Hello everyone! My name is Emma Lenhart, founder of the Broke Girl’s Guide To Freelancing and I used to be a broke girl.
Seriously. I was working as a nanny, making less than minimum wage my entire senior year of high school, and really disliked the job. I was working 5 or 6 hours after going to school all day, and I’m not the “best” with kids to begin with…
So, I quit. I knew that I needed to find some new way to make money, and I wanted to actually like my job for once. And guess what was my saving grace? Freelancing.
If you are unhappy in your current job, looking to express yourself creatively, and work for yourself…you are in the right place. This post is a snippet of my new e-course, “The Broke Girl’s Guide to Freelancing”, which launched August 17.
Here are some of my best tips for starting out as your guide to freelancing:
Start small
When entering the freelance marketplace without any previous experience, look for bite-sized jobs that you feel confident in completing. Don’t start off with a 6-month long, intensive project. People looking to hire will become comfortable giving you more control as you grow your work history.
Constantly be looking for ways to improve
Freelancing is not a stagnant job, which means that you can be moving in and out of several jobs and projects all within a month or two. Because of this, you want to be on your A-game at all times. Look for ways to grow your skill set and knowledge in your field. Some of my favourite ways to do this include: Youtube, Lynda.com, webinars, and online e-courses.
Build relationships
Getting to know the people in your freelance field can be used to your advantage. Approach people in your niche with a helping hand, not a competitive attitude or jealous stare. You can learn so much about others workflows, strategies, and successes through genuine friendship. A great way to reach out to other freelancers is through Facebook groups or LinkedIn.
Related: Read the article on the art of networking for the introvert
Attract like-minded clients
Working as a freelancer means that you are your own boss. Sure, you are going to have people that you will have to give services to and report back to…but you ultimately choose who you work with, for how long, etc. Because of this, make sure to establish the type of clients you want to work with. Do you like creative people, who think out of the box? Strict deadlines and schedules? Decide on this and keep it in the back of your mind when accepting/declining job offers.
Pay yourself well
Freelancing is supposed to be liberating and freeing. Don’t try and limit your potential, or salary! Be real with how much money you want to ideally make as a freelancer, and strive to reach that goal through your daily tasks. If your ideal income seems out of reach, find ways to grow your value and expertise (see previous bullet point about this) and eventually raise your freelance rate.
Related: Three Tips For Creative Women Starting A Business
I have so much more I want to share with you about becoming a freelancer and starting your new career journey, but I can’t squeeze it all into just one blog post.
Don’t fret! You can unlock all of my secrets to freelancing in my e-course “The Broke Girl’s Guide to Freelancing”, which teaches you exactly how to jumpstart your career as a freelancer. I’m sharing all of my best kept secrets, in hopes that I can help some broke girls change their lives!
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Emma Lenhart
17 August
Thanks so much for the feature! Excited to share my tips with you all 🙂
http://www.emmalenhart.com
Melissa Javan
27 January
Very informative, thank you. I like the “start small” concept – I never really thought about it.