how to start freelancing in Pakistan or any other country around the globe?
Thinking to start freelancing but don’t know where to start?
Then this guide is for you.
This guide is the result of my personal freelance journey so that I can guide beginners on how to start freelancing?
This ultimate guide is for all those freelancing writers, web developers of graphic designers who want to start their freelance journey. all you need is to follow the simple steps mentioned in this blog.
before going ahead let's clarify a few things about freelancing.
freelancing is not as easy as you or a lot of others think if you think that having a laptop and internet connection can earn money online then you have to rethink.
carry on the blog if you are serious about hardworking and finding financial freedom as
freelancer,
furthermore, keep an eye on other blog posts on the website to get complete information,
Now let's get into the blog.
Also, keep in mind that this guide only covers the basics of freelancing, to get into the right way and move to the advanced level and know the secrets of freelancing you can read other blog posts in this blog, just find the links
1: Buy the right tools
freelancing is not something that will earn you your desired money overnight, in fact, you have to work day and night for years to reach a steady income, that's why I advise to not to start freelancing immediately,
we know there's a lot of oppurtuatyies for those beginners freelancers than those who started a few years back, you can follow some famous freelancers' stories online to get inspiration, our's Guru Hisham Sarwar is of those, go find him on BeingGuru
I always see people posting on social media asking if they can use a smartphone to work as a freelancer, and the simple answer is a big NO, because: everyone knows that a smartphone has very limited features in terms of apps, you have to buy a computer to run software's required to do the freelancing tasks.
even an old computer with outdated software can do the trick to start your freelance journey, otherwise, go get a laptop or pc for yourself, but remember to choose one that
can run for at least 5 years.
2: Choose a freelance skill that's highly payable or in demand.
this is the most important step, you have to be enough skilled to offer your services online, you batter know what is your specialty.
there are a lot of services in demand, as the simple typing job or advanced like python computing, whatever it is, the key to success in freelancing is to find and learn a skill you are expert on, and yes it has to be in demand in the freelance market, otherwise...
let's assume, if you are good at coding, you can find lots of jobs on freelance markets like Fiverr, Upwork, Guru, People per hour, just kick to start and visit one of the above-mentioned freelancing marketplaces.
3: Become an expert on your skill.
once you chose a skill that has demand in the market, now it's time to work on it to make yourself prepared for the freelance journey, you have to be very good at it if you and to get paid for it.
eg, let's say that you want to be a website developer, this category is in demand nowadays, if you have learned some coding skills during your graduation days, this the time to eat the fruit of it.
But it doesn't mean you can not offer other services, but if you are good enough at this skill you can polish it further, you can also start offering writing articles and blogs, websites or online freelance market places,
but wait, you need some more expertise to offer this service, as you have to learn WordPress and some graphic designing. this will help you write a formatting different styles to attract audions.
you need to learn the methods of posting blog posts for the audions, making your blog post attractive, and much more.
So now you need to learn how to write blog posts for online audiences. Learn how to use WordPress. How to make graphics for articles. And more.
This applies to each and every other freelancing skill. you cannot start your freelance journey without even trying to learn the basics of freelance skills .you have to learn and polish your skills and then dive into it.
But the question is from where to learn freelancing skills, the answer is, read books, find free courses 0nline, join some youtube channels related to your skill,
find skilled freelancers near you and request them to help you in your freelancing journey, you can pay them a little amount if they ask,
learning a skill from zero may take some time and patience, you also have to keep practicing, you can carry out your learnings for weeks, months, or even a year, but you have to be consistent.
4: Reputation is the key to success.
It doesn't matter if you are a graduate or a master's degree holder, or even you just have a high school certificate, your freelancing success depends on your skills and work. if you cant satisfy your clients with your skills, they will not hire you.
being a freelancer you must have your own blog website to keep the samples of your work, this will help your future clients determine whether you are the one they are searching for or not.
you also can offer your work for free to some clients, you can reach out to them using social media groups. your free work is the investment for the bright future of your freelancing career.
Read also: The pros and cons of freelancing
5: Portfolio
once you start building your clients, make sure to create a portfolio of your work done for all of your clients whether it's free or paid. you can develop your own portfolio website or try to find online websites if you can't afford your own.,
you can create your portfolio page on websites like Behance to reach out to your clients, you can also give them your portfolio link while negotiating for a job.
remember to showcase only the best of your work in your portfolio.
6: Don't make freelancing your full-time career.
as I started freelancing is not as easy as people think, it can take time to make the client's belief in your work and skills, therefore carry freelancing as a part-time job until you get complete success in your journey.
in the beginning, it would be a great idea to work on fewer paid services until you fully understand what freelance is and how to deal with clients, etc.
once you got expertise in the field of freelancing you can leave your full-time job and carry on your freelance journey further.
Read: Top ten in-demand freelancing skills
7: find the right marketplace for your freelancing services.
Now, this is the most important and crucial part of the whole show. as a beginner, you have to find a place where you can take up your journey easily,
The biggest mistake the beginner freelancers do is they directly land on popular freelance websites like Upwork and Fiverr, where tons of freelancers are already offering their services.
so it would be best to find a new market with fewer freelancers and low competition to start your journey. this will increase the chances of getting your first job as early as possible.
8: never charge higher than other freelancers.
it's always challenging to figure out the right price for your services especially when you are new to freelancing. freelance markets run on competitions, if a freelancer charges less then you have no chance to get a job.
the best approach is to stop dreaming about making tons of money overnight and look at the other freelancers. see how much are they charging for the same services you are offering. keep your charges a bit lower, in the beginning, to compete with seasoned freelancers.
9: Applying for your first freelance job.
writing a proposal to impress the client is an art. you have to be careful because it is not like sending an email you are sending it to someone. you need to read the job advertisement twice and understand the needs of the client. you can find videos on youtube
on this topic.
10: Deliver more than the clients' expectations.
once you have won your first job, the next step is to keep in mind the Quality of work and the client's recommendation. make sure to go ahead in terms of quality. this will not only build your reputation but, will force the client to give 5 stars rating and a positive review happily,
furthermore, your positive attitude will make him your permanent client.
congratulations. you have read this article successfully, for now, got enough information about freelancing. you can share and recommend this blog post to your fellows. There are some more articles on this site covering different angles of freelancing and making money online, you can also visit them too.
Read also: How to cre ate a gig on Fiverr
Best of Luck
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💘 Love it .
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