What have I learned in my first year of freelancing after earning $24,457

Simple but effective lessons from my first year of freelancing.

In the last year, I have worked with multiple clients and learned a lot of things in freelancing from pitching to clients to project management and accounting.

I believe freelancing will go bigger and more significant in the next few decades as companies are now adapting to remote teams, and people are investing in freelancers more.

Also, I didn’t have any business mentors, so most of the things I have learned are through trial and error or based on my gut instinct.

Hopefully, some of the lessons mentioned here can help those who are starting their freelancing journey or have already begun to but are still struggling.

A little history about me…

Other than a self-taught WordPress web designer and developer, content writer, and an SEO, I am also an Electronics & Communication Engineer.

In my four years of engineering, I was confused about what to do after completing my studies as I didn’t like what I was studying at that time, and I was searching for alternatives.

And just when six months of my engineering were remaining, I somehow landed on the income reports page of Smart Passive Income and the very next day; I got into this huge world of blogging and website design.

I was surprised by the income potential and the whole world of blogging that I bought my first domain and started setting up my blog.

And within the first six months of my blog, I published more than 30,000 words of content, designed a few infographics and learned a lot about internet marketing.

Then finally, when my Engineering was almost complete, and I had no other option other than to get a job from my college or start doing something on my own … I chose the freelancing profession.

And that is how I started this journey … which is one of the best decisions of my life.

Now, to give some credibility to the title of this article, here is a screenshot from my PayPal yearly reports.

I started my journey in March 2018, and as you can see, I got my first project as a freelancer in May 2018.

The big spikes in the months from November to January 2019 are because I got a big eCommerce website redesign and SEO project.

Now, $24,457 may not be a lot for many, but it is a significant amount where I live … as in India, the average annual income is $1,790 (source).

So let me share some things that helped me get a constant flow of projects and sustain good earnings from freelancing.

1. Build a portfolio

Your portfolio is like an online advertisement for your services. It can be a deciding factor for your client to hire you or not.

Its most likely that your potential customers will Google your name and when they do so, finding an excellent portfolio will not only leave a good impression on them, but it will also increase your chances of getting hired.

Online marketing, nowadays, is key to a freelancer success. And it is not achievable if you don’t work to improve your online presence.

Your portfolio will help clients to see your dedication, your creativity, and your abilities.

You don’t need to spend a lot of time on building your portfolio. Buy a domain, set up the site and write a few case studies about your previous work including the problems you faced, how you solved them, the lessons you learned, what was the effect on the client’s business as a result of the project.

I have a very simple portfolio site, but it does the job for me.

2. Join different communities

You don’t exist without sharing your work.

I joined a lot of Facebook groups, Slack communities, forums, and even paid groups related to the work I was looking to get as a freelancer.

This helped me in connecting with other people working in the same industries, and most of the time, people hire from these groups, which can get you a steady stream of clients.

I have got around 80% of the projects from Facebook groups alone, 10% from Slack communities and rest 10% from random places like forums, and Twitter.

So it’s always beneficial to join online groups and engage with other people.

3. Help others

‘Be so good they can’t ignore you.’

— Steve Martin

When I started, I helped a lot of people in Fb groups by providing them a solution to their problems.

And from that, I got multiple clients who contacted me because they wanted me to implement the solution I advised them.

Engaging in FB groups and other online places give long term benefits as even after months, when people see the things you have shared, they contact you instantly if they think you’ll be a good fit for their business.

So once you have joined communities related to your skills, start helping others.

4. Reply fast

I’ll keep this one short.

If you are looking to make money online (through freelancing), you have to be available online as much as possible.

It is as simple as that.

I’ve seen many people looking for work online but replying to potential customers in days or even weeks.

If someone is looking for a solution to their problem, they need it now and not after days or weeks, so those who reply fast usually get the job (as experienced by me at least).

5. Be serious about getting paid

We all love the feeling of finalizing a deal with a new client, and we hope everything will go as planned.

But that’s the number one mistake done by many of us.

Do not make the mistake of relying on the client to give you your payment on time because they won’t.

As a freelancer, we all have limited resources, so it’s important for us to get paid on time.

So that is what you should do. Always ask for at least 50% of the upfront payment. Never start the project until the client pays you.

When the deal is finalized, send the invoice/proposal over to the client and ask them to make the payment.

If by chance clients don’t reply then send polite reminders, message them and ask them if they are busy. I have worked with many clients who paid the invoice after a few days simply because they were busy with their work.

So be persistent, and check in on your client every few days until you receive your money.

“Change how you’re paid, change your life.” ― Richie Norton

Tip: I use Paypal for invoicing and getting money from all of my clients, and as you must know that PayPal fee is around 5% (it varies depending on the country), it can add up to a huge amount, so that is why I always charge an extra 5% from all of my clients.

6. Always make your clients happy

This one is important!

Many think that building a reputation and getting referral clients is something which just happens over time, but the truth is, you can control it more than you think.

Put in the effort to make your clients a priority, and you’ll reap the rewards over time.

Happy clients come back with more work, and they also refer you to others, which results in a regular stream of new clients coming to you free of any marketing cost.

Getting work from existing clients is a lot easier compared to finding new clients … and the same goes for referrals as well.

You don’t have to convince the referral clients from scratch as they already trust you a little, which makes it easy for them to hire you.

To get more referral clients, be professional, build trust, try to overdeliver, and make sure all of your clients are happy after working with you.

Unfortunately, many freelancers focus only on their actual skills, such as web designing and don’t pay enough attention to the aspects of maintaining a business.

The best and most successful freelancers aren’t really the best web designers, but they are the best at maintaining and growing a business.

Make sure you understand that, in becoming a freelancer, you’re becoming a small business owner, so, other than the one thing you love to do, you will have to manage everything else as well from sales to accounting, legal and managing the projects.

The Takeaway…

I’ll be honest — I consider myself a little lucky as I got work as a freelancer within the first three months of starting this journey.

I have read many posts of freelancers struggling from a few months to even years before they start to get good work from this profession.

I know what all I have mentioned above is same as most of the other articles on the freelancing topic, but I want to tell you that it works!

What worked for me may not work for you, but the basic idea is the same for everyone.

Develop a skill, showcase yourself, get a client, and start working.

I’m a web designer and marketer who happens to leverage Website design, CRO, and SEO to help businesses increase their traffic, conversions and sales.

You can find me on LinkedIn if that’s your thing, and for more on me, you can visit my website.