Choosing and building a skill for freelancing
The possibilities for freelancing are limitless. Any valuable service to an individual or business can be turned into a part-time or full-time freelancing gig.
So you've realized that you must provide a positive ROI with your service. But which one should you go with?
Some examples:
Marketing
Design
SEO
Writing blog posts
Copywriting in general
Building apps
Facebook ads
Google ads
Video editing
Photography
Automation (with Zapier or other tools)
I could keep going, but you get the idea.
So how do you pick a profitable freelance skill?
If you make a lot of money for your clients, they will pay you a nice fee. When considering a new skill, ensure it will provide a significant return on investment.
Look at your current skills, interests, and natural affinities
For example, if you already work at a graphics design agency, get into that. If you have no skills, pick the one you think you'd be good at.
Perhaps you're more technical and want to work in web design. Maybe you are more artistic and prefer writing. I chose product design because I enjoy doing all parts of the design process — from research to testing. You may have different strengths or interests, so do what works best for you.
Ideally, the skill you select will increase your clients' profits. That is how you can charge astronomical prices while remaining valuable.
Consider the learning curve and average wage
When deciding on a career path or a freelancing skill, you should consider factors such as the average freelance wage and whether earning that average salary will allow you to afford the quality of life you deserve.
I'd start by writing everything down on a single piece of paper. Every available freelance skill. Then I'd eliminate those that clearly don't interest me. Believe me, you will recognize when something does not pique your interest.
However, if you are unsure whether a particular skill is for you, I recommend trying it for a while. You could be taking a couple of quick free courses related to the subject.
You repeat that process until you have either one skill that you continue to practice until you are completely perfect and can call yourself an expert, or you have a couple of skills that you are interested in and decide to consider other essential factors such as learning curve, average wage, your time, and everything else involved.
Ask yourself these questions (or take Career Assessment Test)
The possibilities for freelancing are limitless. Really. Any valuable service to an individual or business can be turned into a part-time or full-time freelancing gig.
So, how do you decide what to do? You ask yourself some questions:
What am I talented at doing that I also truly enjoy?
What service do I find myself doing for friends or family, often for free, because I'm good at it?
Am I willing to spend a lot of time, possibly some money, to regularly take educational courses to become an expert in this freelancing profession?
Am I also willing to invest time and money to market this freelancing business?
Aside: Freelancing isn't for slobs. While you're marketing yourself to potential clients, you should also be working on improving your skills regularly. You must demonstrate that you are worth the rates you charge them. It's not always easy initially, but once you've built up a steady flow of clients, doing what you love and doing it yourself is a fantastic feeling.
Another thing to consider: if you're asking yourself the above questions and getting nowhere, do a Google search for Career Assessment Test. Your responses to the questions may assist you in identifying your strengths.
Find a line of work that interests you
You can find success as a freelancer if you choose a line of work that interests you. I've seen freelancers who love writing but take on virtual assistant or web development work to supplement their income. But eventually, their lack of job satisfaction shows up in their work quality, and everything falls apart!
You are a student, so sign up for ANY freelancing site and look at the types of jobs listed there. Take a few hours, if not days. Set up a spreadsheet to compare the various jobs, and add your own pros and cons to each to see exactly what you can do. However, be realistic.
Clients appreciate freelancers who can complete tasks quickly and on time. If you believe that a particular field of work, such as website development or writing, has jobs that excite you about the time, effort, sweat, and sometimes even tears you can put into it, then congratulations! That is the skill required if you want to work as a freelancer.
Work on your communication skills
Also, practice your written communication and email etiquette. It is always beneficial. I've been working for over 11 years and have only met a few clients in person. And they keep coming back to me with new projects.
Many skilled freelancers are far more talented than I am, but most are careless in how they communicate with their clients or prospective leads. I try to be as polite as possible. That is what my clients appreciate about me.
Eventually, the best communicator gets the job, not the best practitioner.
— Alex Dovhyi 🇺🇦 (@dovhyi) September 8, 2022
Yes, there will be clients from hell too. However, as long as you stick to your principles, are polite, and deliver quality work on time, you can establish yourself as a dependable freelancer. Your job pool will never be empty.
Now that you've chosen a freelancing skill, it's time to...
Build a profitable freelancing skill
Marketable skills take time to develop, and this post series is not intended to teach you any of them. Having said that, I can offer some general advice. My first piece of advice is to stick to free or low-cost education. I would not advise you to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on an overpriced course.
Use Google, YouTube, and books instead. A diverse set of low-cost education will benefit you more than a single expensive course.
As an example, I'll use myself. I've never taken a design class. I simply used free resources and a few foundational books, then learned by doing. I recommend that you do the same.
It's understandable if you're nervous about working with clients before you're good at what you do. You can work for little pay to gain experience. This could be with a client, friends, family, or an entirely fictitious project.
A $497 design course won't teach you what designing something every day for 6 months will.
— Daryl Ginn (@darylginn) July 7, 2022
This will not only improve your skills, but you will also have a portfolio to send to potential clients. You should now have a reasonable skill level and a few samples to send.