7 things every Freelancer needs to do

I have touched a few times on the pros and cons of working freelance, for yourself and from home and while it really suits my lifestyle it can be a bit of a balancing act especially when you throw in kids, travelling a lot, running a home and all the life admin that goes along with it. With more and more people working in the digital landscape as well as those deciding to start up their own business and taking the leap into opening a store, hairdresser, garage etc its always going to be a bit of leap of faith but being prepared is so important. If you are like me and a working freelance mum then do check out my post about how to succeed as a work from home parent.

If you are thinking about going on your own, becoming a freelancer or starting your own business then you need to consider the following.

1. Timing

Make sure it's the right time to take the leap. I decided to not go back to may place of work after I had my first child, I had a couple of months with maternity pay while building up my blog income and once my maternity stopped I realised I was making almost the same as I was at work and felt it was the best time to make the leap and I haven't looked back. So it's wise to build up your business as much as you can before leaving your current work because if it starts to take off you will have no other option but to drop one of them. Also try and be as financial stable before becoming self-employed as you may take a pay dip for the first year or so.

2. Have a clear business plan

Know your audience and what you want to achieve and be very clear about that from the start while still be flexible with regards to potential change. If you don't have a vision things will become difficult down the line and knowing who you are targeting, where your clients come from and how to market to that really is the key to success.


3. Learn Discipline

As soon as you start working for yourself it gives you a lot of freedom but also a lot of responsibility as the buck stops with you with regards to how productive you are with your day. Whether your working from home, out of a co-working space or a shop you need to learn discipline and not procrastinate or become distracted as you want to get the most out of your work hours as possible. Do try and keep things exciting and if you need a change of scenery for an hour or so give yourself that time but also commit to being productive and getting work done.

5. Register with HMRC

One of the first things you need to do when you become self-employed is register with HMRC for tax return, this is an essential step and cannot be overlooked as it's your responsibility to communicate with HMRC on your earnings no matter how small or big they are. Also consider getting insurance for your business even if you are an individual working from home it's important to have yourself covered should anything unexpected happen.

6. Invest in yourself

To be able to do your job to a high standard you need the right equipment. Working as a content creator I know that every few years I need to update my laptop (remember when my laptop blew up), camera and phone as these are essential tools which cannot be overlooked. Yes you can mend and make do for a while but whatever industry you work in your need to have the right tools, for example if you were a barber and every year or so invests in a new clippers and scissors and the same would go for if you started your own garage and needed auto repair software to make your business run smoother.

7. Learn to hustle and deal with rejection

It can be hard out there, there will be times you will lose out on a campaign because perhaps someone undercut you or you were simply not what that client was looking for but don't get disheartened. You need to learn to put yourself out there and also deal with rejection as it's all part of the parcel when it comes to working freelance. If people don't know who you are and your business is hard to find then you need to go out and work on your marketing, approach people, go to networking events, always have business cards on you and email people of interest who make need your skills, the worst they can say in no and at least you put yourself out there.

Part of putting yourself out there is also working on building a solid social media following, a place where you can share your services and skills with your followers in a genuine and organic way. As time-consuming as this can be you do need to invest time on all the main platforms, such as Instagram, tiktok, facebook etc, this can be a slow process and a following does help build your authority in your niche so while working organically is always best there are ways to jump start this such as using Cheap Twicsy TikTok followers to get going. 

The great thing about working for yourself is you set your ours and also for many millennials it means you can work from anywhere and become digitally nomadic and travel more which is a major bonus but you also need to be realistic and put the work in. I hope these tips help you get you on your way and if your looking fora little inspiration on what to do from home check out this post about 5 interesting work from home roles.

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