Of course, it also goes without saying that if the client sends you a message, respond as fast as possible. I know I’m guilty of seeing a new text message and deciding I’ll respond later… DON’T do that with clients!
Do that, and your clients will love you, and THAT’S how you get referrals. Doing great work is important, yes, but that’s a given. It’s an expectation. You don’t get any bonus points for being a good designer. You get bonus points (and raving fans) by being a human being that clients love working with.
Maybe you’re familiar with the “belt system” that’s common in many martial arts: white, blue, brown, purple, and finally, s xgdpblack belt. This system of milestones is ingenious. It gives the practitioner reasonable goals to achieve, and instills in them a sense of progress, a feeling that they know where they stand.
Milestones also make it much easier for you to split up payments throughout a project. For larger projects, 3 payments might be less risky for you and better for your cash flow than one or two payments.
It’s truly amazing. I’ve been a freelancer for so long, I can hardly remember what a fixed schedule is like. I try to carry more gratitude for how lucky I am to have this lifestyle.
There are lots of designers out there. But there are not a lot of designers that can also handle the roles of marketing, sales, and customer service. Therefore, if you can be that person that does everything, you’re more valuable to the marketplace and will get paid more.
This is the one that initially drove me to be a freelancer. Honestly, I had a hard time imagining myself at a desk every day just clocking in to complete a task. Over and over and over. For years.
If you want a step-by-step guide to literally walk you through the process and details of going from zero to 6-figures as a freelancer, I can highly recommend checking into Ran Segall’s course called “The 6-Figure Freelancer”.
From a young age, I was captivated by technology. From early computers to the latest smartphones, I always sought to understand their workings and potential. It took years of exploration and self-learning to realize that my passion could be more than just a hobby; it could be a profitable career.
Over a decade ago, I took the plunge into freelancing. Armed with skills in web development and graphic design, I began offering my services on online platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. Here’s how you can get started too:
Today, my passion for technology has not only brought me financial stability but has also allowed me to live my dream of being an entrepreneur. Through my Medium account, I’ll continue to share strategies, tips, and lessons learned. Join me on this journey and discover how you too can turn your passion for technology into a successful career. 🚀💻
In recent years, the tech industry in the UK reached a milestone value of $1 trillion. As the sector booms and the world continues to propel itself towards ever-increasingly digital societies, it’s no surprise that more entrepreneurs are jumping on the bandwagon.
Whether you’re fresh out of education, an old-school industry expert, or a passionate tech newbie, every entrepreneur has to be open to a lot of learning. The more you educate yourself, the higher your chance of creating a product or service that truly resonates with your audience.
This includes your technology niche. If you haven’t already, learn everything there is to know about the technology you’re interested in until you’re an expert in the field. Stay on top of all the latest relevant news and read around your industry, too, ensuring you’re always clued up on what’s happening.
It’s also wise to get to grips with all things business, as well. Read up on everything from creating and managing invoices (using accounting software such as Xero or FreeAgent can help with this), how to handle late payments, and how to accept card payments from your clients (e.g. using Stripe or Sumup card readers), to what your audience expects from your services or products as a company, creating a marketing strategy, winning new clients, and making sure you’re prepared to build a brand.
To learn more about markets, you can make a start by listening to tech and business podcasts, watching reputable YouTube videos, and keeping on top of industry news. There’s also plenty of published market research available on the internet, so do some digging to see what you can find out about your audience.
As a freelance tech company, you’re going to need a network. Your connections will spread the word about your business, offer you advice when you need it, and perhaps even become your first clients. You never know who knows who, either, and one network connection could lead to a whole host of other useful people for you to get to know.
Start developing your business plan. Remember, you can work on this document as you go, adjusting it and fleshing out ideas, but creating the bare bones of a plan early on will help hone your focus.
A business plan should detail everything anyone interested in investing or partnering with your brand needs to know. If you take on employees or contractors to help with freelance work, they can read your business plan and gain a good understanding of your business model, too.
Hire a HackerAlthough it isn’t always too expensive to start a freelance business, in the tech world the costs can be high. Once you’ve developed your business model, it’s smart to look into funding options if you want to take your brand further.
There are a number of options for generating funds from investors, including seeking out angel investors, crowdfunding, and asking friends and family if they’d like to invest. Look into government grants, too, which can help your freelance business get off the ground without having to give away a percentage of your profits.
Get your idea up and running with a minimum viable product (MVP). If you’re starting a tech freelance company that fixes computers, for example, your MVP could be a website that allows clients to book from an initial offering of limited services. For tech products, your MVP will be the basic features and minimum development it takes to get the item or software up and running.
Your MVP should solve your audience’s needs in the simplest way possible. Once it’s developed and deployed, ensure you ask for customer feedback (and opinions from your trusted network) to continue building your brand based on what your audience wants.
Start with creating a website either by learning how to code, using a website builder, or hiring a developer to do the job for you. Be sure to set yourself up on Google My Business and implement SEO best practices to ensure your website sits at the top of the search results pages.
You should also start social media marketing. This is particularly good for startup freelancers as it can be done on a shoestring budget. Look into which platforms are the best to reach your market and invest some time into getting to grips with how to market yourself well on these.
Starting your journey as a freelancer is always exciting! Hopefully, these tips have given you plenty of inspiration for your tech startup and a clearer idea of what you need to get started. Be sure to check out more on Free-Work for useful guides, blogs, and resources to ensure your tech business is a roaring success.
This guide is not just a PDF, a video or an article. Alldone Guides are actually actionable. You get the guide pre-filled into the Alldone workspace so you can check off a task when you have done them, you can plan when you want to do what and so on. Here is what you get:
Freelancing offers an incredible opportunity to control the way that you work. As a freelancer, you have the freedom to work from anywhere at any time. You get to create your schedule, set your own hours, and decide which projects you take on. These perks are why many people decide to start freelancing part time as a side hustle or make it their full-time job.
Businesses are using freelancers as part of their business models. The Upwork Research Institute explored freelancing trends in the summer of 2024 and found that 48% of CEOs plan to increase freelance hiring over the next 12 months. Employees are also turning to freelance talent, with nearly half (49%) of full-time workers relying on freelancers to address critical gaps to help them do their work.
Being self-employed and taking on freelance work can give you more control over your career. Working remotely and setting your own hours can also help with work-life balance. Start freelancing as a side hustle to earn extra money and gain experience or approach it as a full-time career.
“I started out with infographics. I went on Upwork and saw a lot of projects looking for infographic design. So I just built three pieces for my portfolio. I created three infographics, and started applying with these pieces and I started getting infographic design work. And soon that helped me build a portfolio of infographics.”
Once you've identified your skills, you'll need to market them. To do this, understand and explain how your skills can help a prospective client. Try to put yourself in the shoes of your ideal clients. Consider the problems that they have and how your skills can resolve their issues.
Remember that clients are looking for a solution to a problem. To be a successful freelancer, you need to understand the client’s situation and use your service to address their issue. You can then speak to your client's pain points in your profile overview and proposals.
Come up with a brief description of your freelance service that helps you sell it to companies. Try to concisely explain what you can do, how you do it, and what types of business or client it helps. Don't worry about the price yet; we'll get to that in the later steps.
Now that you have a freelance service to offer, you'll need to find a target audience. Start by identifying the type of clients who will be a good fit for your service. Do these clients have a shared problem and common characteristics? Are they in a specific industry?