Being a freelancer is synonymous with being free to dictate your terms. You can fundamentally be your own boss! Don’t you think this is an exciting prospect?
Freelancing can be liberating, but a little confusing at first. Where do you begin? How do you become successful as a freelancer? How to make money freelancing?
Read on to find the answers that you seek. You will also learn how to be a successful freelancer in Bangladesh.
The Basics of Being a Freelancer: How to Start Freelancing
Before you start walking the path towards success, you must be familiar with the path itself. This means you must have all the prerequisites a freelancer needs to have to be successful.
If you are a freelancer, you must be ready to consciously capitalize on your skillset, network, and efforts.
Here are some things you should be ready with. If you are here to learn how to start freelancing, these are even more important.
Determine the Skills you Want to Offer
The first step towards freelancing success is to be clear with what you wish to offer. Do you have great writing skills? Can you offer top-notch carpentry or plumbing services? Are you well-versed in multiple languages?
You should highlight the industries you intend to serve and sharpen your skills according to their contemporary requirements and trends.
With rapid digitalization, people are demanding skills such as software development, graphic designing, content writing, and more.
Asia has become the largest supplier of online workers, which includes freelancers. Bangladesh is the second-largest producer of such services, which is why you must know how to be a successful freelancer in Bangladesh.
Set a Suitable Fee
You will contribute a lot of your time and effort to freelance jobs.
Initially, it may be a little tricky to explore and establish your worth in the freelancing world. You need to strike a balance between the work you do and the money you ask for.
Different work has different levels of pay. For instance, a freelancing job as a social media manager will pay less to a novice, but a software developer job at the same level will pay more.
Here are three things to keep in mind when deciding how to make money freelancing:
- The nature of the job: How complicated is it?
- The time it will take to complete the job.
- Your level of expertise
Prepare a Profile
Freelancing is all about getting clients to notice you and the skills you have to offer. For this, you must have a solid profile in order.
Freelancing is largely an online hustle, so you should have profiles on websites such as LinkedIn and Glassdoor. You should also advertise your services.
There are many platforms out there that act as a platform to bid your services on. You must position yourself to grow in the marketplace.
Some examples of such platforms are Upwork, Fiverr, and People per Hour.
Factors That will Shape your Success as a Freelancer
Have you understood the prerequisites to be a good freelancer in the vast marketplace?
Competition in the freelancing marketplace is cutthroat. The demand for people to take up jobs that are outsourced is high. People ready to offer their services are in abundance. In such a scene, how do you gain an edge over others? How will you make sure you are noticed?
Here are some tips that you must adopt to pave the way for success in the freelancing business.
Expand Your Network
One of the keys to being successful as a freelancer is to have a flourishing network. You should establish contact with fellow freelancers, engage with the marketplace, peers, and potential clients. It will help you gain advice and insights.
This includes keeping in touch with your existing network. Let your friends and family know about your work. They will support you and may be able to help find your first clients.
Keep an eye out for conferences, open meetings, and other such social events to gain professional associates in your field.
Nurture Research and Analytical Skills
You may be an expert in your field, but there is always room for new knowledge!
You must be able to conduct deep research on various topics and themes. You will be able to produce unique and reliable results for your clients.
Freelancing is about being independent, and clients will prefer someone who can hold their ground and does not require spoon-feeding. This is a major factor in how to be a successful freelancer.
Develop good Communication Abilities
If you possess some impressive skills, you must complement them with the ability to communicate well. How you conduct yourself makes the first impact.
If you cannot communicate well, your work will not hold much value even if it is high-quality. You will be catering to clients from all over the world as a freelancer, so you might want to consider being proficient in English.
Bid Your Services at a Fair Price: How to Make Money Freelancing
The bid you make in the marketplace needs to be fair and worth the services you provide. You must not set a cost with your personal needs as the only factor.
There are three main types of bidding:
- Project fee: How much will you charge for a specific type of project?
- Hourly Rate: How much will you charge for each hour of services rendered?
- Fixed-Rate: What is the base amount you will charge for a minimum amount of work done?
You may want to start with lower rates and increase them as your experience builds up.
If your clients rehire you, you can be sure that the quality of your work is worth the amount of money you charge. This is a good sign!
Websites that Act as Freelancing Marketplaces
Here are some websites you must establish yourself on. They are a good way when it is about how to make money freelancing in Bangladesh.
Other Factors for Being Successful as a Freelancer
Take a look at these factors for being successful as a freelancer:
- Validate the authenticity of your client
- Learn to handle the workload and do not take up more than you can handle
- Get in touch with agencies that outsource work.
- Ask satisfied clients to write reviews and give feedback.
To sum up
The amount of work generated every day is now more than ever. People are actively outsourcing jobs, and a freelancing marketplace is thriving.
It can be liberating being a freelancer. However, you must keep the aforementioned facts in mind to be successful. This way, you will be able to understand the field better and work as a full-time freelancer!