What Are The Next Steps After Starting Freelancing

This post is intentionally for beginner freelancers in any niche. Those who are new to freelancing and have already started but are still confused about the next steps.

But honestly, before everything else, I am glad that you already stepped out of your comfort zone and started doing one of the most unpredictable businesses of all time: freelancing.

There are no exact steps because every freelancer has a different situation.

But if you want some guidance or general steps to follow, these might help you

General Steps:

So, you started freelancing. You actually did your homework, the research part. You probably already know how it works or at least have the general idea of freelancing.

But before you dive deeper into freelancing, here is my advice for you.

Major General Advice:

DO NOT QUIT YOUR 9–5 JOB IMMEDIATELY

The reasons are simple:

You are not yet stable.
You don’t have any retainer clients.
You don’t have much experience yet.

So what you should do instead is treat freelancing as a part-time job or a side hustle.

Let your monthly salary fuel your freelancing journey.

Save money while you are working full-time and while you are building your freelancing career.

Otherwise, you might crumble if you go all-in without proper preparation for your business.

Oh yes, change your mindset too.

Freelancing is a real business.

You are not just a freelancer. You are also a business owner.

The First Step

Here is the first general step: analyse yourself first.

When I say analyse, I mean you should identify your strongest skill or a skill related to what you are currently doing.

Choose a skill that could help you get freelance work and, at the same time, solve a problem for your potential client.

For example:

If you are good at writing, narrow your skill to that category.
If you know how to write blogs, you can become a blog writer.
If you know how to write books but prefer not to show your face as an author, you can become a ghostwriter.
If you know how to write words that persuade people to take action, you can become a copywriter.

Analyse yourself.

Choose your strongest skill.

Narrow it down, improve it, and use it to solve your client’s problem.

The Second Step

Next, create an account on a freelance platform.

Research your chosen platform first.

Read their rules, regulations, and guidelines on how the platform works. If you still have time, read their Terms and Conditions as well.

Inside these platforms, there are already clients looking for freelancers.

Many of them are legitimate, so most of the time they are safe clients. Safe clients mean the projects are real and they pay.

Of course, there are still clients whose behavior we cannot control. Some may micromanage or be difficult to work with.

But as a professional freelancer, even as a beginner, you should always treat them professionally. If their behavior becomes inappropriate, you can report them to the platform’s admin or support team.

Also, don’t forget to read the reviews or feedback from other freelancers. In that section, you can quickly learn what it’s like to work with that client.

The Third Step

Next is practicing how to write your proposal.

Yes, practice it. Not to make it perfect, but to make it simple, clear, and straightforward.

In my previous blog, I mentioned the type of proposal that helped me get my first client. (How To Get Your First Freelance Client as a Beginner).

But for your convenience, I will share the main idea here as well.

My proposal was simple.

Because I was a beginner, I mentioned that honestly to the client. Being new to freelancing is okay to mention, as long as you balance it by explaining your skills and knowledge.

Mention your current skills, your familiarity with certain tools, and your general experience.

Availability is also important. Let the client know your available time to work on the project, especially if you are doing freelancing part-time. This helps avoid unrealistic expectations and disappointment on the client’s side.

And lastly, show your eagerness to help with the project. Let them know that you are willing to learn, willing to be trained, and that you are looking forward to working with them.

Oh, and one more thing. Make your proposal personalized.

Don’t just copy and paste the same message.

If you are using a template, edit it. Find the client’s name, read the job description carefully, and adjust your proposal based on that specific project.

The Fourth Step

Next is upskilling.

I usually recommend this if you haven’t found any clients yet after creating an account and sending proposals.

Improve your current skill or learn a new one.

But personally, I like something called ladderized learning.

For example, let’s say you want to become a copywriter.

You will naturally want to improve your copywriting skills.

But copywriting is about persuading people to take action, often online.

Because of that, it helps to learn about sales and marketing as well.

Sales and marketing teach you about human behaviour and how people make buying decisions.

After learning that, you might also want to learn how to write landing pages. Landing pages are often where people go after they become interested in a product.

A landing page explains the product and shows how it can help solve the customer’s problem.

Now, I’m not a copywriter myself. I only learned about these things because I had taken courses on copywriting before.

But here’s something interesting. This blog is also a form of copywriting.

Why?

Because you managed to read until this part. I persuaded you to keep reading and made you curious enough to continue.

That’s part of the idea behind copywriting.

Let’s Wrap it Up

I’m going to stop here for now because I already shared quite a lot of information, and I don’t want to overwhelm you with too many details.

So here is a quick summary of the general steps:

Do not quit your job immediately. Start freelancing as a part-time or side activity.
Analyze yourself. Choose your strongest skill, improve it, and use it to solve your client’s problems.
Create an account on freelance platforms and read their rules and guidelines carefully.
Practice writing proposals. Keep them simple, clear, and personalized.
Continue improving your skills or learning new ones.

Freelancing is not something you figure out overnight.

But if you keep taking small steps, learning along the way, and improving your skills, you will slowly find your place in the freelancing world.

Just keep moving forward.