. This is a well-paid sphere of activity, which requires special knowledge.
It takes several weeks to complete the work, but you will be pleased with the payment. Creating an “empty” site without information costs an average of about 100,000. The cost of publications is discussed separately.
Example. You have a store selling cosmetics. To increase the customer base, you find a freelancer developer who creates an online store. But just create a small website, you need to correctly place information about each product.
The buyer must visually see what he is getting, examine the characteristics and understand how much to pay. If new products will appear, you will need to seek help from a specialist again and ask to publish the material for a fixed fee.
- Developers of mobile applications or games.
Today even a schoolboy knows what a mobile application is. Order applications, usually a cafe or online stores.
As for games, this is an excellent direction, with which you can make good money for development and creation. Some site owners order games in which to invest.
This is an excellent direction, which everyone can do. Just do not have to think that it’s enough to buy a good camera and start taking pictures. If you set a goal to become a successful photographer and earn well, you will not only need to learn how to take high-quality pictures but also to process them.
Everyday citizens use the services of photographers: weddings, children’s parties, presentations or exhibitions. Some citizens are asked to just take some good shots in a special studio or in nature.
- Video Operators.
With the advent of YouTube, the attitude to video content for marketers has changed slightly. If earlier long videos of the company’s activities were filmed, today they prefer short, well-assembled clips.
Large firms actively order advertising, instructions or small presentations. If you learn to do your job not only quickly, but also qualitatively, be sure – from customers there will be no release.
- The accountant.
Not all firms can afford to hire an accountant. But what if you need to prepare reports? In this case, you can use the services of a freelancer for a fixed fee.
At the same time, a remote accountant can keep a record of several companies. What is most attractive is the permanence. It is necessary to do a good job and then the companies will contact you constantly. The vacancy of the remote accountant is not only very much in demand, but also well paid.
This is a great direction if you can teach others something useful. Today, it is not necessary to personally meet with the client, since training can be conducted on Skype, and payment is accepted on a bank card or electronic wallet.
Good money will be able to tutors in English and musicians who can teach playing the guitar.
Tips for beginner freelancers
If you have thought well, clearly weighed all the advantages and disadvantages of remote work and decided to embark on a free voyage, then it is worth sticking to a few basic tips.
Tips that will help a beginner at the beginning of his career:
No wonder they say that it’s never too late to learn. To learn new material and to develop it is necessary always, irrespective of, in what sphere you work. Today, you can easily find educational videos, thanks to which you can immediately understand how to work in the required program.
Do not forget that the Internet is also a lot of freelancers who are ready to teach you for a fee. If you understand that paid courses will benefit you, then you should not save and you should buy them.
Remember, the money invested in knowledge will help you earn much more.
- Do not look immediately for expensive orders.
If you just registered on the freelance exchange, then do not look immediately for expensive orders. Customers are willing to pay well only to proven freelancers who already have a good portfolio, rating and positive feedback.
The authority will need to be earned and this cannot be avoided. Only after a while, you can count on more expensive orders.
To get as much useful information as possible, you should visit a special freelance forum. Today, every exchange has a forum where participants in the system share their knowledge.
If you want customers to offer you a job themselves, you will need to make a good portfolio. If you are a beginner, it’s okay. Begin to do the work and gradually fill this section.
- Constantly improve.
It must be remembered that there is no limit to perfection. Try to constantly monitor the latest trends in the sphere in which you provide services. Constantly read professional books and communicate with more experienced colleagues.
Even if you are sure that you know everything, attend special courses. All this will help you to become better and achieve great success.
In conclusion, it should be noted that freelancing is a very interesting direction, which is actively developing in Russia. More and more citizens prefer to do their favorite work, independently manage their time and earn well. Only having a great desire can achieve good results.
Guest Post By Emmanuel Akor
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