Steps To Developing a Successful Freelance Business

Whether you are a media consultant, web designer, or like me, a writer/grant writer, if you are considering establishing a freelance business, I believe that a key question you need to ask yourself from the start is what does it take to create a “successful” business. It seems an obvious question, but is it?



Set A Goal. What defines “success” for you. As the old adage goes, you can’t arrive at where you want to be until you know where it is that you want to go. If you want to achieve a goal, you have to first set it. So what is it that will constitute success for you in your freelance business? Do you want a part-time job to supplement your income from your primary career? Do you just need something to tide you over in this uncertain economy until employers in your field start hiring again? Are you seeking an on-going, full-time business that will give you a comfortable income and the freedom to set you own schedule and work at your own pace? Or perhaps money is not the fuel that drives your engine, and you are setting out with the express purpose of coming to be known as the “best in the business.” Knowing what you want to achieve will help define the business that you develop. And remember, goals are not set in stone. They can always be modified based on conditions in the marketplace or your own personal circumstances.

Do You Have a Passion? Is there a subject or field that especially interests you? If there is, chances are that you are more knowledgeable and proficient in that subject or field than in others. If you are a writer and have a passion for politics, you most likely will write a better article or ad copy when the subject is politics than if it is a subject in which you may have some proficiency but which you find tedious, like say veterinarian medicine (no offense to all you Vets – you’re wonderful people – but I once wrote abstracts of articles from Veterinarian trade mags for a publisher and nearly died of acute boredom.) Or if you are a web designer and have an interest in working with churches, it is probable that you will find that designing such web sites is more rewarding to you personally than doing so for other types of enterprises. This used to be called “following your bliss.” In many ways, it is just a good marketing strategy. Few of us can do everything equally well. I believe that finding your niche in the marketplace is a key to success, however you define it.



What’s Your Brand? A brand is the identifying marker of a specific product, service or business. It establishes the personality, if you will, of that product, service or business. It is intended to create good associations in the minds of potential consumers – thoughts, images, beliefs, attitudes, etc. This is referred to as “the brand experience” – the creation of a symbolic construct in the minds of potential customers that sums up the information and expectations you would like associated with your product or service. If successful, a brand creates the impression that a product or service has qualities or characteristics that make it unique or special, something that can be gotten nowhere else. A brand is, therefore, one of the most important aspects of a marketing strategy, because it demonstrates what you are able to offer in the marketplace. Perhaps, you can see how important goals and passion are when it comes to creating your brand. You can’t try to brand yourself as “the greatest living freelance writer in the field of U.S. Presidential History”, for example, if you only want a part-time business, you can’t name the 13th president for the life of you, and you couldn’t care less anyway.



Getting the Word Out. So you’ve thoroughly considered the kind of business you want based on your interests, life circumstances and your passion. You’ve set your goals, and you’ve come up with a personal brand that you hope sums up the expectations you would like associated with your work and conveys what is unique and special about what you do. Very cool. But… none of this will gain you even one customer if no one knows that your business exists. You have to get the word out, and by that, I mean you have to be networking on a regular daily basis. Of course, you need to create a website, so the information about you, your business and the services or product you provide are on the net for the world to see. But again, no one will see it if they don’t know it’s there. Networking takes a variety of forms, and there are others who can probably tell you a great deal more about the hows of networking than I can. Many freelancers like to use the social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and these are a good beginning. Other articles posted on this blog provide a variety of sites listed by field of interest, and these can be of use in getting the word out. Or you can use a site like PostsandBids.com, which not only allows you to bid on jobs but also allows you to build a business profile on their site that is accessible to all their other members. Your strategy for promoting your business will in many ways be determined by the type of business you want to have; but regardless of the strategy, you want to achieve as much exposure as possible. The more people who know about you and the product or service you provide, the more likely that you will be offered freelance work.



Pricing. If you are new to freelancing, chances are that you are unsure how to value your work in the marketplace, and for that reason many freelancers set their rates too low from the beginning. There are a variety of formulas you can use to determine appropriate pricing for your business floating around on the web, and you can find them with very little effort. But for starters, begin by determining, realistically, what you want to earn. Again, this is part of goal setting. If you are planning to make a full-time career out of this, you will need to calculate and factor in your overhead expenses, such as rent, utilities, etc. Be thorough, and remember to include such things as health benefits and insurance and the fact that you will not get paid sick leave and vacation time. With the advent of the internet, there are no longer “average prices” because you are dealing with a world-wide marketplace. Knowing what you want to earn and what your overhead costs are will give you the platform on which to base your pricing. If you know that you have the talent and skills to back your prices, and the samples and references to prove it, you should have no problem successfully charging a reasonable rate. The bottom line is that you should never sell yourself short.



Patrick is a 20 year veteran of the freelancing industry, specializing in grants, fund-raising and writing.



Places To Find Work For All Types of Freelancers



PostsandBids.com – Unlimited freelance bids and Unlimited employer posts. They also cover many different categories, freelancers can find work and Employers can get the job done.