Top Tips For New Freelancers

Welcome to the exciting world of freelancing your skills. There are tonnes of employment opportunities at your fingertips, but only if you know how to successfully sell yourself and your services. Marketing one’s self is a challenge, but if you’ve decided to freelance your skills, it’s a challenge you’ll have to overcome in a hurry. What are the top things you’re going to need to know when taking on the big wide world of fortuity in freelance.

• Don’t Trash Your Resume

There’s a reason you feel that you’re well suited for freelancing, in fact there may be a few. If you are confident enough to take this endeavour on, you’re going to be able to write up a great endorsement for yourself. And you’re going to need it when it comes time to secure those jobs. So spend a little time to top up your resume, and get ready to share those awesome skills you’ve been hoarding.

• Plan, Plan, Plan

You didn’t honestly think that freelancing meant you could do what you wanted, did you? Before you hit that wonderful goal of working when you want and where you want, you’re going to put a lot of hours into careful planning, starting with a business plan. You want to write down your specific goals, your expectations, and your policies. Remember that ideas mean nothing until you’ve put them into writing. This is a huge step for accountability and it will also aid to keep you reliable.

• Network

Networking is about being seen, known and heard. Set up your own blog, then get involved in Social Media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Look for people with an interest in what you offer. Curate and create useful relationships. Build a reputation for being an authority in your field. Show an ability to engage and be professional, as well as a genuine interest in your career. A large part of creating work for yourself is creating a name for yourself, and that is done by proving you know what you’re talking about.

• Understand Tax and Insurance Needs

Never start your freelancing blind. Consider every minute detail or you risk your success. Neglecting your tax responsibilities will cause major headaches and difficulties in the future, and is best avoided from the start. Be on top of your expectations and the expectations that others have of you. Don’t operate your business without insurance, no matter what. If you do, you run the risk of losing everything and not having the resources to start over again. An uninsured business, freelance or not, can ruin lives.

This guest post is from Allison with BusinessInsurance.org, where you can go to get a business insurance quotes for your freelance business.

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