If I Wanted to Become a Freelancer In 2024, This is What I'd Do
Summary
TLDRThis video provides a comprehensive guide to starting and growing a successful freelancing career. It outlines a five-step method, including choosing a skill, gaining experience, mastering the craft, building a strong portfolio, and collecting social proof. The video also emphasizes the importance of marketing, client acquisition, and continuous self-improvement. Viewers will learn about different ways to get clients, manage payments, and scale their freelance business. The video ends with book recommendations for further growth and success as a freelancer.
Takeaways
- 💰 **Earning Potential**: Freelancing can be lucrative, with the potential to earn thousands of dollars and even reach a top-rated status in your industry.
- 📈 **Industry Growth**: The freelance market is growing, estimated to be worth 6.5 billion in 2024 and expected to reach 14.17 billion by 2029, indicating it's not too late to start.
- 🛠️ **Skill Development**: Prioritize learning and refining your skills to provide value to clients, aiming to be the best in your field, as this will attract financial success.
- 🔍 **Uniqueness**: Choose a unique skill or find an industry where your skills fit perfectly to stand out in the market and avoid following the crowd.
- 📚 **Learning from Others**: Learn from successful freelancers to understand what works and avoid common mistakes they made.
- 👨🏫 **Exposure Through Work**: Gain exposure by working for others or internships to improve skills, learn business operations, and understand client communication.
- 🔄 **Mastery Through Practice**: Dedicate time to mastering your skill, akin to investing in education, and utilize online resources like YouTube for learning.
- 📁 **Portfolio Building**: Create a portfolio showcasing your best work to attract potential clients, and consider sample projects if you lack experience.
- 🌟 **Social Proof**: Collect reviews, ratings, and testimonials to build trust and social proof, which can help land clients faster.
- 📢 **Marketing Yourself**: Utilize freelance platforms, cold emailing, and referrals to find clients and market your services effectively.
- 🔄 **Continuous Improvement**: Keep refining your skills, improving your portfolio, and seeking client feedback to grow as a freelancer.
Q & A
What is the estimated market size of the freelance industry in 2024 and what is the expected growth by 2029?
-The freelance platform market size is estimated at 6.5 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach 14.17 billion by 2029.
Why is it beneficial to start freelancing now rather than later?
-Starting freelancing now can be advantageous because the industry is still growing, and you can learn from the successes and mistakes of those who have already started, thus avoiding common pitfalls.
What is the first step in starting a freelancing career according to the video?
-The first step is to learn and refine your skills, focusing on providing value to others, which is essential for making money as a freelancer.
Why is it important to choose a unique skill when freelancing?
-Choosing a unique skill helps you stand out in the market, making it easier to find your niche and be recognized for your expertise.
How can an internship or working for a startup benefit a freelancer in the early stages of their career?
-An internship or working for a startup can provide valuable exposure, helping you understand how businesses function, improve your skills, and learn about client communication, team dynamics, and marketing.
What is the significance of the 10,000-hour rule mentioned in the script and how does it apply to freelancing?
-The 10,000-hour rule signifies the time and effort it takes to master a skill. In freelancing, dedicating time to master your skill can lead to higher earnings and more opportunities.
Why is building a portfolio crucial for a freelancer?
-A portfolio is crucial as it showcases your best work, skills, and talent to potential clients, serving as an introduction and a reflection of your abilities.
What is social proof and how can it help a freelancer land clients faster?
-Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people are influenced by the actions of others. For freelancers, collecting positive reviews, ratings, and testimonials can build trust and make potential clients more comfortable working with them.
What are some effective ways to find clients as a freelancer?
-Effective ways to find clients include using freelance platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, cold emailing or direct messaging potential clients, and leveraging referrals from satisfied clients.
What are some management tools that can help a freelancer stay organized and manage their projects efficiently?
-Management tools like Trello and Notion can help freelancers stay organized by creating boards for different projects and clients, streamlining their workflow.
How can a freelancer grow their business and increase their earnings over time?
-Freelancers can grow their business by upselling, offering subscriptions, improving their skills, building a personal brand, and finding niche markets where they can establish themselves as experts.
Outlines
🚀 Starting Your Freelancing Journey
The speaker emphasizes the importance of starting a freelancing career, highlighting that the market is growing and it's never too late to join. They introduce a five-step method for success in freelancing: identifying one's unique skill, gaining exposure through internships or startups, mastering the skill, and creating a compelling portfolio. The speaker also stresses the significance of providing value and standing out in the market by focusing on one's niche. They share their personal experience of starting with a low-paying internship that eventually led to skill enhancement and a successful freelance career.
🛠️ Building Your Portfolio and Collecting Social Proof
The paragraph focuses on the creation of a strong portfolio that showcases one's best work and abilities. It advises including a story behind each service, demonstrating expertise, and keeping the portfolio updated with current industry trends. The concept of social proof is introduced as a means to build trust and credibility. The speaker suggests collecting reviews, ratings, and testimonials to enhance the freelancer's reputation. They also discuss the benefits of working with startups for a holistic understanding of business operations, which is crucial for running a freelance business.
🔍 Finding Clients and Marketing Your Services
This section delves into strategies for finding clients, including using freelance platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, cold emailing, and leveraging referrals. The speaker shares insights on how to stand out on these platforms, the importance of communication, persuasion, and sales skills. They also touch upon the power of social media for client acquisition and the necessity of continuous improvement and adaptation to succeed in the competitive freelancing market.
💼 Payment and Client Management
The speaker discusses the importance of secure payment methods and client management tools, especially when working with international clients. They recommend platforms like Stripe, PayPal, and Pioneer for payments and tools like Trello and Slack for project and client management. The paragraph also covers best practices for client communication, contract agreements, and handling revisions professionally. Lastly, the speaker provides tips for growing as a freelancer, including upselling, offering subscriptions, improving skills, building a brand, and finding niche markets.
📈 Strategies for Freelance Growth and Success
The final paragraph summarizes the key points for becoming a successful freelancer. It reiterates the importance of skill discovery, gaining exposure, mastering the skill, and creating an attractive portfolio. The speaker also emphasizes the need for social proof, finding clients through various channels, and the continuous effort required for growth. They conclude with recommendations for further reading to enhance skills in persuasion, sales, and business management, which are crucial for the freelance profession.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Freelancing
💡Skill
💡Uniqueness
💡Portfolio
💡Social Proof
💡Mastery
💡Exposure
💡Client Communication
💡Freelance Platforms
💡Upselling
💡Referrals
Highlights
Making over 1 rupee as a freelancer and the importance of mindset in the first 20 minutes of the video.
The freelance market size estimation and growth prediction from 2024 to 2029.
The concept that it's never too late to start freelancing and learning from successful freelancers.
The necessity of learning a skill and providing value to earn money as a freelancer.
Choosing a unique skill to stand out and the importance of direction over hard work.
Finding the right industry for one's skill to excel and the example of Sam CER as a top travel video editor.
The suggestion to gain exposure by working for someone else in the early days of a freelancing career.
The benefits of working for a startup to understand business functions for a freelancing career.
The 10,000-hour rule to master a skill and its comparison to becoming a doctor.
Using YouTube for mastering any skill and the importance of redefining what you do until you are the best.
Creating a portfolio as a reflection of one's skills and talent for potential clients.
The strategy for creating sample projects to showcase problem-solving abilities and expertise.
The concept of social proof in gaining trust and enhancing one's profile and portfolio.
Collecting reviews, ratings, and testimonials as forms of social proof for a freelancer.
Finding clients through freelance platforms and the importance of good communication and persuasion.
The advantages of cold emailing and cold DMs for reaching out to potential clients.
The power of referrals in client acquisition and the importance of impressing clients for recommendations.
Using social media ads for marketing to attract new clients when there is a budget for it.
The importance of refining skills and improving small details when facing difficulty in acquiring clients.
Payment and management tools for dealing with international and domestic clients safely.
Project and client management tools like Trello and Slack for staying organized and saving time.
Strategies for growing as a freelancer, including upselling, subscriptions, and improving skills.
The significance of building a personal brand and finding niches to become a top-rated freelancer.
Book recommendations for freelancers to improve persuasion, sales, and business acumen.
Transcripts
I have made over 1 rupees as a
freelancer in this video I'll tell you
everything that you need to know to
start freelancing to grow as a
freelancer and to become a top rated
freelancer in your industry and make
thousands of dollars but if you can't
stay on this video for 10 minutes
without clicking on something else I've
got some news for you you're not going
to make it the next 20 minutes are
enough to change your mindset they are
enough to give you the best tools and
tips to build a successful freelancing
career I'm going to talk about a
five-step method that you can follow if
you're starting freelancing from scratch
the freelance platform Market size is
estimated at 6.5 billion in 2024 and is
expected to reach 14.17 billion by 2029
people think they late to the party when
the party is just getting started you
can start your freelancing career today
you are not late actually starting today
can be even better you can learn from
successful Freelancers in the industry
and see what work for them and avoid the
mistakes that they made so let's get
started with the steps first one is your
skill you need to start by learning
skill understand this the only way to
make money as a freelancer is by
providing value to other people don't go
after the money first prioritize
intelligence and knowledge and spend
time refining your skills aim to be the
best in your field and money will
eventually follow choose a unique skill
if you want to stand out in your career
it's not just about working harder if
you just work hard but if you're headed
towards the wrong direction you will
never reach your destination what really
matters is finding your own track just
because everyone else is becoming a
video editor you don't have to to follow
them don't follow the her find the
industry in which your skill perfectly
fit in for example Sam CER is one of the
best travel video editors there is no
one who can beat him in this because he
has found the industry in which his
skills perfectly fit in that makes him
stand out in the market focus on what
makes you different the real trick is
fting these areas and opportunities so
your skill needs to create value and
there has to be a demand from the
audience to become a top rated
freelancer you need to provide a mix of
uniqueness and value so once you
identify the skill you need to combine
hard work knowledge and smart work and
if you do it right money will eventually
come once you have selected the skills
and know the basics I would suggest
getting some exposure you can get
exposure by working for someone else in
the early days of my video editing
career after learning the basics of the
software I did an internship for 6
months where I was getting paid 6,000
rupees a month and I was putting in long
hours even though the pay was low my
skills were getting better each day
those 6 months of internship improved my
skills a lot I was able to handle long
and big projects all by myself I also
learned how to communicate with the
client how to send emails how a team
functions and how marketing and sales
work all these helped a lot when I
started my own freelance Journey so
exposing yourself to different
experiences is very crucial when you're
starting your journey you have to
understand how your skill fit in the
world that you're entering now you might
be wondering how beneficial it is to
join a startup instead of directly
starting your freelance journey I would
say it's really beneficial and do note
that I did not say a cooporation I said
a startup usually when you work for a
big company or Corporation you don't
know how the business is functioning you
are just aware about small tasks but if
you working in a startup or a small
business with a team of 5 to 10 people
you get to see the whole picture you get
to see the revenue The Profit the team
Dynamic the sales the marketing client
onboarding it's a fantastic way to
understand how a business functions and
at the end of the day you need to see
freelancing as running a small business
so I highly recommend gaining that
exposure by working for a small business
or a startup so now once once you have
chosen the skill and you are getting the
exposure spend time mastering the skill
it typically takes around 10,000 hours
to master a skill think of this time and
effort as an initial investment so let's
say someone wants to become a doctor
they would spend around 6 years of time
effort money in educating themselves so
that they can prepare for the job if
you're starting a freelance career you
just need to spend 5 to 6 months
mastering the skill and if you do it
right you'll get paid more than a doctor
when you think about it that way 5 to 6
months is not a lot of time so dedicate
yourself and mastering the skill you can
Master any skill from YouTube these days
let's say you want to learn graphic
design you can just go on YouTube and
search for it and you'll get a lot of
free courses not just graphic design
from coding to web design you can find
everything on the internet there's a
Code by nille Rand which states that
become the best in the world at what you
do keep redefining what you do until
this is true so give it everything and
be the best at what you do all it takes
is time and effort now once you have
mastered the skill and you are the best
at what you do you can start start
building a portfolio a portfolio is
collection of your best work showcasing
your skills and talent to potential
clients your portfolio is a reflection
of who you are what you do and why
people should work with you think of
your portfolio as an introduction to new
client because when you reach out to new
clients your portfolio is the first
thing that they see so make sure your
portfolio is so good that anyone who
sees your portfolio goes I want to work
with you now many of you who are
watching this video might not have any
previous experience or example to
Showcase in your portfolio what you can
do is you can create sample project when
putting together your samples make sure
you're showcasing your problem solving
abilities and your experties and skills
and different tools here are few points
to consider while creating or
maintaining a portfolio share a story
about each service that you provide if
you're good at more than one thing make
sure your portfolio reflects that for
example you can be a video editor who is
also good in motion design so make sure
you create a separate sample for the
motion design work for each sample
Define what tools you use what was the
process and how can this project help
someone in real world and third keep
your portfolio updated think of your
portfolio as a living thing as you keep
upgrading your skills you also need to
upgrade your portfolio make sure your
portfolio reflects the latest trends
that are going on in your industry now
once you have mastered the skill and you
have a really good portfolio you need to
collect some social proof social proof
is a psychological and social phenomena
where people copy the actions of others
in choosing how to behave in a given
situation in easy words social proof is
when we look at what other people are
doing to decide how we should act in a
certain situation if we see other people
are doing something we tend to think
it's the right thing to do when we are
unsure about what to do we often believe
those people who are around us these can
be experts celebrities or friends who
might know better and we usually follow
their lead that's why a lot of
advertisements have known faces or
celebrities we figure out what's right
by believing what other people think is
right usually following what others do
works well we make fewer mistakes when
we are following others so if a lot of
people are doing something we believe
that it's the right thing to do now why
am I telling you this you need to take
advantage of social proof now when
you're starting as a freelancer you
can't go and hire a celebrity but what
you can do is you can collect Social
proof by reviews rating and testimonials
so when people see these reviews ratings
and testimonials they'll feel more
comfortable to work with you and you'll
be able to land clients faster so let's
start with reviews and ratings so at
first focus on building good reputation
instead of running for money offer your
services at discount in the starting to
land some good client when I started I
used to work for $5 and provide
unlimited revisions and great quality
which resulted in a lot of five star
reviews which made a good base for my
freelance Journey now you can collect
these reviews rating anywhere you can
collect it on Google you can also ask
people to say good things about you on
LinkedIn next you can use testimonials
testimonials is a strong way to gain
trust and enhance your profile and
portfolio you can get testimonials from
anyone it can be your teacher or your
employer or maybe the internship that
you did you can ask the manager to leave
a testimonial and then later you can
show these testimonials on your
portfolio page or your website if you
have worked with good companies you can
also display their logos on your
portfolio page it's all about showing
yourself in the best light and build
trust now once you have mastered the
skill you have a good portfolio and you
have social proof now we can go and find
clients now to get clients you would
simply have to tell people what you are
offering or else how would they know
marketing plays a major role here so
there are two options either the client
can come to you or you can go and find
the client so first is obviously
freelance platform so you can create
account on any freelance platform the
best one are obviously Fiverr and up now
the best thing about freelance platforms
are these already have warm lead what I
mean by that is these are already people
who are looking for Freelancers like you
so if you somehow show up on the first
page of these platform and then convince
the clients that you are the best person
to work with you'll get clients just
like that now for everyone who is
thinking freelance platforms are too
crowded they won't work for me you need
to ask yourself is what I'm offering
good enough and if it is you'll
definitely get clients because millions
of people are getting clients on these
platforms just like that and if these
people have similar skills to you and
getting clients why can't you now it's
not as easy as it sounds just making
account won't get your clients so there
are other soft skills that you would
have to combine here first one is
obviously communication so to perform
well on any freelance platform you need
to have good communication so that means
if you want to work with International
clients you need to be fluent in English
Second you need to learn persuasion
which means you should be able to
persuade people to work with you along
with that you need to be good in sales
and marketing to perform well on these
platform now as I said there are two
major Platforms in the industry which is
Fiverr and upor I have been on Fiverr
since 2019 and made over $100,000 I'm a
top rated seller on Fiverr and I have
already made a complete guide on how to
make money on Fiverr how to set up a
profile and gigs that show up on the
first page I'll add the link in the
description for you to watch later and
the second one is upor I have recently
created a upwork account to display that
it's not just luck you can earn money on
any platform if you have the right
skills and I'll be making a complete
guide on how I did it and how you can
make money on upwork too so make sure
you subscribe so you don't miss that
video I personally think freelance
platforms is the best way to get clients
as a freelancer apart from fivr and up
there is also topel people per hour and
also you can offer your services on
LinkedIn so see what works best for you
now second way to get clients is by Cold
emailing or cold DM so cold email or
cold dming is basically reaching out to
people or reaching out to potential
clients and telling them that this is
the service that I offer would you like
to work with me since you will be
contacting random people so it may take
some time to convert leads into client I
have already made a video on complete
lead generation and email automation
process I'll add the link in the
description do check it out after this
video third way to get clients is by
referrals understand this the more
people know about who you are what you
do and For Whom the more likely it is
that you'll start bringing in Word of
mouth reference data from Business
Schools shows that customers who are
referred to you are often more loyal
profitable and take very less to acquire
I mean think about it if you want to try
a restaurant in a new city and you
already have a friend who is living
there would you trust your own judgment
or go with the referral of your friend
most likely you'll go with the referral
of the friend because you trust him same
way client referrals work now to start
getting referrals from client once you
impress them with your work simply ask
if they know someone else who might be
interested in your services you can
request an introduction or ask them to
recommend your services I have included
a free email or message template that
you can send to your current clients
I'll add the link in the description
after this if you have budget for
marketing you can also run social media
ads such as Google ads Facebook ads or
Instagram ads to get new client now if
your offering is really as good as you
think you should ideally land your first
client within 1 to 2 weeks now if that
does not happen you should go back to
step one again and then start by
refining your skill see what you can
change see how you can improve the small
things because that make a major
difference and after that follow the
entire process again and see what else
you can improve and then look for
clients again it is difficult to get
clients in the beginning so keep trying
until you find the first one and once
you do it will be a regular thing next
we'll talk about payment and management
Tools in this section I'll tell you what
are the best options when dealing with
International and domestic clients be
very careful with the payment tools
especially if you're working outside of
any freelance platform so the good thing
about freelance platform is that they
have a a good system in place and
because of that your payment is always
safe but if you're working with clients
directly make sure you have a good
contract in place for domestic clients
use whatever is available in your
country in India we have UPI which is
fast and secure apart from that you can
also do direct Bank transfers do note
that when you're working with domestic
clients in India they need to pay a 18%
GST make sure you are aware about the
tax regulation when you're working with
International clients you can use stripe
PayPal or Pioneer all three are really
good and have good customer support just
in case there are any problem dos and
don'ts when working with clients
directly always keep active
communication make sure you and the
client are both on the same page and
don't ghost the client just in case
something goes wrong make sure you
always communicate with the client
create an agreement or a contract when
you're working with client you can find
a lot of templates on internet just copy
paste and then upload to chat GPT and
then ask it to enter your details for
payment always request a 50% payment
upfront to avoid any fraud if the client
is not agreeing to 50% do at least 20 to
30 30% payment or you can also do a
milestone project and next revision
almost 90% of the projects that I work
on have one to two revision so always
leave enough time energy and patience to
do any revisions if F now if you start
getting a lot of clients you might need
to use some management tools for project
and client management I use Trello you
can also use notion if you want both of
these tools are really good they can
help you stay organized it's also very
user friendly and it will save you a lot
of time so you can use these tools to
create workspace board and create a
assembly line system for project for
example this is our fivr TR board so we
have boards for priority projects
revisions approval pending coming up and
then completed projects inside each
board there are multiple card and inside
the card we can add the details about
the project and also assigned to one of
my team members similarly since we work
with a lot of monthly clients we create
a workspace for them so their entire
projects are at one place REO is
completely free up to 10 people
similarly for client communication we
use slack where we create different
groups and channels to communicate with
the client now you have everything you
can start your journey from these four
points but every business needs growth
and eventually you'll also feel the need
to earn more increase your prices and
make a lot more money so let's discuss
the best ways to grow as a freelancer
and to eventually become the top rated
in the industry so you can start by
upselling upselling means persuading
your customers to purchase a more
expensive version of your service in
freelancing this could involve offering
your service at a higher price however
suddenly increasing your price a lot can
upset few customers so make sure you're
slowly increasing your prices so when I
initially started I used to charge
around $5 for 1 minute video now I
charge $100 for a 1 minute video so
every month when I had enough orders or
enough projects I used to increase my
price by $10 and slowly as I kept
getting more and more reviews the client
felt that it is Justified to pay that
price first we'll talk about growing on
freelance platform so you can either
grow by getting in more clients or by
increasing your price once you have a
good base of revie reviews and reviews
keep coming in you can start increasing
your prices you can also add some
add-ons for example we do a usual 2
three day turnaround on Fiverr but let's
say if a client wants a delivery in 24
hours we charge around $100 fast
delivery charge on that similarly you
can add a lot of extras for example more
text animation more revisions more stock
Clips Etc another way to build a
predictable income as a freelancer is by
offering subscriptions for example a
client needs five videos every month you
can offer that package as a subscription
and and it will keep on repeating every
month which will give you predictable
Revenue you can grow as a freelancer by
improving your skills you can invest in
professional skill development and learn
new skills you can enroll in workshops
online courses or read more books
another thing you can do is you can
build a brand your brand is super
important to grow as a freelancer if you
portray yourself as an expert in your
industry and create content around that
you'll start getting a lot more
opportunities another way to grow is by
finding your needs so for example this
is my friend suil who is a video editor
but instead of offering video editing
services to everyone he just offers his
service to dentist so he has established
himself as an expert in dentist
communities and because of that he's
able to charge them high prices and make
a lot of money while getting a lot of
new referrals in the community so to
summarize first you need to start by
discovering your skill once you have
identified your skill you need to get
exposure you can do that by working for
a startup after that spend enough time
mastering the skill so that you are the
best at what you do and once you have
mastered the skill you need to create an
attractive portfolio second you need to
get Social proof get reviews on any
platform whether it's Fiverr upk
LinkedIn Google or any other social
media platform third to find clients
either you can reach out to them or they
can come to you you can reach out to
clients via cold emails or cold DMs I
have linked the video in the description
you can check it out for clients to come
to you your profile should be visible on
freelance platforms I have linked the
complete video on how to set up a
perfect Fiverr profile in the
description and last we talked about
growing as a freelancer which is a
continuous step so you have to keep
building your profile and you have to
try becoming a better version of
yourself every single day
congratulations if you have watched the
video till now this tells me that you're
very dedicated and hardworking and you
really want to become a successful
freelancer so as a bonus here are three
books that will help you get ahead of
90% of freelance first one is influence
the psychology of persuasion it will
tell you why people say yes and how you
can persuade people to do business with
you second one is fanatical prospecting
this is a complete book about sales it's
about opening sales conversations and
how you can write better Cod emails and
DMS it's all about converting strangers
into regular clients and the third one
is emith it's about why most businesses
fail and what you can do about it since
freelancing is like running a small
business this book will be very helpful
so thanks a lot for watching I hope you
found this content valuable do share it
with your friends like And subscribe and
I'll see you in the next video
関連動画をさらに表示
the complete beginner’s guide to freelancing in 2024
How I would start Video Editing in 2024 (If I could Start Again)
How to become a FREELANCER in 2024 - The Ultimate Beginner Guide To Freelancing - Full Course
How to Become a Freelancer in 2024 💸 the ultimate step-by-step guide to freelancing for beginners
Tips For Getting Clients As A Graphic Designer In 2024
Step by Step: How to Start Freelance Writing in 2024 (Make $5k/Month)
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)