What Is Freelancing
Basics and Popular Jobs
Freelancing is a way of working that allows you to offer your skills and services to different clients without being tied to a single employer or company. Freelancers are self-employed professionals who can work on various projects, either remotely or on-site, depending on the client’s needs and preferences.
Freelancing has many benefits, such as flexibility, autonomy, creativity, and diversity. You can choose when, where, and how you work, as well as what kind of projects you take on. You can also set your own rates and negotiate your terms with clients. You can explore your passions and interests, and learn new skills along the way. You can work with different clients from different industries and backgrounds, and expand your network and portfolio.
Read more: Ways for girls to earn at home
Freelancing also has some challenges, such as uncertainty, isolation, competition, and responsibility. You may not have a steady income or a guaranteed workload, and you may have to deal with late payments or difficult clients. You may feel lonely or disconnected from other professionals in your field, and you may have to compete with other freelancers for opportunities. You may also have to manage your own taxes, insurance, contracts, and marketing.
To succeed as a freelancer, you need to have some essential skills and qualities, such as:
Expertise: You need to have a high level of proficiency and experience in your chosen field or niche. You need to be able to deliver quality work that meets or exceeds your client’s expectations.
Communication: You need to be able to communicate clearly and effectively with your clients and potential clients. You need to be able to pitch your services, negotiate your rates and terms, provide updates and feedback, and handle any issues or complaints.
Organization: You need to be able to plan and manage your time, tasks, resources, and finances. You need to be able to prioritize your projects, meet your deadlines, track your progress and payments, and balance your work and personal life.
Adaptability: You need to be able to adjust to changing situations and demands. You need to be able to learn new skills and tools, work with different clients and platforms, and cope with stress and uncertainty.
There are many types of freelancing jobs available in various fields and industries. Some of the most popular ones are:
Writing: Freelance writers create content for websites, blogs, magazines, newsletters, books, social media, etc. They can specialize in different genres or topics, such as copywriting, technical writing, creative writing, etc.
Design: Freelance designers create visual elements for various purposes, such as logos, graphics, illustrations, animations, websites, apps, etc. They can specialize in different areas or styles, such as graphic design, web design, UI/UX design, etc.
Development: Freelance developers create software or applications for various platforms or devices, such as websites, mobile apps, games, etc. They can specialize in different languages or frameworks,
such as HTML/CSS/JavaScript/PHP/Python/Ruby/etc.
Marketing: Freelance marketers promote products or services for various clients or platforms using different strategies or channels,
such as SEO/SEM/SMM/email marketing/content marketing/etc.
Consulting: Freelance consultants provide advice or guidance for various clients or projects in different fields or industries,
such as business/finance/legal/education/health/etc.
These are just some examples of freelancing jobs that you can pursue depending on your skills, interests, and goals. Freelancing can be a rewarding and fulfilling career choice if you are willing to work hard, learn constantly, and overcome challenges.
What is Freelancing
The gig economy is growing fast as more professionals put their skills to use as freelancers. In fact, an Upwork study revealed that 59 million American professionals were involved in freelancing in 2020—representing more than a third of the United States workforce.
What is freelancing, and how and why should someone consider becoming a freelancer? This article defines what freelancing is, presents its pros and cons, explains how it differs from full-time work, and outlines the types of freelance work available.
What is freelancing?
Benefits of freelancing
Disadvantages of freelancing
Main differences between freelancing and a full-time job
9 categories of in-demand freelance work.
What is freelancing?
Freelancing is doing specific work for clients without committing to full-time employment. Freelancers often take on multiple projects with different clients simultaneously. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers freelancers to be self-employed individuals
Freelancers handle contract work on a part-time or full-time basis and often sign agreements before starting projects.
With freelancing, the client pays per project, per task, or per hour, depending on the agreement. Freelance projects typically involve short-term assignments, although satisfied clients often request follow-on work. Most freelance jobs are available in the skills, service, and creative sectors, such as copywriting, programming, engineering, and marketing.
Benefits of freelancing
Being your own boss as a freelancer comes with many potential perks, including:
Flexibility. As a freelancer, you are able to choose your own hours and decide when and where to work. For example, you can work from home or when you’re at the beach. Freelancing flexibility helps promote a better work-life balance.
Choice of clients and projects. Working as a freelancer allows you to select the projects that match your skills and interests. You can also pick clients who fit particular criteria.
Setting your own rates. You may enjoy greater control of your earnings potential since you generally set your own rates as a freelancer. The amount of work you’re able to handle daily or weekly is another factor that is likely to determine your earnings.
Improved skill set. As a freelancer, you may have the opportunity to work on more specialized projects, giving you greater experience with niche subject areas.
Exposure to global brands. Because you can choose your clients and projects, you have the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with businesses from around the world.
Disadvantages of freelancing
While being a freelancer offers many advantages, you’ll also want to consider potential downside concerns.
Isolation. Unlike a part-time or full-time job, having a freelance business may get lonely, especially if you’re working remotely. If you thrive on day-to-day interactions with colleagues in a work environment, you may find freelancing isolating.
Uncertain job security. Freelance work is likely to be erratic—you might have more work than you know what to do with at some points but struggle to land projects at other times. You may need to continue working in your regular job to maintain a steady income in the early stages of your freelancing career.
Administrative responsibilities. As your own boss, you’ll need to handle legal paperwork, invoicing, marketing, and other relevant administrative duties. These responsibilities may require considerable knowledge of bookkeeping, tax regulations, and office technology and take time from your area of focus.
No employer-funded benefits. As a self-employed person, you don’t have an employer who contributes to health insurance, 401(k) retirement offerings, and other benefits associated with a full-time job .
Main differences between freelancing and a full-time job
The ideal choice between freelancing and full-time employment depends on individual considerations of what is important. Compare these main differences to help you make the best decision for your personal situation.
Freelancing Full-time job
Flexibility You have the freedom to work from anywhere at any time, depending on your preferences or circumstances. And you get to pick your clients and projects. Having a full-time job means you perform specific duties during set working hours. You also typically have set responsibilities.
Stability Unlike full-time employment, freelance work can be a bit unpredictable, making it harder to plan for the future. Full-time workers generally have a stable, predictable income and work schedule, making it easier to plan for future expenses.
Benefits Independent workers typically don’t have access to employer-funded benefits like paid vacation time, retirement plans, health insurance, and sick leave. Benefits are a significant upside of full-time employment, like paid vacation, health insurance, and retirement plans.
Motivation As a freelancer, you operate as your own boss, making self-motivation a necessity. As a full-time employee, you’re expected to meet specific performance standards to earn raises or promotions.
9 categories of in-demand freelance work
One of the best features of the gig economy is that you can work in various sectors depending on your skill set. Below, we list some popular work categories available as an independent contractor.
Development and IT
This category includes several technical jobs, such as programming, UX design, and web development. Some professionals focus on quality assurance and additional technical support roles.
Web developer. This job involves writing code for website layouts that result in fully functional sites. Web developers are responsible for creating, maintaining, and scaling clients’ websites according to specific requirements.
UX designer. User experience (UX) designers help ensure a smooth online experience by designing user-friendly elements of a website, software, or mobile app. They provide usability solutions based on extensive research and competitor analysis.
Programmer. Programming is a popular field that involves working with computers and software development. This highly technical area is a good choice if you’re keen on writing code for a living.
Design and creative
Freelance creative professionals create visual elements, content, and products to capture users’ attention.
Graphic designer. If you venture into freelance graphic design, you may help clients create attractive logos, corporate literature, or website branding elements.
Video editor. Depending on the project scope, a video editor may do basic or more comprehensive editing. General responsibilities include putting together graphics, audio, and effects to ensure a compelling finished product.
Website designer. When you work as a freelance web designer, your role is to create and maintain high-quality websites. You help clients make the right decisions when picking themes, integrating plug-ins, or choosing content management system (CMS). Also, it’s your job to update the code and put together design elements, such as banners and graphics.
Photographer. Freelance photographers work with organizations to make the best photos for marketing, website content, and other business purposes. You might also be hired to take pictures during weddings, birthdays, and other special events.
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What Is Freelancing? Basics and Popular Jobs
Sales and marketing
As businesses are always looking to make money, freelance sales and marketing professionals are in high demand.
Outreach coordinator. As a freelance outreach coordinator, you figure out ways to spread the word about your clients’ services and products. Depending on the project scope, you might also be responsible for creating high-quality marketing materials and managing a campaign budget.
Marketing strategist. Clients hire marketing strategists to help develop customer outreach programs and advertising campaigns that deliver results. Partnering with an experienced freelance marketing expert can make achieving sales targets easier.
Customer contact manager. A customer contact manager ensures service quality matches customers’ expectations. Customer wait times form part of the minimum service standards that the manager monitors. This freelance professional also sets customer service targets and creates a staff development plan.
Writing and translation
This category covers fields like freelance writing, editing, and translation.
Copywriter. As a Copywriting professional, you might be responsible for creating newsletters, website copy, social media posts, and other types of content. It’s your job to write engaging content that teaches and inspires readers. Some writing jobs focus on producing content published in print media.
Editor. Freelance editing involves reviewing content for typos, grammatical errors, and overall adherence to the content brief and style guide. You’re also responsible for fact-checking before submitting finished documents to clients.
Translator/interpreter. Freelance translators are hired to accurately convert text from one language to another. The translated content may appear on websites, marketing materials, and product manuals.
Admin and customer support
This category offers a wide selection of job opportunities across multiple functional areas. Examples of freelance positions under this category include customer service coordinators, database managers, and e-commerce managers.
Customer service coordinator. You can thrive as a freelance customer service coordinator if you have excellent communication skills. Your responsibilities may include ensuring that customers receive excellent service, performing quality surveys, and dealing with customer complaints.
Database manager. In this field, your role is to manage customer data databases. It’s your responsibility to keep sensitive information secure and well-organized.
E-commerce manager. Due to the popularity of online shopping, there’s an ever-increasing need for experienced e-commerce managers. You’ll be responsible for managing inventory, overseeing site maintenance, and optimizing marketing strategies.
Finance and accounting
You can find many new clients looking for financial experts to help them organize records, make informed financial decisions, and manage taxes (including administering payroll tax payments and filing business income tax returns).
Accountant. Clients hire freelance accountants to help prepare books, manage financial information, and put together budgets. Many projects also involve preparing tax returns, mainly for start-ups.
Financial adviser. As a financial adviser, you will work closely with clients to help them manage personal or business finances. Clients expect solid advice and compliance based on your expertise and ongoing research.
Investor. Many clients look for freelance investment professionals to get expert advice before making critical decisions. In many cases, an expert analyzes a target company’s equity to determine its financial health before providing recommendations to the client.
Human resources
This category covers various specialties, such as payroll manager, recruiter, and general HR expert.
Payroll manager. Freelance payroll managers assist clients in handling payroll functions and ensure efficient and accurate processing.
Recruiter. As a freelance recruiter, you’re responsible for screening job candidates and coming up with recruiting strategies.
You can work with multiple clients simultaneously to help them recruit their ideal candidates.
General HR expert. Clients hire freelance human resources (HR) experts to assist in managing worker development. In some cases, the projects involve establishing HR policies and procedures.
Legal
You’ll find numerous job options in the legal category, including freelance paralegal, remote secretary, and attorney roles.
Lawyer. Freelance projects for lawyers allow you to work with companies, individuals, and law firms. Depending on your specialty, you may assist clients with corporate legal matters or family cases.
Remote secretary. As a remote secretary, you might work on projects involving various administrative duties, such as scheduling appointments, sending invoices, and filing correspondences.
Paralegal. Clients hire freelance paralegals to assist in drafting litigation documents and handling electronic filings. Additional duties may include patent work, document management, and e-discovery (a form of digital investigation).
Engineering and architecture
Architecture and engineering jobs are also available for independent workers. You can find projects for architects, interior designers, and remote mechanical engineers.
Architect. Many clients post projects involving building design and permit submissions. As an architect, you can pick projects involving structural or civil designs, depending on your experience and skill set.
Interior designer. If you’re an interior designer, you are likely to advise clients regarding furniture layout and material options. You might also use digital tools for virtual visualization.
Remote mechanical engineer. Freelance mechanical engineers help clients design and develop machines, sensors, and tools. Some projects involve troubleshooting mechanical issues and handling repairs.
Ready to start freelancing?
Once you know the type of freelance work you have the skills for and are interested in pursuing, you’ll be able to reach many potential clients by using a freelance marketplace or freelance website. However, not all platforms are created equal.
Fortunately, if you’re reading this article, you’ve already discovered one of the world’s leading remote work platforms. Upwork is an award-winning platform that makes it easy to connect with clients from across the globe. Pick your niche, choose the projects you want, and get started building lasting relationships and the long-term career of your choice.
Find your next gig by checking out the extensive job listings on Upwork today.
What is freelancing and how does it work
If you’ve landed on this page, chances are you’re thinking about making the leap into freelancing. Welcome to the world of the solopreneur! Whether you’re driven by a dream to work for yourself or the desire for more flexibility, it’s worth remembering that the freelance life comes with both awesome perks (looking at you, #breakfastinbed) and a few challenges. Read on to learn all there is to know about becoming a freelancer and what you can expect after making the switch.
First thing's first: what is freelancing?
Freelancing is a type of self-employment. Instead of being employed by a company, freelancers tend to work as self-employed, delivering their services on a contract or project basis.
Companies of all types and sizes can hire freelancers to complete a project or a task, but freelancers are responsible for paying their own taxes, health insurance, pension and other personal contributions.
Since they work for themselves, freelancers must also cover their own holiday costs and sick pay. At the same time, self-employed professionals can set their own working hours and make working arrangements that fit their lifestyle – either working remotely or from their clients’ offices.
There are many different types of freelancers, but they tend to be knowledge workers who possess a high-level of skills and knowledge in a certain area, such as designers, writers, programmers, translators, project managers and so on.
There is, however, another group of self-employed professionals that often get classed as ‘gig workers’ or ‘contractors.’ Self-employed handymen, cleaners, construction workers and drivers would fall into this category. The most distinct difference between freelancers and gig workers is that the former tend to rely on the internet to deliver their work.
How does freelancing work
Setting up as a freelancer is a little bit like setting up your own business. While every country has its own laws and types of business structures available for freelancers, the key factors to consider remain the same regardless of where you live or work. So, are you really interested in freelancing?
Then here’s what to consider when setting up as a freelancer:
Type of legal entity to work under. To start working as a freelancer (that is, officially), you’ll need to register your business with the local government. Keep in mind that the legal entity you choose (e.g. Sole Proprietorship, Limited Liability Company) will impact the amount of taxes you have to pay, your personal liability and the amount of paperwork required — not something that should be brushed aside carelessly!
Paying taxes (invoicing, expenses, tax returns, etc.).
Once you register your business, you’ll be legally required to file tax returns and pay taxes. Putting a robust invoicing and expense-tracking system in place from day one can prevent you from plunging into complete chaos at the end of the financial year.
Choosing an insurance policy for freelancers. Even if you go freelance, you should be able to enjoy the same security and peace of mind that you get when working for a company. It’s worth thinking about paying for a special health, business or income insurance for freelancers to protect yourself from the unexpected.
Opening a business account. In many cases, freelancers are not legally required to open a bank account, but most do it anyway. Being able to separate personal and business finances makes it significantly easier to claim expenses and work out the business profit at the end of the financial year.
Building a client list. Building a client list prior to going freelance is a great way of getting enough work even during the quiet times of the year. Plus, as many freelancers will testify, there’s no better way of advertising your services than getting a client referral.
Drafting your own freelance contract. A freelance contract is a legal document you and your client should sign before starting any work on a new project. What may seem like a boring formality at first, is actually your best way of protecting yourself against non-payment, liability and potential legal troubles. There are many freelance contract templates available online that you can download for free and adapt to your business.
a freelancer hand writing alphabets on a desk.
What are the advantages of being a freelancer?
With the number of freelancers on the rise year on year, many describe the decision to go freelance as life-changing. Here are a few of the commonly touted advantages to quitting the standard 9-to-5 job and becoming a freelancer.
Flexibility to decide how, when and where to work
One of the biggest perks of being your own boss is that you don’t have to ask anyone’s permission to work from home, start late or work while you travel. You decide your own business hours and you choose where to work from. If that means taking Wednesdays off to visit your grandma or working late into the night and sleeping until noon – so be it!
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Choosing your own clients
Once your business is running smoothly, you’ll also have the freedom of choosing the clients you actually want to work with. And that’s a wonderful feeling! Whenever you feel like you don’t mesh with the client’s personality, don’t like someone’s attitude or payment terms, you can shift your energy to finding a new gig instead of fighting constant battles with the client.
Keeping all the profits
One of the best things about working as a freelancer is that you can see a direct link between working hard and your account balance. Since you keep all the after-tax profits, it is also up to you to decide how you want to allocate and spend the money.
a freelancer's laptop with blue print leather roll case on a desk.
What are the disadvantages of being a freelancer?
What do freelancers do when things don’t go as planned? That brings us to the challenges of running a freelance business.
It’s important to be aware of some of the less favourable situations you could face if you decide to become a freelancer, so that you can prepare yourself and take the necessary steps to avoid anything dampening your freelance experience.
You’re pretty much on your own
Whenever you run into issues with clients, receive a complaint or face a non-payment, there’s no legal or HR support to turn to – and resolving these issues on your own can be draining at times. The best way to reduce the impact of these issues is to sign a freelance contract before engaging with a new client or get freelancer insurance. Joining a freelancers’ union can also be a great way to access outside support and helpful resources.
It can be a lonely world
If you work from home all the time and have little interaction with the outside world, it can get lonely very quickly. People tend to have the hardest time when they’re facing business challenges and have to shoulder all the responsibility alone.
To overcome these negative feelings, more and more freelancers are joining co-working spaces in their area, which are (typically) affordably priced, shared workspaces allowing freelancers to escape isolation, and separate their home life from work life. Networking groups are another way for freelancers to meet like-minded people from varying expertise levels, offering the opportunity to learn, share and create new business relationships.
Irregular payments
Unless you manage to secure recurring monthly revenue, locking in regular payments can be a challenge. Your monthly income will depend entirely on the amount of work you manage to do as well as on the goodwill of your clients!
Wrapping it up
Freelancing is a skill, like learning to play chess or paint. The more you practice it and polish your techniques, the better you get at it. If you’re considering going freelance and it seems a little scary, know that it’s normal. Rather than waiting for the right (or let’s be honest, perfect) time for making the leap, focus on doing your homework and sorting out the steps to a great start – build your client list early, take out insurance, open a business account and step into the world of freelancing. There’s no hiding from it – you’ll have to work hard to be great at it but once the breakthrough happens, the payoff will be oh-so-sweet!
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What Is a Freelancer
A Complete Guide to Freelance Jobs. Whether you want to be your own boss, test drive a new career, or have a side hustle that focuses on your passion project, freelancing can be the way to go. And, if you decide to pursue freelance work, you wouldn’t be alone.
In 2019, an MBO Partners’ survey found that nearly 41.1 million Americans identified themselves as freelancers, whether it was a few hours a month or a full-time arrangement. To break that down a little further, nearly 15 million workers claimed to be part-time freelancers, and 12.4 million called themselves full-time freelancers!
With these kinds of numbers, it’s imperative to prepare yourself to freelance and freelance well. Use this guide to understand what freelancing is, how to find companies and jobs hiring, and the characteristics needed to succeed as a freelancer.
Note:
FlexJobs is the longtime leader in helping job seekers find the highest-quality remote, work-from-home, hybrid, and flexible jobs. You can sign up for premium-level access to our database of hand-screened online job listings, as well as job search and career webinars, and many other great resources! Learn today how FlexJobs can empower your job search!
Administrative icon The Complete Guide to Freelancing
What Is Freelancing? Definition and Meaning
Essentially, a freelance job is one where a person works for themselves, rather than for a company. While freelancers do take on contract work for companies and organizations, they are ultimately self-employed.
Freelancers are responsible for all sorts of things that traditional employees are not, such as setting their work hours, keeping track of time spent on different projects, billing clients, and paying their own employment and business taxes. Freelancers are not considered “employees” by the companies they work for, but rather “contractors.”
What Is a Freelancer? Definition and Meaning
The meaning of “freelancer” is very broad. A freelancer is a person who is self-employed, often working for multiple clients at one time and earning income per project. When you’re searching for freelance jobs, there are a number of different terms to be aware of. These can help you find freelance job openings, and they’re also useful when describing yourself and the work you do to potential clients.
Types of Freelance Jobs:
Contract work: Jobs where you’re a temporary contract worker, rather than a permanent employee.
Contract job: Same as contract work.
Independent contractor: Another common way to say freelancer, but your work terms are specified by a contract with another company or individual.
1099: Refers to the IRS form an independent contractor fills out, form 1099-MISC, and is often used to describe the job (“This is a 1099 contract role”).
Contract consultant: Someone who is hired for temporary consultations for specific issues within a company.
Contract-to-hire: A job that begins as a freelance, independent contractor position but has the potential to become a regular employee position if things go well.
How to Find Freelance Work
Focusing on companies that are known to hire freelancers can be a great way to start your search for freelance work. For example, these employers have posted the most freelance openings on FlexJobs:
Kforce
Kelly
Ajilon
Accounting Principals
Randstad
Robert Half International
Stride, Inc.
Solomon Page
Dahl Consulting
Cactus Communications
Most Common Freelance Career Fields
As you can see from the freelance job listings on FlexJobs, a variety of companies, organizations, and government agencies hire freelancers. You’ll find work in almost every career imaginable, and the freelance jobs vary from small, temporary projects to long-term, full-time projects.
These are the fields that hire the most freelancers:
Accounting & Finance
Administrative
Writing
Customer Service
Bilingual
Computer & IT
Medical & Health
Editing
HR & Recruiting
Education & Training
Pros and Cons of Freelancing
Every job has pros and cons, and freelancing is no different. Being aware of the challenges can ensure you’re prepared for them.
Pros of Freelancing
Having control over your workload, the clients you work with, and your income is a significant benefit of freelancing. When you freelance, you’re in the driver’s seat. You determine what jobs to take on, which clients you want to work for, and your pay rate. Depending on your level of expertise, it’s possible to work part-time hours but make full-time pay.
Flexibility and remote work are also a perk. Most of the time, working on freelance projects will involve working at your home office during the hours you choose. You’ll absolutely have deadlines to meet, but you will decide when and where you work.
Cons of Freelancing
With the ultimate in control comes additional responsibilities. As a freelancer, you are a business owner, and you need to stay on top of taxes, invoices, payments received, finding your own health insurance, and buying every piece of software and technology you need to complete your work.
Feast or famine syndrome is another real downside to freelancing. Some months you’ll be full to the brim with work, while the next month may be a ghost town. You may be relying on a consistent contract with one client, only to find they suddenly don’t need you anymore. Freelancing requires good money management and constant sourcing of new clients.
Traits and Characteristics Needed as a Freelancer
There are a few qualities you should possess to set yourself up for freelance success. While not an all-encompassing list, these essential characteristics will give you an idea of where to focus.
Discipline
No boss is watching you out of the corner of their eye and colleagues aren’t there to judge you when you spend an hour online shopping instead of working. Self-discipline is necessary to stay on track.
Persistence
Persistence is always important, but even more so when you’re just getting started as a freelancer and trying to track down work.
Resilience
There’s one word you’ll hear more than anything as a freelancer: no. Rejection is the name of the game, and you’re going to need to let it roll off your back.
Organization
You’re responsible for a lot of different tasks. It’s up to you to keep track of your income and expenses, promptly reply to client emails, stay on top of your deadlines, keep your files sorted, and make sure your workload is streamlined.
Proactive
You don’t necessarily need to be outgoing in the traditional sense, but you do need to be a little aggressive to land new clients. If you want to grow your business, you’re going to have to be comfortable networking and approaching strangers, whether you’re doing it in person or digitally.
Communicative
Being a freelancer involves a lot of communication. You need to be willing to have the hard conversations—like negotiating a higher rate or breaking up with a client—and handle them tactfully and professionally. There’s no boss or other colleague to take care of that dirty work for you.
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Finding freelance work doesn’t have to be complicated. FlexJobs partners with thousands of companies—ranging from Fortune 500 to small businesses—to offer freelance gigs, full-time jobs, and part-time jobs in more than 50 job categories.
And FlexJobs members get full access to this database every day! Take the tour and learn more about how FlexJobs can help you enhance your freelance career.
How To Become A Freelancer
What Is Freelancing?
The phrase ‘I am a freelancer’ gets thrown about a lot nowadays when someone is asked about what he does for a living. It could be a friend, colleague, or even your family member who left his regular 9 to 5 job to become a freelancer.
Many reasons contribute to this sudden shift in the mentality of people’s perception about jobs per se causing them to shift to freelancing.
But why do they do that?
Can freelancers sustain for long without a job?
What exactly do these “freelancers” do?
And how do freelancers make money?
Here’s a comprehensive guide to answer all your questions.
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What Is Freelancing?
Freelancing is a contract-based profession where instead of being recruited in an organisation, the person uses his skills and experience to provide services to a number of clients.
In simple terms, freelancing is when you use your skills, education, and experience to work with multiple clients and take on various assignments without committing to a single employer. The number of assignments or tasks that you can take just boils down to your ability to deliver on them as asked from them.
Freelancing usually involves jobs (called gigs) that allow you to work-from-home situations. But don’t associate freelancing as the same as having a work-from-home job.
Freelancing doesn’t always mean that you’ll work from home. You might have to work at your client’s office too depending upon the type of work and the client’s requirements.
A work from home job involves a contract between you and a single employer who gives you a salary while freelancing doesn’t.
It is just that many of the jobs that freelancers perform can be delivered over the Internet without their presence at the company or clients place.
Who Is A Freelancer?
A freelancer or freelance worker is a self-employed person who earns money by providing services to multiple clients. These services relate to the person’s skills and are not necessarily provided to just businesses.
Freelancers either use third-party platforms like Fiverr, 99designs, etc. to get business or use their network to get more business and provide services to their clients directly.
But is it a good choice for a career? Can you sustain a lavish life while freelancing? How do you start with freelancing jobs?
Well, when 11 percent of the working adult population in the United States is working primarily as full-time freelancers, there must be something good about this industry.
Freelancing As A Career
The rise of freelancers has resulted in the development of a new concept – the gig economy. In the gig economy, a person, instead of working for a single employer full-time and getting a fixed salary in return, works for multiple clients at his own terms and at a price he thinks his work deserves.
Freelancing is an enticing profession. It takes care of almost all the problems of a usual service-class human. According to Upwork, Americans work an average of 47 hours per week. Freelancers work an average of 11 hours less per week than full-time employed workers. That adds up to about 550 hours per year or 23 whole days.
Full-time traditional workers spend nearly an additional full month each year behind the keyboard (or wherever they work).
freelance stats
Source: Freelancinghacks.com
Here’s the annual salary of freelancers in America from 2014 till 2018:
freelancing salary
All this along with advantages like freedom to work from anywhere at a time of your choice, being your own boss, keeping all the profits, and a lower cost of operating surely attracts a lot of people to take freelancing as careers.
But not many ends up pursuing it full time.
Why, you ask?
Well, the answer is basically embedded in our human psyche.
It is deeply rooted in our minds to look for a guarantee. A regular job provides us with a guarantee of a profession that pays at the specified time. You get a routine to follow. And this job also provides with guaranteed perks such as insurance, retirement benefits, provident fund, increments and salary hikes for performing well.
When you opt for freelancing, you lose the guarantee of any of this. There’s no surety that you’ll get recurring clients. No surety that you’ll be able to sustain this lifestyle till retirement, and even no guarantee that your income will ever increase.
Moreover, you get to handle your tax deductions, insurance, and other finances yourself.
There are also other cons to freelancing such as –
Work-life balance: If you don’t know how to separate personal life from work, freelancing becomes tougher than a regular nine to five job.
No benefits: Freelancers are in charge of their own holidays, sick days, vacations and must be good financial and time-management planners.
Difficult Clients: You may find some clients who are extremely difficult to manage. They may fail in giving the right instructions and information for completing the job or may be inaccessible to clear any doubts. This can be frustrating and might result in wasting your time.
There are always pros and cons to every profession and it’s up to you to balance it properly for a healthy footing. If you think freelancing could be beneficial for you and the cons don’t matter much. Read on to find out how you can become a freelancer.
How To Become A Freelancer
Becoming a freelancer is just as easy as ordering something over the Internet. You visit sites that offer freelance jobs and tasks and take them on. This is a wonderful way of starting out and getting your name out there.
Here are a few sites that you can try for freelancing jobs:
Toptal: Toptal is a highly selective and exclusive platform for freelancers, known for its rigorous screening process to ensure that only the top 3% of applicants are accepted. However, you make the most money here if selected.
Fiverr: the world’s largest marketplace to look for freelance jobs. Just create an account post what you can do, add few links and you’re done.
99Designs: A perfect place to find freelancing jobs if you’re a designer.
Upwork: Upwork is a more professional looking freelance marketplace where you’ll find more business clients.
Freelancer.com: Freelancer.com is among the oldest freelance job marketplace which you can choose in your initial year when you have little or no freelance experience.
(We have a complete list of best outsourcing websites here if you want to check out more options)
Working on a few gigs from these sites helps in understanding how freelancing as a job goes along and helps you get the hang of it.
But before heading to these freelance websites, you need to set up a freelance brand for yourself. Follow these steps for the same –
Decide what services you’ll offer.
Determine your target market.
Find the platforms (freelancing websites) you’ll be serving on. Choose a uniform username on all of them. It helps you build your brand identity.
Decide your rates.
Create an online portfolio on your niche-specific portfolio platforms; GitHub for developers, Behance for designers, etc. We also suggest you create a personal portfolio website to showcase your skills and talent.
Market your services: market on social media, offer something for free or at a very less cost (helps in getting more traction), ask for referrals, and use email marketing.
We don’t suggest you leave your existing source of income and jump into freelancing per se. Try it as a part-time venture to see how it works out for you in the initial months.
It is entirely not necessary that you have to freelance full time. It is up to you to decide on whether you’d like to do it full time or keep your existing job and make a buck during your free time.
If you feel that you really like the way things are headed, it’s time to move onto the next step and make money freelancing.
Next Step
Once you feel that you can provide for yourself and work this way, the next course of action is to take on multiple assignments for multiple streams of revenue. This should include gigs that you got personally using the methods mentioned above as well as from the freelancing sites.
Another possibility is that you could make it a full-time gig. Freelancing full time also means you can create diverse forms of income. You can:
Negotiate monthly retainers
Negotiate commissions on sales projects
Create referral systems to reward clients who send you new clients
Market yourself directly: Here’s a helpful guide on marketing and creating perfect personal branding for yourself.
Take Care Of Your Finances
While in a job, most of the “money stuff” is taken care of by the company you work for. You get a regular paycheck without having to ask; your taxes are deducted automatically, and insurance is likely also taken care of by your employer.
Things are different when you’re on your own and you’d have to take care of the following by yourself:
Getting your Paycheck: This is considered to be the trickiest part to manage, be it for the freelancing veterans or the newbies. Negotiating and communicating properly with your client to get them to pay for your service at the specified time proves to be much of a challenge. Take care of this properly and you are well set to do great in the freelance field. Check out this guide on negotiating like a pro to help you gain more tips and insight.
Taxes: You need to handle your personal and professional tax complexities yourself.
Insurance and retirement benefits: You need to look for the best insurance policy and plan for your retirement yourself.
What it all comes down to is that being a freelancer and working in the gig economy means taking a lot of responsibility for your own finances, whether that’s negotiating your pay, finding insurance, or paying taxes. But if you love the freedom, flexibility, and earning potential that comes with being independent, then freelancing is an ideal situation.
The Takeaway
Freelancing is equal parts positive and negative. You just have to decide if you’re willing to take the risk that almost always accompanies it. Freelancing means professional freedom, but it also means instability and the risk of failure. And that may not be what you need in your professional life. But if you risk your stability for something more in tune with your professional goals than a traditional job, you have the opportunity to build your name and reputation and reach your professional goals.
What is Freelancing & What Does it Mean to Freelance
You may be wondering, “so what is freelancing?” Freelancing means to work as an independent company rather than be employed by someone else. Freelancers are self-employed and often referred to as independent contractors.
Freelancers are hired by other companies on a part time or short-term basis, but they do not receive the same compensation as full-time employees or have the same level of commitment to any particular company.
With the rise of the gig-economy, people are talking about freelancing more than ever before. And that’s because there are more freelancers today than there have ever been in history – a 2019 study by Upwork and Freelancers Union shows that 57 million Americans freelanced in 2019.
And according to the same study, 53% of workers aged 18-22 are freelancing.
A snapshot of freelancing in America
Other terms for freelancing
Not everyone uses the term “freelance” or “freelancer” when it comes to work that a freelancer may do. In fact, even most freelancers refer to themselves as “self-employed.”
So other terms you may want to be aware of that relate to freelancing include:
Contract work: Jobs where you are working to fulfill a short-term or part time contract
Contract job: Same as above.
Independent contractor: This is the IRS classification of a freelancer
1099: Freelancers are paid using a tax form called a “1099-MISC” as opposed to your typical, full-time W2. Sometimes “1099” is used to refer to a freelancer.
Contract consultant: This term refers to a consultant coming in under a 1099 contract for a short period of time.
Contract-to-hire: Sometimes freelancers are interested in full-time employment. Contract-to-hire roles provide a sort of “test period” for a freelancer before they are hired full time.
Why is it called freelancing
The term “freelance” dates back to the 1800s when a “free lance” referred to a medieval mercenary who would fight for whichever nation or person paid them the most. The term “lance” referred to the long weapon that knights on horseback used to knock opponents off of their horses (think jousting).
The origin of freelancing
BY PAULUS HECTOR MAIR – DE ARTE ATHLETICA II [1], PUBLIC DOMAIN, HTTPS://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/W/INDEX.PHP?CURID=15849932
The first literary reference is from Sir Ivan Scott’s novel, Ivanhoe:
I offered Richard the service of my Free Lances, and he refused them—I will lead them to Hull, seize on shipping, and embark for Flanders; thanks to the bustling times, a man of action will always find employment.
Over time, the term continued to mean “independent” but left the battlefield to be applied to politics and finally work of any kind.
How does freelancing work?
Freelancers accept payment in return for providing some sort of service. That agreement is generally part-time or short term.
For example, if I hired a photographer to take new headshots for me, I could pay a freelancer for that session and that would be the end of it.
Sometimes people pay freelancers to work a set number of hours per week or per month. That arrangement is often referred to as a “retainer.”
A retainer refers to when you retain the services or right to someone’s time. A lot of legal professionals work on retainer. Every month, they bill a set amount of time to the client, regardless of whether that full time is used or not.
It’s really one of the simplest and most pure forms of entrepreneurship: the freelancer provides a specific service or outcome, and the buyer pays them a fee directly.
Why are people freelancing?
Freelancing provides a lot of flexibility and control to the individual. Most freelancers choose their own hours, the work that they do, the clients they work with, and may even be able to work remotely.
Freelancing is also a form of entrepreneurship, which means the freelancer has total control of their earning potential. Freelancers aren’t locked into a salary, and so they can earn as much as they are able to bill to their clients.
And as a freelancer, you are your own boss.
Freelancing provides a lot of variety in the type of work you can do, too. If you are someone with a lot of interests and are drawn to trying new things, freelancing can help you explore all kinds of projects and industries.
Historically, freelancing isn’t something people typically do forever. They either hire other freelancers or employees to build a full agency, they build their own products to replace their freelance income, or they go back to working full time.
Freelancing provides the flexibility many people want in order to figure out their next career move.
How much can I get paid freelancing?
According to that same 2019 study, the median freelance income is $20-28 per hour. Of course with so many different freelance jobs available, that number can vary quite a bit.
Transcription services may only earn $5-10 per hour, while software engineering roles may earn $75 or even hundreds of dollars per hour.
It’s best to compare the freelance rates of your particular skill set to get a good estimate of the expected income you could earn as a freelancer.
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What are the risks of freelancing?
Freelancing comes with both financial and some health risks.
In the United States, one of the biggest benefits to full time employment is access to healthcare and other financial benefits outside of your typical salary. That may include a 401K retirement plan or company-provided health insurance.
For freelancers, being hired as an independent contractor generally means companies will not provide those same financial or healthcare benefits to you. So freelancers are on their own when it comes to planning for their financial futures and enrolling in health insurance coverage.
Not only are freelancers on their own to set these benefits up for themselves, but they are also at a bit of a disadvantage.
When a company negotiates a health insurance policy with a broker, they are often able to get more favorable rates since they are buying in bulk. But as a self-employed individual, you are buying a policy for yourself and your family only.
And, unfortunately, that means your health insurance may cost more.
It is easy to set up your own retirement savings account, but there will not be any matching contributions from your employer.
And finally, freelancers are responsible for all income coming into the business. If you are unable or unwilling to sell more projects and land more clients, your income will dry up.
These risks are all manageable, but they are worth considering before you jump into freelancing full time.
What type of work can I do by freelancing?
Companies are becoming much more open to and interested in hiring freelancers doing many different types of work. So freelancing has become much more acceptable for a wide variety of roles.
Admin Support Jobs
Freelance administrative support jobs include:
Virtual Assistant
Administrative Assistant
Project Management
Order Processing
Data Entry
Transcription
Online Research
Design and Creative Jobs
Freelance design and creative jobs include:
Brand Identity and Strategy
Animation
Presentation Design
Motion Graphics Design
Audio Production
Video Production
Voice Talent
Physical Design
Graphic Design
UX/UI Design
Art and Illustration
Photography
Videography
Writing Jobs
Freelancing writing jobs include:
Copywriting
Editing
Proofreading
Content Writing
Ghostwriting
Grant Writing
Writing Tutoring
Career Coaching
Creative Writing
Technical Writing
Business Writing
Web, Mobile, and Software Development Jobs
Freelance web, mobile, and software development jobs include:
Ecommerce Website Development
Scripting
Automation
Mobile Development
Product Management
Game Development
Desktop Software Development
QA & Testing
Web Design
Mobile Design
Web Development
Other Software Development
Accounting and Consulting Jobs
Freelance accounting and consulting jobs include:
Business Analysis
Instructional Design
Recruiting
Tax Preparation
Accounting
Bookkeeping
Financial Analysis
Financial Modeling
Management Consulting
HR Administration
Training and Development
Financial Management
Virtual CFO
Legal Jobs
Freelance legal jobs include:
Business Law
Corporate Law
Tax Law
International Law
Securities and Finance Law
Intellectual Property Law
General Counsel
Labor and Unemployment Law
Regulatory Law
Immigration Law
Paralegal
Data Science and Analytics Jobs
Freelance data science and analytics jobs include:
Data Mining
Data Analytics
Data Extraction
Deep Learning
Machine Learning
A/B Testing
Data Engineering
Data Visualization
Data Processing
Knowledge Representation
Experimentation and Testing
Sales and Marketing Jobs
Freelance sales and marketing jobs include:
Marketing Strategy
Social Media Marketing
Community Management
Display Advertising
Telemarketing
Lead Generation
Public Relations
Market Research
Email Automation
Marketing Automation
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Marketing
Customer Service Jobs
Freelance customer service jobs include:
Customer Service
Technical Support
IT and Networking Jobs
Freelance IT and networking jobs include:
Network Security
Information Security
Solutions Architecture
Systems Engineering
System Administration
Systems Compliance
Database Administration
DevOps Engineering
Systems Architecture
Network Administration
Engineering and Architecture Jobs
Freelance engineering an Architecture jobs include:
Civil Engineering
Structural Engineering
Architecture
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Sourcing and Procurement
3D Modeling
CAD
Interior Design
Chemical Engineering
Product Design
Translation Jobs
Freelance translation jobs include:
Legal Translation
Language Tutoring
Language Localization
Technical Translation
Written Translation
Medical Translation
How do I start freelancing?
You can start freelancing any time by simply accepting payment to complete a job for someone else.
Most freelancers will want to go a step further though and formally incorporate their company, open a bank account, and create an online presence for their freelance business.
There are three main paths to making money as a freelancer:
Working with clients directly
Working client direct refers to finding and communicating directly with clients through your own means. That may be networking, existing relationships, or word-of-mouth referrals.
This is one of the hardest paths, but has the highest margins since there are no middlemen in the transaction. Freelancing client direct also creates more resilient relationships if you plan to freelance for the long-term.
Read more: Become a virtual assistant to earn money online
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