When freelancing is not enough. Or how to build your creative business

If you don't have your successful business, this does not mean at all that you cannot create it. It won't be easy, but nothing is impossible. The path to success will be difficult, even incredibly difficult, but then you will become a freelancer and be able to earn good money from the comfort of your home! Where to start? The first step is to choose a field of activity. You should not think about a narrow niche, it is better to think in broader categories. But at the same time, it must be remembered that freelancing is primarily a service, and here you need to carefully analyze your skills. Everyone knows how to do something very well, so these skills should be the main weapon in your arsenal.

You may have studied web design. Or good at drawing. Or maybe you like programming. Find your strengths and weaknesses and keep only what you are good at. Everything else you don't need. You want to be a freelancer, which means you have to become an expert in order for clients to trust you with work. This should always be kept in mind at the very beginning - after all, no one likes to cooperate with people who can do a little of everything. A client who wants to hire a freelancer is looking for a specialist, not a jack-of-all-trades.

Create your site

Once you have decided on the services you will provide as a freelancer, you will need your own website. In the freelancing world, a website is something of your own store or service center- it is there that you can profitably sell what you offer there.

Then you need to pick Domain name. There is no need to reinvent the wheel here - just name the site by your name. This is a good and, most importantly, memorable option. And then find a good hosting and just launch a business card site. Today it is very easy to do it yourself. The site should have four main sections:

• About you
• Services you offer
• Your portfolio
• Contact page

If you don't have anything to present in your portfolio yet, then you can turn to friends or acquaintances and offer them help. It is enough to do a few small projects for free or at a good discount so that you have some material for your portfolio. The main thing is that these projects demonstrate your level - future clients will view the portfolio and evaluate your skills.

A good, professional portfolio is the most The best way ensure a stable flow of customers. You are just starting to work as a freelancer and you, of course, still have few works that can be shown to potential customers. Do not worry about trifles! If you have already worked on small projects, try to get feedback from the client. Even if it's a friend or even a family member - still ask to leave a review.

Do not be shy in any way! Customers love positive reviews because they show that you are a skilled, reliable freelancer. Even if you have three or four reviews, this is already a big step towards success. Over time, there will be more of them and reviews will become a serious argument in favor of the client hiring you as a performer.

Network, network, network!

When you become a freelancer, you will have to spend a lot of time on the Internet, such is the nature of this work. From the first days, you need to start communicating closely with other freelancers and register on exchanges that offer the same services that you want to provide. Starting a freelance business will require you to create separate profiles in in social networks Focus on four of them, register on VKontakte, as well as on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

And get active. Make friends with other freelancers working in your field and send them a message that you are just starting your freelance career. Many people make the mistake of assuming that fellow freelancers will see them as competitors and won't respond. You will be amazed at how closely freelancers communicate with each other! If you can make a good impression on an experienced freelancer. He may well throw you a couple of orders if he has an emergency at work. And professional freelancers have jobs with enviable regularity.

Find your first client

Despite the fact that the network allows you to create a good source passive income your freelance business will be very different. To make money, you need clients. And at first it will be difficult for you to find them. To receive your first order, you need to do the following:

• Constantly monitor the project feed of all the exchanges on which you are registered
• Scan social media for job postings
• Feel free to contact a potential client directly

When you find an order that matches your skills, you need to work on the text of the appeal to the client. This is very important point, do not be lazy, give it more time! Don't write too much, but introduce yourself, talk about your experience and skills, show that you are interested in this job. And be sure to explain how you can help the potential client. Suggest several ways to solve the problem and advise what can be done to make the result really outstanding. Act like you're in an interview. Clients love this kind of treatment, and you, in turn, can convince them that you can do the job.

When starting a new freelance business, it is very important to start fulfilling expensive orders as soon as possible. You are still a beginner and high fees are not yet available to you. It's not a problem. When communicating with customers, stay optimistic, meet deadlines, and answer any customer questions as soon as possible. And of course, do your job to as high a standard as you can.

And do not worry about the fact that you did everything very well, but received some miserable pennies for it. A little time will pass and ridiculous sums for professional work will remain in the past.

However, be aware that some clients may see your modest demands as a weakness. In this case, they will try to squeeze everything they can out of you. They may try to underpay you or put a lot of work on you without increasing your fee. If you see that a client is trying to manipulate you, be polite but principled in dealing with him. Steadfastly defend your opinion, do not be afraid to enter into unpleasant business negotiations. You are a freelancer, you are a businessman and you are interested in your business growing and developing. Difficult clients will often come up in your career and you need to be prepared for this from the very beginning.

standing orders

The most valuable thing in freelancing is constant and repeat orders. A long-term relationship with a client guarantees you a stable regular income. Look for just such projects and then you will always have a job. In order to make sure that customers contact again and again, you need to:

• Work to the highest personal standards
• Always meet the agreed deadlines
• Be polite and friendly with customers
• Do not forget about personal marketing, spend time on social networks
• Ask! Let your clients know that you are passionate about your work. They will be impressed by your zeal and when they have an order or encounter a problem, they will turn to you because you are an enthusiast.

Growth of freelance business.

Freelancing is not easy, you already know that. You will have to work two, three times more than before. Only in this way will you be able to move your competitors in this tough business. However, if you put your time and effort on the freelancing altar, you will certainly be rewarded. Your work will not be in vain and you will definitely start earning decent money.

When you are more or less on your feet, start looking to the future. Explore new areas, gain valuable skills, look for big clients. There will come a day when you realize that you can't do the job on your own. Team up with other freelancers, delegate some tasks to them. Teamwork will take your freelance business to the next level. And remember, there can be any number of these levels - after all, this is freelancing.

Maxim touched upon the topic of effective selection of freelancers for his project, as well as the subtleties and organizational moments in the course of cooperation with remote workers.
I decided to look at the theme of Freelancing a little from the other side.
In the "freelance employer" scheme, as a rule, the latter receives the monetary reward.
But how can you make money on this scheme?
What kind Additional services may be of interest remote worker, and which ones - the company that is looking for this employee?

1. Search for freelancers for employers.

One of the most primitive, but nonetheless very effective ways- recruitment.

Based on the needs of customers: the purpose of the work, the type of work, the budget, the timing, geographical factors, etc., you find contractors who are ready to cooperate with them.
Few customers are so experienced on the Internet to be able to use the exchanges.
Few people know how to work with freelancers, let alone how to choose a truly competent specialist.
Especially often employers who first search for performers on the Internet.
Someone is thrown, someone is done poorly.
Moreover, sometimes they do it poorly, and the customer is neither a dream nor a spirit about it.
This is especially true in cases where he is poorly versed in the area of ​​the problem.

Standard case: a company needs a website.
Someone advises the director to use the exchange to search for a performer on the network.
The company finds a freelancer, receives a finished product, and is glad that they saved money (studios tend to be much more expensive).
But in reality, it may turn out that the site was made on some common public template, or made up through one place, or, much worse, made on a null (cracked) engine.
And that's not to mention the quality of design, code, etc.

Therefore, recruitment may well expand to project management or performance control.
This also includes consulting services.

2. Search for orders for freelancers.

Respectively, flip side medals - search for orders for remote workers.
As a rule, in such cases, agency fees are used from each order.
There may be at least two options:

1. You give a freelancer an order at his regular prices and get a fixed percentage of the deal.
2. You wind up your amount on top of the freelancer's regular price.

In the first case, the freelancer pays you, and in the second case, the customer.
Theoretically, you can combine this point of earnings with item 1. That is, to take money from customers for selecting a freelancer, and from a freelancer, respectively, to receive agency money for “fitting” an order.
It is somewhat reminiscent of kickbacks, by the way, but the profit is so significantly higher.

3. Promotion of a freelancer.

The essence is the organization of a company that promotes a freelancer either online, or on stock exchanges, or on forums, or on social networks, or wherever possible.

For example, a freelancer registers on the exchange for the first time.
He needs a rating, he needs a positive attitude, he needs a reputation.
It is clear that these parameters can be slightly screwed up.
This is what the money is for. Personally, I, of course, do not welcome this method, but as a means of earning money, it may come in handy for someone.

Or another option.
A freelancer, for example, has a website.
You register accounts for it on all exchanges, post announcements and reviews on forums and bulletin boards.
You may even provide website promotion services! Freelancer - the flow of orders, the growth of reputation, recognition, brand.
To you - monetary reward.

4. First aid for a freelancer.

This way of earning something in itself resembles freelancing.
The main point is to help a freelancer in cases of:

1) If you do not have time to place an order.
2) If can't (can not get in time) find any materials (cliparts for design, information for articles).

Ideally, such work is best automated.
That is, to create, for example, a web service that would publish requests for urgent assistance.
The freelancer writes what he needs, puts a price and “throws a cry”.
The disadvantage of such a scheme is that he can just as well throw a cry on the exchange on which he works.

However, there is an alternative development option.
You can take as a basis the search for information and organize an exchange of relevant topics.
That is, any user who feels the need for various materials: pictures, articles, statistics, sources, etc., posts a corresponding application and indicates the price.
Directly your profit -% of transactions, contextual advertising etc.

5. Coworking office for freelancers.

This business idea came from the United States.
A coworking office is an office where workplaces are rented out.
One office can have, for example, 10 workplaces.
The workplace is actually a chair (or two chairs if you plan to hold meetings), table, internet, phone.
Working at home is hard - freelancers are familiar with this problem like no other.
Therefore, they are offered the option to work in the office at any convenient time.
At the same time, the cost of monthly rent of a workplace is relatively low - $ 50-200 per month, which for a freelancer quite acceptable.

How to become a successful freelancer? How do you know if it suits you or not? What does it take to become a freelancer?

The idea of ​​being able to walk in a bathrobe and slippers to an office just a few meters away from the room where you have breakfast appeals to many people. For such an idyllic picture to become a reality, it is enough to take a single step: to leave your current job and acquire your own business.

These days, many prefer to work remotely (in the so-called), and most new companies are born at home with their owners-heads. If you are thinking about becoming a freelancer and registering a company at your home address, you will have to get used to not only a different way of working, but also having to deal with all the problems associated with it yourself. Will you manage? To get started, try to answer the following questions:

• To what extent are my freelancing dreams driven by my dissatisfaction with my current situation?
• What is my "core skill" around which I will start building a new business?
• Who uses the services of freelancers in my professional field Do I have enough work experience and connections?
• Who are my competitors and what advantage do I have over them?
• What are the costs associated with starting your own commercial enterprise and also what is the benefit of it?

What is a freelancer? In the Middle Ages, a “freelancer” was a name given to a freelance knight, but today this is the name of a person who works for several employers. Today, a freelancer can work simultaneously in a wide range of areas, which may include accounting, writing and editing, film and video production, management consulting, development software and internet services.

What personal qualities and skills do you need to have to become a good freelancer? Above all, you must be self-confident, resourceful, enterprising, active, flexible and organized. As a company owner, you must also be a good leader, accountant and promoter. In addition, you must be able to work in a "multitasking" mode, i.e. Handle multiple projects at the same time with different deadlines.

How do I determine the amount of payment for my services? Many books and websites provide information about the value of your profession, i.e. the hourly rate. Another way to set a starting pay is to find out how much per hour similar full-time professionals make, and add another 25-50% to this figure, taking into account that you will have overhead costs (taxes, insurance, pension contributions, equipment, stationery). Remember also that at least a quarter of your work will consist of activities for which you cannot bill (research, marketing, promotion, and accounting). If possible, find out how much reputable freelancers who specialize in your industry charge for such work. In the first year, it makes sense to work at a reduced rate, especially if you are going to compete with more reputable specialists.

Do your research. Becoming a successful freelancer requires careful upfront analysis.

• Be honest with yourself about your motives. If you are driven more by excitement about the future than fear from the present, you are on the right track.

• Analyze your personal qualities: you will need people skills, creativity in promoting your services, love for your profession and attention to detail. You must scrupulously research all the trends in the industry where you intend to offer your services.
• Decide which "territory" and which companies you will serve at first. If possible, ask for advice from those who already work this way. Preference should be given to companies where your former colleagues or acquaintances work, as they may recommend you to their superiors.

Develop a business plan. When you decide to become a freelancer, the first thing you need to do is develop a business plan. Even if you have already found one or two customers, this will help you outline your goals at least for the near future. Some people work part-time as a freelancer at first because they still go to work. permanent job. Freelancing at the same time is a source of additional income, but, accordingly, it takes away part of your free time, which you usually devoted to something else. After trying this mode of operation, you can decide whether it suits you and whether you can handle it. Having a business plan is a must if you clearly decide to only freelance and intend to take out a loan from a bank or other financial institution. You have to convince people of the viability of your undertaking, so remember that for this you must:

• describe the business you are going to do in as much detail as possible;
• clearly state the purpose of your business;
• make sure that it is understandable to you, your customers and potential investors.

Take as a guideline your idea of ​​where your business is in, say, five years from now, and plan how you will move to that point. For example, you may be aiming to become a market leader, innovator, expert, large enterprise or the perfect supplier.

Advertise and promote your business. Regardless of what industry you are in (i.e., the one you are currently employed in) you are going to freelance, you need to make a list of companies you would like to work with. After that, find out as much as you can about each of them, about their products and services, financial situation, tasks, ways to cooperate with freelancers. Find out who is responsible for this area of ​​work, and try to get in touch with this person, for example, invite him to lunch if he lives nearby.

Your marketing mini-campaign may include sending letters, brochures or e-mails to potential customers, as well as establishing personal contacts, advertising and promotion of services, including through the Internet. Ideally, you should have built a large enough network of business acquaintances before opening your business - this would allow you to quickly get close to potential customers.

Focus on customer service. Moving into the profit-making freelance category is, by and large, only a matter of time: the longer you've been in business, the more likely you are to succeed. Remember that doing your job to please a client is much more preferable than wasting time looking for another client, so being able to meet deadlines and deliver a quality product or service for a stipulated amount are the defining factors of a successful freelance business.

Practice good business practices. For a freelancer, collaboration with one or more clients is rarely long-term. Market conditions are changing, and besides, freelancers are directly dependent on changes in company policy and personnel changes: if, for example, an employee with whom you contacted moves to another position, the person who replaced him may have his own freelancers, and he will refuse your services. Therefore, try to maintain a strong relationship with your employers, so that when they move to a new position, they continue to cooperate with you.

Get used to the idea that you will lose customers and gain new ones; it is as natural for freelancing as it is for an animal to shed its winter “fur coat” in the spring. Since it often takes six months to a year to get a new client, you must learn to plan at least six months ahead. It is necessary to anticipate when clients will need your services more, and when the period of your cooperation is nearing its end. Be forward-thinking and create a network of customers so rich that the loss of one of them will not have a huge impact on your business and state of mind.

Common mistakes beginner freelancers make

You are being careless about your home office. Many freelancers start working from home, and there is nothing wrong with that. But still try to create a separate office for work or just rent from a company workplace now it is practiced everywhere.

You rely too much on any one customer. Usually freelancers create additional value for the company, and the authorities are ready to pay well those who do their job well. But do not let yourself fall into complacency: no matter how valuable a partner you consider yourself to be, it is much easier to refuse the services of a freelancer than to fire staff member, so if you hear about upcoming budget cuts or personnel changes, be prepared for possible changes.

You don't save money for periods of downtime. There will inevitably be periods of downtime in your freelance work. Therefore, be prudent and set aside some amount every month so that in case of forced downtime, you can maintain your usual lifestyle. In addition, remember that you, as a freelancer, are also required to pay taxes. So take all this into account when drawing up a rough estimate. At the same time, do not forget about the vacation: you also need to rest.

You let everything take its course. As professional and knowledgeable as you are in what you bill your client for, you should be so skilled in handling the business. Dedicate up to a quarter of your working time to various kinds of administrative and marketing activities. When you have a lot of work, it is very easy to lose your guard, stop looking for new customers and decide that this will always be the case. However, if you don't carefully monitor all aspects of your business, you may run into serious difficulties when more Hard times. In order to streamline income and expenses and conduct business correctly, it is advisable to consult an experienced accountant at least once a year. It will help you balance income and expenses and avoid stress in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Thus, to become a freelancer, you need a strong desire, patience and discipline. It is important to take into account when making a decision common sense and understand your true desires.

There are quite a lot of businessmen on Habré, even more freelancers and employees.

Most of us (I certainly did!) have fallen into the trap of a life rut approved by society as a standard: school => college => work for hire. Someone immediately moved into freelancing or business.

But the choice is not always made consciously.
In this article, I will try to objectively consider the pros and cons of each organizational form self-actualization so that such a choice can be made. Personally, after a deep rethinking, I gave up a promising career and went to my startup.

Let's start comparing on a set of parameters that I consider the most important, all assessments are subjective - based on my own experience in employment + business, as well as the experience of freelancing acquaintances.

Employment

• - The amount of income fixed by the labor market. It is possible to increase your income by 10 times, but by 100 it is almost impossible.
• + Income stability, which facilitates budget planning, creates a sense of confidence.
• + Social guarantees- the employer often includes medical insurance, food, communications, transport costs in the social package.
• + Training at the expense of the employer - either directly, with attendance at courses or within the company, or independently, but at paid time.
• + Team, which often gives not only communication, support, but also friends.
• - Schedule, even if flexible, usually means a minimum of 40 hours of work per week.
• - Relaxation limited, as a rule, to 4 weeks, and even then with agreement (and the more valuable you are, the more difficult) with the authorities, oh geocorrection in most cases you can forget.
• - Creative freedom is strongly limited by the scope of tasks descended from above.

Freelance

• - The amount of income again, it is fixed by the labor market, but it may well exceed the income from working for an uncle.
• - income stability lower than in employment, strongly depends on your qualifications and the ability to present it.
• - Social guarantees
• - Education at your expense, the client will not pay for it.
• - Collective absent, which means lack of support and communication.
• + Schedule You define yourself. The client, of course, sets deadlines, but you have the right to decide what time of the day / week you work.
• + Rest, geocorrection- up to you. Do you want to work hard for 1-2 months, and then rest for six months? This option is very real.
• + Creative freedom fixed within the framework of the client's tasks, but you choose the projects yourself!

Business

• + Income actually unlimited.
• - income stability low, today you can be a millionaire, and tomorrow - a beggar.
• - Social guarantees- all expenses are borne by you.
• - Education at your expense.
• + Team You choose yourself, however, you can do without it.
• + Schedule completely up to you.
• + Rest with proper automation, it can be permanent; geocorrection in the case of an online business is almost inevitable, there are many places on Earth where it is much cheaper and more pleasant to live.
• + Creative freedom reaches its climax - you can set yourself a task, choose a way to solve it, and enjoy getting feedback from the client.

To find out what is more suitable for you, I suggest filling out the table. In my case it looks like this:

Change the significance factor of the parameter and calculate the final amount in your plate.

This will give you an initial understanding of where you are and where to go.

What to do if there is no way to change the form of activity?

How to improve your life right now

Employment

• Income: think about how much money you lack for a comfortable life? Perhaps employment will more than provide this level. Update your resume, go to interviews, talk to your boss about growth opportunities - this will give you an understanding of what you are worth and what you can achieve.
• Schedule: make it flexible by agreement with the authorities, or by changing jobs.
• Rest, geocorrection: Find a contract job. It is not without its drawbacks (lack of social guarantees), but at the end of the project you can rest as much as you like. Organize remote work for yourself, perhaps working by the sea is more productive for you?
• Freedom of creativity: become a highly qualified specialist, an order of magnitude more creative tasks will become available (simply because no one else can solve them). Become a leader - you will be able to distribute tasks, including yourself.

Freelance

• income stability: find clients for monthly support.
• Social guarantees: earn more, spend less with the help of geo-correction, issue an IP for contributions to the Pension Fund.
• Education: set aside time for self-education, there are enough materials on the net, even professors from leading American universities are already conducting free online training (