A Beginner’s Guide For Aspiring Freelancers
How To Start Freelancing With No Experience? | A Beginner’s Guide
My Experience And Insight So Far
The most common question many aspiring freelancers ask is, “I want to start freelancing”, can you guide me? There are messages sitting in my inbox✉ on multiple social media platforms 👩💻 asking “how to start freelancing with no experience?”
So I thought it is a good idea to gather my experiences and lessons so far in one place. In this guide, you will learn about
- What freelancers do?
- What steps an absolute beginner freelancer should follow?
- What’s the most challenging part about being a freelancer and why?
✴What Freelancers Do?
Primarily, freelancers are the independent workforce who offer their expertise from the comfort of their home🏡 instead of a corporate empire🏢. They have more control over when they work and how they work. The client or the customer you serve can only dictate the results they require.
✴What Steps An Absolute Beginner Freelancer Should Follow:
These are the 5️⃣ steps you should follow if you are wondering, how to start freelancing with no experience?
1️⃣Identify Your Expertise, Skill-set, And Area Of Interest:
You might not have experience working through freelancing but you must have been working for someone and got some skill. You might be already an expert.
When I decided to become a freelancer I already held an ACCA Membership certificate 👩🎓 and multiple years of experience in the field of accounting and taxation📑 (Canadian). Additionally, I have been an occasional content writer✍.
If you had no formal training and think you do not have any skills then find out your area of interest or research which skills are in demand.
2️⃣ Start Learning:
Once you pick a skill then start learning. There are lots of Gurus in Pakistan 🇵🇰 providing free and paid tutorials👩💻 and guidance on Youtube.
Hisham Sarwar is a popular Freelance Guru who is really making a difference. His Youtube Channel has tons of videos that you can benefit from. He keeps sharing premium knowledge in his Facebook group “ Learn Freelancing With Hisham Sarwar” free of cost.
He has also founded “Seekhna Seekho Chorot 4” where experts are sharing their valuable knowledge in live sessions. These recordings are still available and you can check them out.
What really makes Hisham Sarwar stand out is that he creates an enabling environment for freelancers to learn, collaborate and network with each other because he firmly believes that “Your Network Is Your Net-worth."
There are many other mentors like Imran Ali Dina, If you want to learn graphic designing visit the GFX Mentor to learn from him.
If you want to learn Whiteboard animation skills JazzyEdits is a go-to channel for you.
You can also find courses on Udemy and take a free or paid course. First, go through all the free resources available all over the internet.
These tutorials and courses will equip you well enough to start offering your skills at an entry level and you can grow from there.
3️⃣Select A Niche:
Niche is a specialized segment in which one is an expert solution provider for the posed challenges.
You have to choose a niche. For e.g. I am a Chartered Accountant so apart from offering accounting solutions I also write content for articles on topics related to accounting and taxation.
Experts say, the more micro your niche the better. This means that if I specifically write about taxes then that would be a micro-niche. I can further break it down and write about US taxes. You got the idea right.
You may want to take some time to figure out your niche. For e.g. I write on “Medium” which I consider a personal space where I experiment with my writing. As I was exploring it was revealed to me that I have a natural inclination to write about mindfulness and awareness.
Initially, you might not get a clear picture of which niche to choose but gradually you will get there.
4️⃣Showcase Your Skills:
Create some samples to exhibit your talent for your potential clients using the following platforms.
✳Behance and Dribble are well-known platforms where you can share and promote your creative work as a graphic designer.
✳Medium and Blogspots can be useful if you are an aspiring content writer and blogger.
There are many other platforms like Wix that you can explore. Find out how can you extract maximum benefit from them. You can even start optimizing your social media platforms and demonstrate your skills there.
It is noteworthy that there are situations when there is no way you can share or create a sample. For instance, I ghostwrite for my clients which means I cannot share the articles I write for them.
Initially, I created writing samples in word or pdf and attach them with my proposals. I now provide the links to my medium articles to my prospective client on Upwork if they are relevant.
There are times when you can only demonstrate your knowledge skillfully while communicating with your potential client as I do when I bid for the accounting projects on the online marketplace.
5️⃣Find Clients:
For an absolute beginner, who is wondering how to start freelancing with no experience and where to find the clients? Here are 3 ways you can consider:
❇Social Media Network:
Social Media Network is a great place to start. Make meaningful connections🤝 with people with whom you share your interest.
Optimize your FB profile and create a FB page to promote your services and showcase your skills.
Search on FB the keyword “Jobs for ____” or “Looking for ___” (Insert your skills in the blank space) and you will find a list of groups that you can join and get work from.
Optimize your LinkedIn profile and keep an eye on the opportunity that you can take advantage of. You can also explore other platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube, etc.
❇Freelance Marketplace:
Register and optimize your profile on freelance marketplaces. The most popular ones are Upwork, Fiver, Guru, etc.
I am a freelancer since 2018. I have been on Upwork for over a year now and have earned more than $1000 there. Here is my profile if you want to have a look.
These marketplaces also have community forums where you can ask specific queries and get responses from experienced freelancers.
I recently registered myself on Workchest which is Pakistan’s first freelance marketplace.
❇Professional Network:
This is where I get most of my clients. If you ever have worked in traditional settings and have made meaningful connections with your fellow professionals as well as the clients you have served, then you are likely to get their referrals and projects.
You can also consider setting up a website to attract high-paying clients.
When you come in contact with potential leads it will depend on your communication skills whether or not you can convert them into your clients. Your consistency will help to retain your clients.
Your expertise and negotiation power will determine your value in the freelancing industry.
✴What’s The Most Challenging Part About Being A Freelancer And Why?
When you step into the freelancing world 3️⃣ challenges will greet you with their arms open.
✅Running A One-man Show:
In freelancing, you are your own boss. It may sound empowering but with great power comes great responsibilities.
When you work for a company, you have a contract with them. You spend 40 hours a week from dawn to dusk in an office space for the same client.
In a corporate culture your superior delegate the task, and you are only focused on the completion of the task within the deadline. At the end of a specific period, you walk home with a paycheck probably on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis.
You don’t have to worry about promoting your skills, finding clients, or negotiating with them. You already did that when the company hired you.
You didn’t even have to chase your customers for payment because your company might have a credit control department or personnel to take care of that.
As you start freelancing, you will have to wear many hats. It takes a lot of self-discipline and patience to run the show on your own. It can be overwhelming sometimes.
Once your Freelancing business takes off you can hire help. But in the beginning, you have to figure out a lot of things on your own.
✅Time Management:
You are likely to get distracted when you have to set your own working patterns because you are no longer answerable to a higher authority. So if you don’t keep a check on yourself things are going to get tough.
✅Dealing With The Setbacks:
you may encounter periods where there will be no clients, especially in the beginning. After I completed my first order on an online marketplace It took me 4 months to get my second order. It will take a lot of time and effort to get the constant flow of work.
✴Final Thoughts:
This guide is for those freelancers who want to know how to start freelancing with no experience? I would say invest some time in researching and learning. Give yourself a couple of months to see whether or not you are cut out for freelancing. It isn't everyone’s cup of tea. For some people, it can become full-time work for others it can only be a side hustle.
Whatever you do I wish you well in your quest.
Thanks for reading 💖
You can connect with me on my Facebook page, Linked In, Twitter and Instagram.
You might also find this 👇piece worth reading if you want to know more about the Freelancing Guru Hisham Sarwar.
