In this article you will learn what a freelance is, what skills you should have, what jobs you can aspire to, 10 reasons to risk being one and everything you need to know to do it in the best way.
Have you heard of the term “freelance”? If you are an entrepreneur or if you move in the digital world, you have surely heard this concept used many times.
However, there are some myths or beliefs about how this type of work develops, and in some cases, they become a great limitation for those who want to achieve financial freedom.
All this happens because unfortunately, in many cases, this professional modality is not sufficiently valued.
So in this article we want to invite you to get to know in depth what is a freelance and why it is an excellent job alternative for many people today.
So let’s start with the most important:
What is a Freelancer?
A freelance is a person who is known as a self-employed or independent worker. Someone who manages his own times and has structured his work dynamics so as not to depend on schedules or strict contracts.
This allows him to offer his work skills to different clients with a very particular freedom that he must appropriate with responsibility and discipline.
Additionally, it defines its working conditions (although in many cases it must be agreed with its clients) in such a way that certain rules and terms to be met are respected.
In short, a freelance is the owner of his time, he decides how much he works, who he works with and how he does it.
This is attractive isn’t it? Well, it is, but it takes strict discipline if you want to be successful and meet your personal obligations.
However, not everything is rosy, since it does not have the same benefits or benefits as a person who is hired for an indefinite term. However, its counterpart is that you can arrange and create your own way of working life.
Another important point is that many times the contracts are made informally, and clients are not obliged to remain in a legal employment relationship with a freelancer.
This leaves a space for uncertainty since if there is no support structure at an economic level, a freelancer may suffer a lack of income if they lose, close or finish a project overnight.
Jobs as Freelance.
Now that we know what a freelance is, let’s focus on freelance jobs and the employment trends that can open great doors for anyone who wants to walk this path.
The main ones are:
- Programmer.
- Designer.
- Writer.
- Marketing.
- Translator.
- Video maker.
- Counter.
- Human resources manager.
- SEO specialist.
- Public relationist
Additionally, many companies are looking for people with sufficient skills to lead projects of a different nature.
This means that if you are good in a particular sector, and you also have the ability to lead teams, coordinate agendas and direct processes, then this is a great opportunity to apply it as a freelance.
It also happens that many companies prefer to outsource some of their projects, in this case you could form your own team, and offer to do the work for a certain time.
This can become a recurring charge if you do your job very well and the company becomes a regular customer who trusts your results.
Another great trend is transparency both in communication and in the presentation of results.
More and more companies understand that there are human beings behind their production teams, which implies assuming a certain margin of error that is impossible to foresee or reduce in the best of cases.
Therefore, if you want to be freelance, You must be transparent about your professional scopesince you will not be present in the daily routine of the company you work for and you must build bonds of trust and sincerity.
10 reasons to be a freelancer.
Clearly all this brings with it an enormous responsibility, but it is nothing that you cannot face from professional preparation and discipline.
So if you need a little push to decide to go freelance, then here are some good reasons to be:
1. You will have absolute freedom to decide how to manage your time.
two. You will be able to define your own work dynamics, choose your team and define your results.
3. Unless they tell you so, you can have as many customers as you want and can serve.
Four. You can make trips, take time off, or include personal activities in the week schedule.
5. You can choose the place and space that you will inhabit to carry out your activities.
6. You will be free to decide when to close a project if you are not happy with what you are doing.
7. You will define your own income from the charge you make for your work.
8. You have flexibility in your schedules, in case you want to work in unusual hours.
9. You do not need to hold face-to-face meetings, you can do it from wherever you are.
10. If you are financially able, you can take vacations without time limitations.
These and many other benefits come from being a freelancer, so there is no reason to hesitate if you are thinking of doing it.
Where can a freelance work?
The reality is that a freelance defines their space and the place from where they want to work.
Of course, this will largely depend on how well your relationship with your customers works on a functional level.
Today it is very common to work online and there are infinite possibilities that you can explore so that you do not feel that it is a straitjacket tied to a type of work.
Especially after everything we have experienced in recent years, it is much more common to see people working remotely, from coworking spaces and even from home.
If your idea is the latter, we recommend that you establish a suitable space in your home and establish a type of office that meets the requirements so that you can carry out effective work.
It is even essential that you make sure you have a well-presented space so that if you have a virtual meeting that involves appearing on camera, you do not have anything that obstructs the view.
In this sense, the recommendations are quite simple and clear:
1. Have a good source of lighting.
two. Think about what the backing of your image will be so that nothing informal is seen.
3. Choose a space where you only work, so you forget about out of place elements.
Four. The decoration matters, as long as it is simple and speaks of your personality.
5. Avoid places where there is too much noise, it could be annoying in an important meeting.
What skills should a freelance have?
Now, anyone can train to work as a freelance, but it is necessary to meet some requirements as long as you want to be successful and stand out.
As you well know, today has determined very particular ways of working and this has defined certain professionals as digital entrepreneurs.
Some keys to keep in mind if you want to work this way include:
Know the management of social networks as much as you can, be updated with the new trends in the sector, understand SEO and SEM positioning, the importance of making a presence on the Internet and how to achieve it, among others.
Additionally, it is important that you are trained to manage digital marketing strategies, know how to develop proposals for email campaigns and other types of communications.
In short, and as advice so that you can appear in this digital world, it is really necessary that you have a place to take your customers, that is, have your own website.
In this way you will be able to offer your services clearly and show your trajectory creating a trusted channel with your community and your clients.
You do not need to be a programming expert to create your own page, so if you want to learn how to create from scratch and in a strategic way to make it profitable, we invite you to the free training in which you will learn a 3-step methodology to launch your niche website.
Why a niche website? Because if you want to generate a good reputation and be recognized, you must specialize in something particular, choose the field very well and position yourself in this field.
In addition to all of the above, you should not forget some basic skills that will make you a key player in any team.
Among them are: assertive communication, basic software management, leadership ability to guide work teams if necessary, excellent computing tools such as quality mobile devices.
If you know any other language it will also be a plus that offers added value to your training, among other technical knowledge.
In some cases you will need your own mobility, so having your own vehicle will not hurt you.
Best platforms for freelancers
Apart from creating your own website, it is also recommended that you use the best freelance platforms on the market. This will help you get more exposure and therefore, you will receive more jobs.
Among the best known are:
In short, today there are many alternatives to earn money on the web; It’s just a matter of doing a little research and making up your mind.
Being a freelance or digital nomad?
The good news is that you can be both at the same time, since a digital nomad is characterized by being self-employed. The difference is that the latter can afford to do it from anywhere in the world.
If you haven’t heard about digital nomad visas yet, it’s time for you to do some research and find out which are the best cities to live in 2022.
There are many countries that have prepared to change their residence permits in favor of this new labor dynamic.
Not only does it demonstrate an important evolution, but they also benefit, because they generate income through the consumption that each of these people makes during their stay.
These can range from 6 months to 1 year with the possibility of renewing the period of time that they have remained in said country.
Consequently, we begin to notice even more globalization and the cultural openness that this generates. In general terms it is a win-win since both sides of the equation benefit.
This way you can make sure you fulfill your dream of traveling while working and generating professional income in a legal and transparent way.
Be sure to check very well what the requirements are and what documentation you must present. Some of these procedures can take months to come out, so organize yourself very well.
Conclusion.
In conclusion, this work dynamic, which is not something new but which has been strengthened over time, can offer you the answer to the lifestyle you want to live.
Part of knowing what a freelance is is being true to yourself and understanding that it is a significant responsibility if you want it to work perfectly.
Not only must you respond to your clients in a timely manner, you must establish a structure that works for you and that allows you to be financially stable without losing track of your personal time.
Many times, the limits are blurred and that is why you must be clear with your clients regarding the flexibility of schedules and your scope in each of the agreements.
Finally, all that remains is for you to decide and try it, experience is gained over time as you work on what you like and learn from everything, including mistakes 🙂
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can read our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
