Freelance Expert (part-1)

 Introduction

Freelancing is one of the best ways to earn money, because there’s such a high demand for services such as graphics design, website design, and writing. Sure, there is also a lot of competition to deliver these services, but it’s a lot easier than you probably think to set yourself apart from the competition.

A lot of people prefer freelancing, because you don’t have to be tied down to a certain location at a certain time, and you have the potential to earn a lot more money for the time you spend working than you would if you were working for someone else.

There are a lot of benefits to working on a freelance basis, but there are also some drawbacks, and we’ll discuss a few of those so you can make a more informed decision as to whether or not you’d like to give it a try.

In this guide, we’re going to take a look at some of the more common ways you can earn money freelancing, as well as some lesser-known methods and places you can find work.
We’ll also take a look at some of the ins and outs of freelancing to help you decide if it’s really right for you.

So let’s get started.

 

 Potential Drawbacks

You probably already know most of the positive aspects of freelancing, such as the potential to make more money and the ability to work in your underwear at home or even on the beach in Tahiti. Pretty cool, right? But there are a few drawbacks to consider, as well.

Let’s take a look at a few of the drawbacks that might make you reconsider freelancing. (Remember, you can always do freelance work while employed traditionally if you’re not ready to leap right into full-time freelancing. In fact, that’s usually the best idea!)

Taxes

Ugh, taxes. It’s something you don’t think much about when you work a normal job, because your taxes get taken out of your check and the only time you really have to worry about it is tax season when you have to file your taxes.

But when you’re a freelancer, you have to worry about taxes all the time. You have to save money from every payment to cover taxes, and it really hurts when you have to write out that check to Uncle Sam, because it all comes in one lump sum—unless you pay your taxes quarterly.

Taxes for a freelancer can be pretty complicated, so if you aren’t a tax professional, you’ll probably want to hire one to help you—at least in the beginning.

Freelance Expert

A good accountant will be able to teach you the basics of recordkeeping for tax purposes, and they’ll also help you when it comes to filing your taxes, so it’s a great idea to get a consultation with one as soon as possible.

Interruptions

Interruptions are huge productivity killers in any workplace, but if you work from home you’ll soon discover it’s much worse. People think that because you work at home, you’ll be free to talk to them, hang out with them, do them favors, etc. as if you didn’t work at all. And if you protest, they get offended as if you don’t want to talk to them at all.

People who have never worked from home will never truly grasp what it’s like, so there’s really no easy way to help them understand that they can’t just expect you to have the ability to drop whatever you’re doing at any moment for them.

For this reason, it’s a very good idea to turn off your cell phone and go into a room with a closed door while you work. Ideally, you might even want to rent office space so you can have more privacy while you work. This may not always be possible, but if you can, office space in many areas is remarkably affordable.

Instability

Finding work as a freelancer isn’t guaranteed, and you may find the lack of a guaranteed paycheck is too much to deal with. Because work is so unstable, especially in the beginning, many freelancers work a full-time or part-time job to supplement their income.

You can increase your chances of finding work consistently by putting yourself in as many freelance marketplaces as possible, presenting a professional portfolio of work, and seeking references and testimonials that may help others choose you over their competition.

Lack of Benefits

One huge thing that is a deal-breaker for a lot of potential freelancers is the lack of any benefits such as retirement and health insurance. While a lot of jobs don’t offer such benefits, either, most people don’t end up staying at those jobs for very long.

Health insurance for the self-employed is outrageously expensive, but if your income is relatively low you can qualify for Medicaid, or at least a reduced price on your health insurance.

Retirement is a huge issue, and it’s important to start saving early. Self-employed individuals should start an IRA (Individual Retirement Account) as early as possible and contribute the maximum amount possible to be sure they have money available for retirement, because they won’t be paying money into Social Security and thus cannot collect any when they retire.

Remember, there are drawbacks to everything—even traditional jobs. Freelancing may not be for everyone, but for others, it’s the only thing that makes them happy.

Services

First, we’re going to talk about some of the different services you might be interested in offering as a freelancer. Some of these will probably be obvious, but since you might not immediately think of all of them.

There are so many different services you could potentially offer to clients, and you can make money with whatever you find most interesting and have the most talent and ability to do.

 

Writing

Writing is the first thing most people think of when it comes to freelancing, because it’s the one thing that doesn’t take a lot of natural talent or technical training to do. Most people have enough of a grasp of basic English spelling, grammar and punctuation to take at least basic writing jobs.

In fact, some freelance designers or programmers do writing work on the side to supplement their income in between design jobs.

Because writing has a fairly low barrier to entry, it’s also highly competitive and doesn’t pay as much as some other types of freelancing. A simple article can pay as low as $1.50, but more complex jobs, especially if they need to be very high in quality, can pay significantly more.

There are many different types of writing you can do as a freelancer. For example:

 

  Blog posts and articles

 Short reports

 Non-fiction e-books

 Fiction (books, stories, poetry, etc.)

Different types of work pay different amounts, but technical writing and fiction writing (such as ghostwriting romance books for authors) can pay quite a lot.

 Design

Design requires a little bit more technical ability than writing, but if you have the aptitude for it and the experience, you can make good money doing all types of freelance graphic work.

At the basic end of the design spectrum are things like advertising banners and book covers. These require only a graphics program like Photoshop or GIMP, some stock photos, and a decent level of talent.

At the higher end are projects like posters, as well as projects that require some more technical ability like designing websites and user interfaces for apps and programs.

Here are some ideas for the types of graphics you can create:

 Book covers for authors

 Advertising banners

 Posters and flyers

 Websites and blogs

 Logos

If you want to get work as a designer, it’s extremely important to create a good portfolio with examples of what you can do. If you have never done a particular type of work before, create a few examples for your portfolio, even if they are fictional. (For example, create a cover for a book that doesn’t exist, or create your own version of the cover of a popular book.)

You could also offer to do work for people for free in the beginning to build your portfolio, but keep in mind that even if you’re offering free work, some people will want to see what you can do before they commit to working with you so they don’t waste your time and theirs if they end up not liking what you produce.

Artwork

If you’re a talented artist in any medium, there’s a great opportunity for you to earn money with that talent. Gone are the days when the only way an artist could make money was by selling original paintings. These days, artists have a lot of possibilities for earning!

 Portraits and caricatures

 Other commissions

 Book cover art

 Children’s book illustration

 Art for apps and video games

 T-shirts, posters, and other items to sell

 Prints of artwork (possibly framed for hanging on the wall)

These are just a few ideas of ways you can make money as a freelance artist. There is a nearly endless number of other ways!