I’ve been telling these phrases for ages. In my blogs or social media posts, I say, “Before you start freelancing, research first how exactly it works.”
The reason why is because I don’t want you to get disappointed, and the only thing that will stick in your mind is how hard it is without knowing the good benefits of freelancing for you.
Yes, it is hard, but no job is easy at the beginning, right? It will get easier with time, once you know exactly how it works and when you plan your freelancing strategically.
So, in this post, you will know how it works, from the moment you start, find and get your first client. Start and finish your project until you get paid. These are the important levels or stages of freelancing that you should know; however, paying taxes and other things, we will tackle that in the near future.
So, please bear with me because this is going to be a very long post, and hopefully you stay until the end because I have a FREE offer for you that will help you get unstuck and know the next steps so you can have progress and get results.
Affiliate Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work.
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Table of Contents
Two Important Notes for You:
So, as we all know, freelancing works this way: you have one skill, you offer that as your service, find clients and get paid. However, the majority of starters nowadays only knew this part, but not the whole thing. They misunderstand sometimes that freelancing is easy, which in reality is not.
That’s why I wrote this post to let the beginner freelancers be aware of how exactly it works. But first there are important things that I think you should know before everything.
- You need proper equipment – and I’m referring to a laptop or PC. The reason why I mentioned this is that I remember a post on Reddit before; the person who posted it was asking if he/she can do freelancing using only the phone. I’ll be honest, there are freelancing jobs that you can do on your phone, BUT it’s very limited, and the majority of the freelance work needs a laptop or PC. I was thinking when I read that maybe this person has no budget or has a tight budget; that’s why he/she is asking this.
- My advice is this: If you don’t have means to buy a brand new laptop or PC, maybe try to borrow or rent a laptop from your friends or family. Make an agreement with them if you want to rent. Make sure that you are going to pay them once you get your payment from your client. And after you use it, return it in a proper condition, and make sure that all of the client’s data and documents are deleted from the laptop to maintain confidentiality. And before you delete, make sure that you save all of your work to your Google Drive or Dropbox cloud storage, just to make sure that you have a copy once the client asks for it.
- You need to have at least a budget – It’s actually free to start freelancing, but there are times that you need to use your money to let your work continue.
- For example: In Upwork, there’s a token called “connects”. If you create an account with Upwork, you will get 50 free connects, as far as I remember, and these connects you can use to apply and send proposals to your target project. And every month, you will get 10 free connects under a free plan. However, if you use all of your connects in the middle of that month, you have to buy connects to send proposals to your target project or wait until the next month to get 10 free connects.
- Another example is that you can use your own budget to pay for any tools or resources that you need for your freelance work. Like for example, paying for Canva Pro. Because with Canva Pro you have unlimited use of images and graphics, and also you have a lot of freedom to use all of the Canva Pro features.
So, there it is: two important notes that you have to know before you start freelancing, because as I am always saying, freelancing is a business. Your own business.
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How exactly does freelancing work?
First: You have to choose your skill
You have to choose what skill you have right now to offer it as your freelance service. And my advice is always pick the strongest skill that you have.
For example, you are talented with drawings and computers. This combination of your own skills can make you a graphic designer. And a graphic designer can help a client to create a branded and colourful brochure or leaflets for their business.
So, choosing carefully the skills that you are going to use in your freelancing has a very important role to play.
Second: You have to find your own niche.
Finding your own niche is a bit tricky. So, it’s like this: choosing your own niche is like choosing your own skills but in a much deeper way. I’ll do my best to explain.
For example, you love to write, so this is the skill that you are going to use. With writing, you can be a book writer, a freelance writer, a copywriter, or maybe a ghostwriter. And suddenly you pick to become a copywriter, but under that there are sub-niches that you can do, such as the following:
- Writing landing pages
- Direct-response copywriting
- Email copywriting
- Website copywriting
I mean, if you know what type of skill you are going to use, it’ll be easy for you to research and find your own niche, and at the same time you will know where to find your clients or attract your target ones.
Third: Create your freelance account or profile
Now that you know your skill and niche, the next thing that you need to do is create your freelance account or profile. You can either create one inside a freelance platform or outside. And when creating it, make sure that you highlight your skills, knowledge or expertise. And also, if available, attach your portfolio too so that the client is going to see what you are capable of.
Fourth: Create your portfolio
Creating your portfolio at first is always a debate. Others said it’s okay if you don’t have one; however, the other party said you need one, at least a mockup. But, I’ll be honest with you, when I started freelancing, I didn’t have any portfolio. Nothing. Zero. I just did what I think I need to do.
But things have changed now. Lots of clients are now looking for a portfolio even if you are a beginner because they want to make sure that you can do the job. So, don’t hold any grudges, okay? This is normal now.
So, to create one, try to do this. This is just for example, so I’m going to focus on writing skills.
With writing skill, you just have to write the choice of your target project or client. What I mean is this: for example, you are targeting a publishing company for the role of writer/editor. And one of their requirements is at least you know how to write fiction, a short story, within 1,000 words.
So, with that information, you can write a short story within 1,000 words, export into PDF, and save it to your Google Drive or Dropbox. And when it is time that you are going to apply, you can send the link of your portfolio together with your proposal.
And now that you have an idea on how to create a simple writing portfolio, maybe you can start making your own now and include the link to your portfolio in your freelance account or profile.
Fifth: Start sending the proposal.
If you have a target company, client or project, maybe this is the time that you need to practise writing a proposal and send it to them, or else nothing will happen if you don’t.
I’m no expert when it comes to this, but there I manage to get my own clients using my simple proposal. This is actually my guidance when I’m practising writing, and I’m going to share it here with you.
Here’s the link to my blog post. Everything that you need to know on how to write a proposal is all in here. ⬇️⬇️
How to Write Your First Proposal as a Beginner
Sixth: Client interview
This is actually one of the most exciting parts and nerve-wracking at the same time. Even I still feel nervous every time I have a client interview. Because I’ll be honest with you, every client interview is either good news or another bridge that you are going to build.
A client interview, sometimes, is a bit different in the freelancing world. When I started, my first client interview was from Upwork. My first client just asked me a question through a message, like, ‘Can you do this and finish it on time?’ and I said, ‘Yes, I can.’ After that he put me on a trial, and when the client was satisfied with my work trial, he gave me the project.
There is a possibility that you may encounter this type of client or maybe not, but one thing for sure that you need to do is always be prepared. And please, please, please, don’t do the ‘fake it until you make it.’ No. Not advisable, because a client may be busy, but they are not stupid.
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So when it comes to an interview, there are things that you must do: reply quickly, pay attention, research and listen.
If you receive a client interview invitation, make sure that you read all the details. Time, date and mode of communication like Zoom or Google Meet. Check and read very carefully if there are any messages like questions for you that you need to answer on that day. Respond quickly so they can put you on their schedule.
Interview day, make sure that you have a stable internet connection. You are at least well prepared, like wearing proper clothes, not just house clothes. And it’s better if you are a bit early, like 5-10 mins ahead.
During an interview, don’t forget to have a short intro about yourself. Let your client talk and finish. Listen attentively to what he/she is saying. Speak calmly, and don’t forget to always smile. Ask questions at the end. And thank your client for giving you the opportunity to have an interview and explain your proposal at the end of the interview.
And if the client decided to give you the project, you know what to do. Be thankful and learn to ask questions before you start the project. However, if the client decided not to give it to you, still say thank you and try to ask in a nice way that if they have friends or business friends that need your service, tell them that you are available, but in a nice way, okay?
I know it’s awkward to ask for a referral, but it’s part of freelancing.
Seven: Freelance Agreement and Contract
Congratulations on getting hired, and I want you to know that this is your next step. Preparing your legal documents. And this part might be confusing for you, so again, I’ll do my best to explain it to you.
A freelance agreement and contract have similarities, but they are still different from each other.
An agreement is a document that explains what both you and your client agreed to do. It usually covers the following:
- Scope of work
- Timeline
- Payment terms
- Revisions
- Communication
- Ownership of the work
A contract has the same information but much more formal. It is a legally binding agreement that is written with the intention of being enforceable in court if one part breaks the terms. It includes extra legal cases like
- Termination
- Confidentiality (NDA)
- Intellectual property
- Liability
- Dispute
But here’s the thing: both are okay, whether you use a freelance agreement only or with a contract, as long as the document clearly states each party’s rights and responsibilities and is agreed to by both parties.
Eight: Starting and finishing the project
Now that you got your project and both you and your client signed the agreement and contract, it’s time for you to start your project and finish it on time.
However, before you get started, be aware of the requirements you need from your client. Requirements like a file, documents, or login access to their website. Anything. Ask for permission and important details.
To avoid confusion, I have written two blog posts about this. ⬇️⬇️
What To Do After Getting Your First Freelance Client
What To Do After You Finish Your Freelance Project for Your First Client
Please read them because I already stated here step-by-step the details that might help you and stop the guessing.
Ninth: Getting paid
Woohoo!! Payment day! Payment day is like a most precious day for me. Because all the sleepless nights and hard work to finish the project will be worth it now. And same to you.
So when it comes to your first payment, make sure that you have received the right amount. And you are aware of the fees, for example, the 10% freelance service fee from Upwork. The 2.9% fixed fee is from PayPal or 1.5% from Stripe.
Always consider that there will be small deductions from your earnings before you receive them. Do not assume that the client miscalculated it unless the amount deducted is really big from what you and your client agreed to.
If you have a concern about the payment, email your client and be respectful when sending the message to avoid conflicts in the future.
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Final Thought:
So, this is how freelancing exactly works. And actually, it’s a good thing that I wrote this, because finally, I can give you the details about it that I know will be going to help you get unstuck from step one and move forward until the end.
And as I have been saying ages ago, about research first, now all the details are in here. No need for scrolling nonstop on your phone just to look for the answers. This may not be a perfect one, but I know this post is going to help you a lot.
I hope that you’ve learnt a lot from this post, and you might consider taking action now, one by one.
So, I wished you more success in your freelancing journey.
By the way, before you go! Here’s my promise to you!
I said that I will offer you something that I know will be useful to you, especially now that you have started freelancing.
FREE freelancing mini-guide with checklist.
This 10 Steps to Kickstart Your Freelancing Journey is a mini-guide written especially for beginner freelancers like yourself.
The purpose of this mini-guide is to help you get unstuck and move forward. It helps beginner freelancers to start with clarity and confidence.
To download this for free, click the button below.
Find Me Here:
- How Exactly Freelancing Works and Why You as a Beginner Should Read This
- Side Hustles I Actually Do (and Recommend)
- Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your 9-5 Job When You Start Freelancing
- Small Beginner Freelancing Mistakes That Have a Big Impact Later
- Work-From-Home Essentials for a Simple and Comfortable Setup
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