What is a Freelancer?
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The freedom, flexibility, and unlimited financial potential of Freelancing make it an appealing lifestyle.
What
Here at The Freelancing Tribe, we define Freelancing as; someone who is self-employed, often working for multiple clients with multiple projects at one time while earning an income. Going a step further, Freelancers often work when they want, for who they want, anywhere they want. But…what exactly is a Freelancer? This article will go into more detail about what is a Freelancer. Once you know the complete meaning of a Freelancer, you will be well on your way to a rewarding career.
Freelancers have become more popular in the past decade as workers leave the 9–5 for more flexible, work-from-anywhere careers. There has been an enormous growth in Freelancers, particularly with the present generation preferring to work for themselves rather than maintaining a 9–5 job. By working freelance, you are able to be mobile and flexible. Freelancing is also considered entrepreneurship, which means your earnings are completely in your control. Freelancers set their own rates because their income is not limited by a capped salary. In a sense, you are your own boss.
A Freelancer’s work, portfolio of clients, and lifestyle are all unique to match their lifestyle. In most cases, Freelancers work as independent contractors for short periods of time (or long-term) and earn a fee for each job or each task they complete. Unlike employees, Freelancers work for different companies and clients at the same time to complete a project. Some Freelancers handle their own administration, client management, and workload. Entrepreneurship and working are both part of what Freelancers balance from day to day. A gig worker is also a form of Freelancing.
Working as a Freelancer
The freedom, flexibility, and unlimited financial potential of Freelancing make it an appealing lifestyle. There are a variety of Freelance positions available, including part-time, full-time, long-term, and short-term, in addition to side jobs to supplement full-time work. A Freelancer will agree to a predetermined fee based on the time and effort it takes to complete the task and require signed contracts. It may be a flat fee, a fee per hour, a fee per day, a fee per project, or a combination of these.
During the lifecycle of some projects, Freelance work may be required full-time, while other work requires a long-term commitment for a specific number of hours each week. A Freelancer is retained before work begins. The term retainer refers to the contract that retains someone’s time or services. For a good estimate of your expected income as a Freelancer, it is essential to compare Freelance rates in the market for your particular skill set.
To get their businesses off the ground and grow, Freelancers need a wide range of skills. Specifically, Freelancers require skills in their craft, basic business skills, and clients. In order to be able to charge clients for your services, you must be an expert in a specific skill or, if you are multipurpose, a wide range of skills. For example, if you are charging a client to be their virtual assistant, they will expect you to have basic knowledge of actually being a virtual assistant. In other words, you should be proficient in the job skill(s) and familiar with common technologies or platforms that relate to that skill(s). A Freelancer must be able to connect their skills to a client’s needs in order to succeed.
Managing time, strategizing, organizing, revising, editing, setting expectations, and communicating are all part of this process. Invoices, managing receipts and expenses, paying yourself (including any taxes withheld), making sure to file your business taxes, and knowing how to use relevant business management technologies are just a few of the backend administrative tasks involved in managing your client relationships and business once you have a roster of clients. Inefficiency in any of these skills could hinder your Freelance business and make it hard to find work, so having basic competency or knowing what you will outsource is essential.
Finding Freelance Work
Word of mouth, referrals, networking, and online posting are all ways to find freelance work. Among the most popular sites for finding freelance work are UpWork, LinkedIn, Craigslist, and Fiverr. A Freelancer works in a variety of fields such as the creative, film, art, design, editing, copywriting, proofreading, media, marketing, music, acting, journalism, video editing and production, illustration, tourism, consulting, customer service, ghostwriting, virtual assistant, website development, computer programming, event planning, photography, transcription, tutoring, catering, graphic design & illustration, public relations, ride share, food delivery, and much more.
Types of Freelancers
Freelancers fall into five categories: diversified workers, independent contractors, moonlighters, temporary workers, and business owners.
Diversified workers receive income from different sources. An example of this is earning a part-time salary while also working on Freelance projects for other companies. Diversified workers perform a variety of tasks throughout the day.
The term “Freelancer” is usually associated with this role and makes up the majority of independent contractors. They are full-time with multiple clients, work project-by-project and have a variety of different clients.
The moonlighter works on projects outside of their typical 9-to-5 workday (normally after work hours or on weekends). They work both traditional full-time jobs and project-based work.
Temporary workers known as temps, or seasonal workers, work for a company for a fixed amount of time.
Business owners are people who hire Freelancers and are Freelancers themselves or independent professionals.
Benefits of Being a Freelancer
Freelancers enjoy the freedom to work from home or other unconventional workplaces, a flexible work schedule, choosing their clients, and a better work-life balance. Not all Freelance work is remote, and not all remote work is done by Freelancers. Some clients require their Freelancers to be on-site with the team for a project depending on the work description. Depending on your skills, you can choose the work you want to do. This will depend on how much risk you are comfortable taking, your history with Freelance work, your network, your financial status, as well as your time commitment and schedule. Keep in mind not to overwhelm yourself with clients once your network grows. Always have the number of clients you are comfortable having.
Most work can be done anywhere as long as you have Wi-Fi. Your hours are set by your deadlines, so you can work at your own pace allowing your day to be formed around your work. Some clients may require you to be at meetings at a specific time, but not every day. Being able to control your schedule while working remotely gives you more control over your life. Taking on Freelance jobs you really enjoy does not permission from anyone but yourself and you can turn down jobs that do not align with your work goals. As a freelancer, you can earn more than you would as a traditional employee because you set your own rates.
Be Mindful Of
In the beginning, you have to run your business on your own, there are no assistants or administrative departments to help. You will need to look for work to find clients. Get a workstation and an office set up for yourself. be prepared for months when your income and client base is amazing and for a client to slow down or not need your services as much. Plan time off and keep distractions at bay. Clearly define your boundaries when it comes to being unavailable to your clients. Taxes, health insurance, and life insurance are your responsibility. In order to meet all your client’s deadlines, you must be disciplined in time management.
Creating your own career is the key to freelance work; there is no “one size fits all” and every Freelancer is different. Connect with clients whose projects match your skills and preferences to build your freelance career. Make a list of the things that are most important to you in your work. It is all about having a career that is tailored to your strengths and interests. We have more and more options every day thanks to the growing world of freelancing.
You do not have to learn how to Freelance on your own, Check out The Freelancing Tribe for assistance and resources.
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