Guest Post by Nabeell Shahid, Founder of Grace Business Solutions
As I forecast tomorrow, I see many freelancers or solopreneurs shaping up as Entrepreneurs, maybe the factual practice of technology is helping them get more business or ample amount of sources to grab assignments is making it happen but I fear that how many of those entrepreneurs will survive in future if this induction of freelancers continue to increase. The art of freelancing is from starting up as a freelancer developing into a solopreneur & becoming an entrepreneur, starting with almost no assets to filling up your bag with multiple assets, starting as one & making it a team.
Following traits have been derived from the element that freelancers have to be self-starters who are confident enough to sell themselves and their skills to the crowd.
1. Brand Yourself
A freelancer must be able to market himself. People have to be able to sell themselves when it comes to making others believe in their abilities to do a task well.
“If you are unable to sell your ideas in the open arcade, freelancing is dubious career for you”
If a freelancer wants to appeal an employer, he has to give that employer an impression to believe that this freelancer is best suited for the task. When it comes to freelancing, the competition is boundless. If one fails to sell themselves, there will be hundreds of others who will joyfully take their place. Time to time as you grow with experience prepare/update marketing materials and develop new marketing messages that address your clients concerns, their changing values, and their priorities for each tasks. It doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do if you can’t effectively market your services to potential buyers. You have to make them aware of you, and be able to “sell” them on your services as compared to your competitors.
2. Bilingual – Work Smarter
“Become bilingual”, learn not only the language of your skill but also the language of business and commerce, you have to be multi talented in order to compete successfully in the freelancing arena, you will need to do all the work yourself: have and implement visions, create and follow through on action plans, generate and develop ideas and file and follow up on invoices. In other words, you will need to simultaneously hold and sustain the big picture and the minute details. It is the freelancers who understand how to make the clients trust them who are the winners.
I want to emphasize, the huge majority of clients don’t know anything about Java or Psd files–they only want a good job done by somebody, preferably at an affordable rate. The Internet is a global marketplace and freelancers should embrace a more commercial profile. Communicate enough with your clients so that you can accomplish the tasks you were given. A balanced communication style is the key to success. One of the primary reasons many freelancers lack personal interaction is because clients can come from all over the world. Most freelancers have the ability to do work for clients regardless of where they live, and as a result, the local aspect of the business is often overlooked.
3. Self Discipline
Since you have no boss, no one looking over you as a freelancer, you are both an Employer and an Employee where your talent is in your Asset. Your work even spreads into your emotional and romantic life. It is not necessarily skill that makes a person a successful freelancer, but more of a combination of self-discipline, dedication, and hard work. Freelancers need to track revenues, expenses, and even their own work schedules. They need to be able to work without supervision. They need to be self-driven and self-directed. All this being said, you still have to watch out for number one—you. It is not productive to procrastinate by washing dishes or taking the dog for a walk, but it is also not productive to compulsively work 24/7 and leave no time for yourself, family, and friends. Your business will be tumbling down if you are emotionally or physically ill or burned out. Returning to that strategy mentioned earlier, you need to set specific days and hours you will work and not work. There are always exceptions, such as a last-minute deadline. Yet, you cannot expect to think about work and nothing but work. Home offices can snare people like this. They can be very magnetic and draw you in on at all hours if you are not careful.
4. Patience
To become a freelancer, a person must first be prepared for the foreseeable: rejection and failure. Every freelancer receives rejections, and while these denials may be more than discouraging at first, they are no reason to give up on the dream of becoming a solopreneur. A person who is determined to prosper as a freelancer must maintain a positive attitude at all times and must go into every project with the intention of succeeding. It is “the fuel” of your persistence.
It is unpardonable for any freelancer to not have enough patience when he or she is working with a client. Usually, a client has a vague idea about their project and how it should be done. Some customers are paying more, some less, but a professional in any field should pay attention to all clients regardless of the size of their project. A pleased client is one who receives the needed explanation from the hired specialist. We all know that not all people are experts in web design, development, or SEO. Patience is always good to use when dealing with employers.
5. Pro Active
Be pro active not reactive, I also think there needs to be equal parts determination and creativity thrown into the make-up of the ideal freelancer. You need to be ambitious… hungry—thinking about tomorrow. It is certainly not for anyone who is lazy. Unless you have a partner, you will be brainstorming with yourself. You have to go with your gut and think on your feet. Being proactive is about being anticipatory and taking charge of situations. In a creative climate proactively is anticipating difficult times of years, months and even days.
6. Willing to Learn
A considerable fact is that the freelancers who have the tangible staying power are those who are lifelong learners the ones who are constantly seeking out ways to improve their skills and grow their business. There are a lot of people who do freelancing and you can get caught up in the competition. And yes, there are a lot of fields that you can penetrate in order to be in the know. You have to be focused on the details and make sure that all the details are correct to be a good freelancer. By daring to go on a new path, you’ll have the opportunity to advance new skills, and eventually enjoy more competitive rates as a freelancer.
7. Entrepreneurial
Numerous skilled professionals chose to begin freelancing careers as solopreneurs. While it’s true many decided to work alone not because of a strong entrepreneurial spirit but simply to maintain some cash flow, it appears that a significant number of these new independent workers found that they liked the environment. On the Internet, you can build both personal and business relationships without actually “meeting” the person.
Working for yourself is vastly different than working for a company in that you must have vision in order to sustain your enthusiasm. Without it, you’ll never be able to convince someone to hire you. You really have to love what you’re doing because sometimes it can be a gigantic pain in head. But if it’s something that you really believe in, you don’t mind all those hours you put in. They are attracted to challenges but not to risks. It may look like they are taking high risks, but in actuality they have assessed the risks thoroughly.
So whether you’re currently a freelancer or considering moving into freelancing reflect your own personality traits, behaviour, practices and devote some time getting to know yourself. This does not means that these are the only behaviours required to prosper, but they would most definitely constitute a strong foundation from which to improve yourself and move forward with your career as a freelancer.