Episode 13: 100 Ways to Freelance
Are there actually 100 ways you can be a self-employed, work-from-home freelancer? The answer is yes. And there are actually MORE than 100 ways to do this.
Today, we won’t exactly discuss 100 literal different ways to be a self-employed freelancer, but I will help you see that there are many ways to start a freelance work-from-home business. This service-based business involves offering your skills and talents as the core of your business.
Today’s inspirational quote is by T.S. Eliot, and it says, “only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go.” In other words, when you decide that you’re going to jump into freelancing, you’re taking a risk, and upfront, it feels like a big risk. But only YOU will discover just how far you can go. If you’re willing to take that risk, then the possibilities are endless.
As we’ve discussed in previous episodes, your ability to indefinitely keep raising your income as long as you’re constantly increasing your skill set, possibilities will just keep expanding. It is worth that risk, but if you never take that risk, you’ll never get to experience these perks.
If you’re on the verge of diving into self-employment, whether you’re dabbling with it on the side or just thinking about it, this is for you. By the end of today’s episode, your head will be spinning with ideas of what you could try to do as a freelancer.
Maybe you’ve already tried a few different things and you’re just not sure what to focus on, or conversely, you have no idea just how many options you have to choose from. Either way, this is holding you back.
First off, it’s important that we give thanks to the internet for making it possible to have all these freelance job options. In the past, independent contractors were construction workers, plumbers, electricians, and handymen who offered physical labor jobs via travel.
Now, contractors can come from a number of different fields. You can be a contractor who designs websites, edits videos, writes, and so many more titles that we’ll discuss today. Self-employment has exploded thanks to the internet, and it has made its way into fields that were never possible to freelance in before.
If you’re still on the fence about freelancing at this point, let me just convince you in under a minute why you should take the leap now. First, you’ll earn a higher income. You can earn $100,000 doing a job you love, rather than $60,000 as an employee at a job you hate.
Additionally, you’ll get to work whenever you want because you gain the ability to set your own schedule. Third, you can give yourself a raise without having to wait on an employer. Sure, you have to meet certain milestones before increasing that rate, but all that is within your control.
Fourth, you can also work FROM anywhere. In my case, I work at my home most of the time, but you’re not confined to that space. Fifth, you get the satisfaction of running your own business and carving your own path without anyone having control over you. You don’t have to fight the need to be promoted or perform in a way that suits your supervisor but goes against your own preferences.
Those are just a few of the many reasons why you should jump into freelancing right now if you’re still on the fence about it.
If you just don’t know what to do, I’ve got some ideas listed here for you. As we go through this list, be thinking about what skills you already have, make a list of them, and create a separate column for skills you WANT to develop for certain jobs that interest you.
Also make note of the skills you already have but need to further develop. By the end of this episode, you’ll be able to fill out this list much more after you realize what possibilities are out there.
Today, I’m focusing on self-employment jobs you can do from a computer. These are jobs that you can do at home with no cost to you, aside from your internet bill, your computer, and maybe software purchases depending on what you’re doing.
First, let’s go over the different industries that you can work in. Then, we’ll dive deeper into specific jobs that you can do.
You can find self-employment work in graphic design, media production, video production, content creation like audio, podcasts, music, image, photo animation, and so on. Next up, we have writing and translation, then digital marketing and sales.
You can also look into technical jobs like programming, IT, computer science, software development, web development, business operations, social media, accounting services, administrative support, customer service jobs, data science, public relations, engineering, architecture, art, legal work, lawyer work, coaching, and much more.
Then, you’ll use tools such as Zoom to help execute these positions, especially if you’re interested in coaching. If you want an even more specific list of potential self-employment paths, I have a blog called “150 Freelance Jobs You Can Work From Home” which you can find at Arrowlight.tv to see them all. But here, I’m going to go ahead and list a few of them.
Writing options consist of ghost writing, creative writing, academic writing, grant writing, resume writing, copywriting, book writing, and more. You can take this further by becoming a book marketing expert, a technical writer, or a business writer.
If graphic design is more your forte, there are several work-from-home options despite more traditional contractor positions. These include video editors, website designers, logo design, animation, audio production, motion graphic editors, and even interior designers can work at home.
Taking it a step further, you can create presentations for people, sell jewelry, practice photography, video editing, soundtrack composing, and voiceover work all from home.
In the technical field, you can go for programming and coding, website development, software design, software maintenance, database creation, transcriptions, computer support, computer engineering and product engineering, data visualization, data mining, e-commerce development, app development, product engineering, website security, cybersecurity, and anything related to that and any other computer type of service.
Going back to coaching for a sec, you can offer coaching in any area you have expertise on. It’s not just about offering knowledge, it’s about helping someone else achieve a certain goal. Further, virtual assist jobs are becoming more and more popular, along with SEO (search engine optimization) work, and anything PR-related.
Now let’s look at some random options. You can even become a YouTuber, creating videos to teach people something, or simply offering education via your content. You can become a researcher, or a vlogger. Really, you can turn most passions into a self-employed career.
The list goes on and on, but hopefully this gave you some ideas. Now that you have these potential options, take a look at your skill sets and see what seems like the fit for you.
Remember that the freelancer relationship really is a win-win for both you and the business you’re partnering with. The economy will thrive, and you’ll have a better work/life balance. It’s worth jumping into. Thanks for tuning in here today, and I look forward to seeing you during our next early morning conversation.
Listen: