Eight Beginners Tips for Working Online as a Freelancer

If you’ve recently decided to start working online as a freelancer, you can look forward to a number of different things. Working your own hours, choosing your own projects and simply being your own boss all await you. Those new to the idea however tend to find the transition stage a little bit trying. Among other things, suddenly having to tell yourself what to do each day can take quite a bit of getting used to. Should you be looking for a little bit of guidance, here are eight useful tips for those starting out in the world of online freelancing.

Save Some Money First

When you start a new job, chances are you know what you are going to be earning during the first six months. Unfortunately, when it comes to freelancing online, you have no such privilege. Trying to find well paying clients during those first few months can sometimes be difficult. And this fact is disheartening enough without having to worry about paying the bills at the same time. Therefore, if you haven’t already taken the plunge, make sure that you have a little bit of cash in the bank before you do.

Don’t Compete on Price

Another important reason for having some money saved is that if you want to get started on the right foot, it’s important that you don’t offer people your time too cheaply. Many people new to freelancing offer very low rates to attract new clients and gain experience. Doing so is often counter productive however as few clients are willing to pay more for what they were once getting so cheaply. You should therefore set your rates to what you consider yourself to be worth right from the beginning.

Keep a Strict Schedule

Some people start out thinking that provided they sit at their computer and put in the work every day, all of their deadlines will magically be met. Unfortunately, however, this is simply not the case. Meeting your deadlines requires that you have a schedule in place that governs just what you do and don’t do each day. Simply sitting down and working on whatever you feel like is a recipe for both procrastination and disaster.

Focus on Being More Productive

If like most freelancers you find yourself getting paid per deliverable rather than per hour, it’s obviously going to be important to work on your productivity levels. Although there are many fancy tips and tricks out there for doing so, the easiest way to be more productive is to simply work. When you’re at your desk attempting to get something done, avoid doing anything else. Stop checking your emails, stop taking phone calls and leave the house work for another time.

Weekends are not Optional

If you try to work seven days a week, not only are you going to end up being less productive but if what you do is even remotely creative, the quality of your work is going to decrease also. Unless you are a robot, you need at least one day off per week. If you cannot afford to take at least one day off, you are obviously not charging enough.

Look for Clients in More than One Place

Many freelancers make the mistake of only looking for clients in a single place. There are many different sites available to look for work and it’s important not to limit your search to just one of them. The going rate for different jobs can vary from site to site, and you never know where your next long term client might be found.

Don’t Bite off More than you can Chew

A common mistake made by those new to freelancing online is to take on more work than they can realistically handle. While it can be great when the offers start rolling in, the number of clients on your roster is always going to be determined by how many projects you complete on time, not by how many projects you agree to start.

Set Up a Web Site

Finally, don’t attempt to freelance online without your own website. Although you don’t need anything fancy, you do need a small site that includes samples of the service that you provide. Not only can you use said site to illustrate your work, you can also include general information about the service that you provide. This will save you having to repeatedly answer the same questions from potential clients. Depending upon your SEO skills, you might even find that your web presence can lead to clients coming to you rather than vice versa.

About the Author: Robin Cole placed a setup of colocation in Orlando to conduct his freelancing business online. He has great knowledge about online freelancing jobs and gives some good tips on how to start off with an internet job and earn profits.