Alveena Ahmad
Freelancing is turning out to be a serious business. According to Freelancing Hacks, Freelancers in the U.S. contribute $1.4 trillion to the economy every year. It is estimated that working from home improves your work performance by 13% and freelancer coders and developers can earn as much as US$1000 per hour.
It is also forecasted that over 40% of the U.S. workforce will be freelancers by 2021 end. Also, 36% of the US workers (57.3 million) are freelancers who work from home says a lot about the future of the freelancing model.
According to Slash workers, 77% of freelancers state that they are now financially stable since quitting their day jobs to work as a freelancer
My name is Hisham Sarwar and as a renowned freelancer from Pakistan who has been freelancing for over 2 decades, I have found freelancing a great way of living a dream life. To begin with, I agree, it’s not easy but if done correctly, the results are extremely satisfying.
I would like to present you with 5 takeaways from Freelancing and if followed closely, one can start their career as a freelancer irrespective of the city, state, or country one belongs to.
Here are my 5 ‘C of Freelancing.
1. Courage
The first and preliminary step to taking up freelancing as a career is that it requires a lot of courage. Being self-employed has its own set of challenges. Taking risks is not easy, it requires a lot of courage to go for a career where there is no stable weekly or monthly income that is guaranteed in a 9 to 5 job.
If you have the courage to withstand the financial and social pressure that you may experience, go for freelancing. I started my career with a single P3 computer and a reasonable internet connection but I had the courage to work as a graphic designer online. I believe, your first earning from a freelance marketplace settles the scores.
2. Confidence
As a freelancer, the most solid weapon you have in your armory is confidence. You have to be confident enough of your decision and your skills and should be able to take this confidence to freelance marketplaces such as Upwork, Guru, Freelancer, or Fiverr.
I believe, If someone is not confident enough in their skill set, they can not assert full authority in their work which typically begins with sending out proposals to clients’ project placements.
Be confident of your skills and believe you are the ‘best in the business.
3. Commitment
You can not survive for a longer period of time if you are not honoring your commitments. Freelancing is a word-of-mouth agreement, especially with digital space and distances. If you can’t meet deadlines, if you can’t deliver milestones as committed, sooner or later, you will fade away.
You will lose business not because you were bad, you will lose business because your competitor was smart enough to honor their commitments.
4. Communication
English is an international business language. Many freelancers, despite the fact that they are very talented, can not make a breakthrough as a freelancer because of a lack of communication skills. Tony Robbins says, 80% Of Success is Psychology – Tony Robbins.
Here is how you can improve your communication skills if you want to stand a better chance of being a successful freelancer.
5. Consistency
As a freelancer, some days are good and some days are awful. You have to believe that it’s just a bad day, not a bad life and good days will come. Be consistent in your daily activities, search for work daily, and bid daily. If you stop, you are out of the game because your competitor is consistent and actively pursuing the projects daily. Remember, hard work always pays off.
By applying these 5 ‘C’s of freelancing, I have discovered a cookie-cutter formula about The Top Secrets Of Becoming a Successful Freelancer on UpWork & Guru?
