Being
a freelancer means a lot of freedom to plan your own days at work, but it also
does require discipline and planning. Being your own boss, you need to be good
at making the right rules to succeed. Most of these tips sound just like common
sense, but actually remembering everything when it’s needed isn’t necessarily
as easy as you would think.
Different
rules work for different people. Having worked as a freelancer on and off for
over 6 years, I’ve created this list of my best tips on how to succeed. Maybe
you already use several of these or versions of them, great! Hopefully you will
also find a tip or three that can help you to succeed in what you do! :)
1.
Make a marketing/business plan
This
should be the first thing you do. Even though you have all the info needed in
your head, putting it on paper will give many advances and definitely be worth
the extra work. Not only will you that way be «forced» to think through
important issues and possible challenges before they occur, but it can also be
a lot easier for you to get the needed help from potential business partners or
investors when you have a good business plan to show them.
2.
Plan your days ahead
Allow
yourself an hour or so at the beginning of each work week, or the last hour of
the previous week to plan the upcoming week. Then it’ll be easier for you to
plan how to spend your hours to reach the deadlines you have upcoming. The more
ongoing projects you have, the more important this is.
3. Use free software
3. Use free software
Starting
up as a freelancer can be challenging economically, and by choosing from all
available and good free software you can save a lot of costs without
necessarily having to give up a lot of functionality. Free doesn’t have to mean
it’s not good software, there are more and more options available every day so
make sure you check out what can be used related to your business. When you buy
a computer, camera, tablet or printer make sure to check out the software that
comes with it as well. You may be in for a positive surprise.
4.
Create an eye-catching logo
To
look professional and catch those potential clients in a tight market, requires
hard work when it comes to branding yourself. Creating an eye-catching logo (or
getting someone to do that for you if you lack the skills yourself) can make
you seem more professional and easier to see. The power of a good logo and
actually using it on business cards, websites and such will give you that
professional look which could be the extra inch needed to catch the attention
of a new client.
5.
Learn to say NO!
If
you don’t have the time for another client at the moment, it’s important to be
able to realize it and say no. It is the fairest thing to yourself, your
existing client and the new ones that knock on your door. Worst case scenario
is saying yes to too many and it having consequences for existing clients. You
always want to make sure you have enough time to give your current clients the
best service you can. A client too many could be the thing that lowers the
quality of all your work.
6.
Make a blog/website
In
this Internet age that we are, having a website of your own can mean a whole
lot. Not only does it make you look more professional but it is also a gateway
to new clients. Many do surf the net to find people for their next projects and
if they can’t find you online they won’t know you’re there. Do you already have
a website or blog? – great! But to maximize its value to you it’s very
important to update it regularly. If new clients visit your site and see that
you haven’t updated the content for a very long time, that might just be the
reason for them to choose someone else instead. Updating regularly will require
an hour of your time every now and then but can pay back multiple times
rewarding you with new clients.
7.
Give your online visitors something free
Giving
something extra to the visitors on your website always is a good thing. If you
work as a designer you can for example consider putting up some free textures
or buttons. This will give your site more visitors and potentially more clients
for you. Or how about offering every visitor a percentage off on their first
order with you? Again, this could be the extra thing needed to stand out to new
clients.
8.
Use social media
Social
media is where many relationships are made these days. No matter which country
you live in, using social media can connect you to potential clients and
partners all over the world. Twitter is a must, and you should consider
Facebook and also forums related to your business. If you are a designer
consider having a look at deviantArt and YouTube aswell. In several of these
media you can advertise for your own business as long as you make sure to not
spam it too much.
9.
Get allies
Having
allies can mean everything. Connecting with people through social media or even
spreading the word of your business through friends and family can get you just
that word out there that you need. Also making relations with people who can do
things for the clients that you can’t can help, you give the clients a more
complete package of what they need. One day you are the one sending a client to
an ally that can offer a more suitable service in that case, the next day you
could be the one having clients sent your way.
10.
Save for rainy days
Even
though your business may go really well, there can and probably will come a bad
month or two every now and then. Being a freelancer is being vulnerable to
changes in the market. My advice would be to save up a little bit of your
income each month, save it in an own savings account so that you have it as a
safety buffer for when times get rough. You sure wont regret doing that. It
would be a shame if a couple of small bills would ruin everything for you in a
bad month.
11.
Be creative
There
are many ways to be creative, to get new clients or to make better use of
equipment and office space. Some examples can be to upgrade an existing
computer if you can’t afford a new one, redecorate a spare room if you can’t
afford the rent for an office outside of your home. Add a new product or
service to your current list or ask friends or family if they know anyone that
may be in need of your services. The options are many, all you need is to try
think a bit out of the box.
12.
Reward loyal customers
If
the market is tight you need to do what you can to have your customers back a
second and third time. Being friendly and service minded is always a must, but
what about giving them a discount the second time? Or sending them special
offers of various kinds. Use your fantasy and implement these things into your
business plan. Make customers want to come back and you will have the best
possible chance to survive.
13.
Treat every client as if he is the only one
Giving
existing customers good offers as mentioned in the previous tip is important.
But remember to be service minded. If a customer feels important that will make
him more loyal as well. Use positive language when you talk or write to him.
Don’t be afraid to say that you will go out of your way to make sure he is
satisfied with the product/service he is getting. And remember to let him know
that feedback is appreciated. That way you can keep making your services more
and more attractive and get happier clients. Don’t forget that existing clients
can be the best advertising you ever get!
14.
Work when you are at work
If
you have decided to work from lets say 8am to 4pm every day, then do so. If you
have errands to run, private mail accounts to check, private phone calls to
make and so on, these will quickly eat of your much-needed work time. Make a
promise to yourself to only do this when you are not supposed to work, as in
before or after work or during your lunch break. It may not seem that much to
you, but I’ve seen several great freelancers getting their days completely
messed up because they were not good enough at managing their time properly.
15.
Know when to start and stop
Just
as important as actually working when you are at work, is starting when you
should and stopping when you should. You may have to prepare yourself for
working extra hours every now and then to keep your business alive, but it is
very important that you have free time too. You need to recover and get your
mind filled with other things or you will get burned out and ruin things for
yourself. The more hours you work at once, the less productive you get. So
remember to follow your own rules on when to start and stop the day at work.
16.
Keep your finances tidy
Keeping
your finances tidy probably sounds easy, and it can be – as long as you keep an
eye on them regularly. No matter how small a business you are running you will
run into trouble if you only spend time on billing and accounting once or twice
a year. Set up dates for when you pay your bills, when you send out invoices to
clients and to make monthly budgets. Not only will this make it easier for you
throughout the whole year but you will be able to fix errors quicker, do
adjustments if needed and so on.
17.
Remember to breathe
Breathe
you say? Yes ;) And by breathing I mean that you need to take care of yourself.
You may be freelancing using a computer or two, a camera or other tools, – but
the most important tool will always be yourself. And just like any other tool
you will be in need of some defragging and polishing yourself. Remember to
continue to spend time on your hobbies, friends and family even if you have a
busy work schedule.
18.
Get out of the house occasionally (especially if you work from home)
If
you have a home based office it’s important to get some fresh air. Book some of
your meetings somewhere else, meet business partners for lunch, or spend an
hour or two working from a library or coffee shop with your laptop if you can.
The change of scenery may boost your energy level/creativity and give you a lot
back.
19.
Make an inspirational string
Rough
days come and rough days go. Simple as it may sound, having something around
you to remind you of why you are working this hard can be what you need to get
some extra energy on that one difficult day. Make your own inspirational
string! Take a piece of string or use a cork board/whiteboard, whichever you
have available. Add a picture of your kids, of the vacation spot you are saving
to go to, or maybe a car you hope to be able to buy. Add some of your favorite
inspirational quotes or pictures, whatever inspires you really. And there you
go, your own inspirational string! Taking a look at it when you are close to
giving up or when a day is extra stressful can work wonders for you. You should
give it a try :)
20.
Be humble
No
one is born an expert or world champion. If things go well or you feel on top
of things it can be easy to get a little bit too confident, which can be bad
for your reputation and bad for the quality of your work. You should always aim
to be humble, listen to your clients on what they want. Give them your
professional opinion when needed but in the end it is the client that generates
your paycheck. Also remember to willingly take advice from colleagues or others
who have been in the market for a while.
21.
Look professional, in every way possible
You
have the logo, the website and so on and things are starting to look pretty
good. Remember to also meet clients with respect, look presentable and be
polite. Being your own boss doesn’t mean you can talk or act in any way and
still keep your clients. Remember that.
22.
Ask for feedback
Not
only should you have comments enabled on your website but you should also ask
your friends/family/allies for feedback on your work. And most important of
all, after you have finished your project – ask the client what he thinks. Not
only do you get a great chance to improve but the client also feels important.
Getting someone else’s opinion is always good and this will help you to become
even more successful.
23.
Always carry a notebook around with you
It
being a normal notebook, your iPhone or any other digital form of “notebook”
you should carry it with you and remember to take notes. This is for many
reasons. Not only can you unexpectedly run into a potential client or an
existing one, but you may come up with valuable ideas when you are on the bus,
on the plane or basically anywhere else. Several times have I had amazing
ideas, not had a notebook, forgotten the ideas and seen them used somewhere
else a year later.
24.
Take the time you need!
This
is so important, it can’t be mentioned enough. Same as with the tip about
learning to say no. Once you have said yes to a project you need to make sure
that you take the time needed to do the best you can do. Handing over a project
that is half done will not only give you a client who won’t come back, but it
can give you a bad reputation. Your clients are your best references to show in
the future and no one want a freelancer who leaves the work half-finished.
That
was my first article here on 1stwebdesigner, and I hope you enjoyed it and
found the tips useful.
Feel free to leave your own tips or feedback using the comments, and good luck in the world of freelancers! :)
Feel free to leave your own tips or feedback using the comments, and good luck in the world of freelancers! :)
SOURCE: 1ST WEBSITE DESIGNER