You Just Quit Your Job to Freelance…Now What?
So you just quit your job to start freelancing...now what?
Hopefully by this point you’ve obtained some education on how to freelance and have decided what you want to do as a freelancer.
I assume you’re either sitting on some savings that you’ll live off of until you earn enough money freelancing, or you’ve already been earning money on the side before you quit your job.
Maybe you were so done with what you were experiencing at work that you quit without any prospects yet of what the next step would look like.
Either way, here’s what you need to be thinking about next.
1. Create a financial plan with your spouse of how you’ll pay the bills before you’re earning enough money.
This is important. Make sure you get on the same page as your spouse and that you’re both prepared for how you will handle the finances during the transition.
You want to create a plan that you’re both comfortable with and that you can stick to. If this means making a budget for a few months and cutting back on “extras” then do it.
2. Next, create a work schedule for when you’ll work at home and stick to it.
This will help with managing kid interruptions and help your spouse know how to better support you. Don’t just work whenever. Also create a home office space that is your office, whether it’s its own room or area of a room depending on what you have.
Having that space that is set up and ready for you to work at will help your productivity and give you some accountability to help you stick to doing the work.
3. Then, if you haven’t already, decide on what you’re offering as a service.
Ideally stick to something you already know how to do unless you’re okay for it to take a lot longer, in which case you probably shouldn’t have quit your job yet.
But, if you already know what service you can provide, think about the details of what you want to offer and if your offer fits into a specific niche or is more general. You can always do research on what specific niches are in demand if you’re not quite sure how to position your skills.
4. Next, get started on a freelancer marketplace like Upwork.
That is by the far the easiest way to find clients when you’re just getting started. Don’t waste time trying to create the perfect website and logo etc...that can come later.
Right now you need one thing: clients!
And your clients are already on freelancer marketplaces like Upwork posting jobs looking for you. So you don’t need to convince them why they should hire a writer, you just need to convince them why they should hire YOU as their writer.
They already know they want one because they posted a job about it. And they are already wanting a freelancer, not an employee which is why they used something like Upwork.
So that makes it the perfect place to get started building your client list.
5. In order to start getting clients, you need a portfolio, it’s the freelancer version of your resume.
If you don’t have this pulled together yet then watch my video on YouTube about how to convert your employee resume to a freelancer portfolio and get that done.
Because if you set up a profile on Upwork, you won’t have work experience on that platform yet but you likely do have work experience to show off. That work experience will help you get jobs faster, and give clients a way to know that you have the skills that you say you have.
By having a portfolio set up and ready to go, it’ll make the client prospecting process much faster and easier than if you’re unorganized.
6. The last step we’ll cover in this video is to start applying to a bunch of jobs being posted to these marketplaces.
I keep putting the emphasis on starting with a freelancer marketplace, because you‘re going to find clients the quickest here.
I started on Upwork, and it was the best decision I made because I didn’t have to work so hard at cold emailing clients or finding them from other ways. They’re already right there looking on the marketplace.
To scale your business you need to move beyond sites like Upwork but it’s the quickest way to find clients who are already looking for you.
Don’t waste time going to local networking events and making a bunch of LinkedIn connections. I think it’s fine if you want to do some initial projects with family and friends just to have more to show on your portfolio but don’t rely on them to build your business.
Now I would definitely make sure your LinkedIn profile is optimized and set up around your new freelance business so you have a presence there because potential clients will likely try to research you on LinkedIn.
But these marketplaces made it much easier for freelancers to connect with potential clients. So start submitting proposals to a bunch of jobs until you’re getting responses, then get on a bunch of calls and eventually you’ll find that first client.
If you’re struggling to get your account approved on something like Upwork, getting invited to Upwork from a client you found outside Upwork will fast track the process. Also try to finesse your focus too, sometimes they don’t want too many of the same type of freelancer, so niche down.
My advice for you is summed up in this: Don’t get distracted by all the shiny things that you think you need to have to start your business
Oh the paper and money I wasted printing business cards! You don’t need business cards, or a website, or logos, or any of that.
Right now, YOU are the business and that’s it. Just your name and your experience. You need clients and cash flow before you can invest in the other stuff.
Good job at taking the leap!