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What Is Freelancing and How Does It Work?

What is freelancing

May 12 2021 - Seeing more freelancers in your company? You're not alone.

The coronavirus pandemic forced many professionals to work from home for the first time. But freelancers have been selling their skills for years.

The allure of freelancing has grown even stronger. 57 million people in the United States did freelance work in 2019.

Freelance has plenty of benefits. From setting your own schedule to pricing, freelancers enjoy a lot of flexibility that you may not find in traditional corporate jobs.

Curious to learn more about the world of freelancing? Read on to find out what is freelancing, how to freelance, how to develop the skills you need, and plenty more.

What Is Freelancing?

The word "freelance" describes an individual who does not work for any one company. Rather, a freelancer works for themselves, selling their skills to use for a variety of companies.

A freelancer may find themselves only working for one company on and off for a number of years. However, freelancers by definition are never employees; rather, they are contract workers.

Freelancers generally work on a project for a set amount of time. Or they offer singular skills, such as:

  • copywriting
  • blog posts
  • content development
  • image design

A company may choose to hire a freelancer or a team of freelancers on an ongoing basis, such as blog writers, or researchers. Despite having a steady stream of work, these freelancers are still considered to be contractors, until a formal job offer is made, if any.

How Does Freelancing Work?

There are a number of ways that freelancing works, and all are valid.

Some freelancers are totally independent, connecting with clients on their own and pursuing work individually.

Some freelancers connect with an organization that offers work. Freelance writers are often able to make full-time careers out of working within an organization and picking up work when available.

Other freelancers may pick up jobs for family friends, or offer their services to companies they already have connections with.

The manner of obtaining work is just one piece of the freelancing puzzle. Freelancers maintain their own finances, deal with freelancing taxes, and are expected to manage their own schedules. Deadlines are generally set by the company requesting work, and freelancers work independently to meet those deadlines.

Can Anyone Freelance?

The short answer to this question is yes!

Anyone with marketable skills can freelance. It's a matter of drive and desire.

The first step is identifying your desirable skills. If you're a whiz with the written word, or know your way around Photoshop, there are people looking for those skills.

If you're brand new to freelancing, a quick Google search of "how to become a freelance writer," for instance, shows that plenty of other people are asking the same question. There are plenty of courses that can offer you free training to sharpen those writing skills and become a strong freelance writer.

Can You Make Money With Freelancing?

Again, the short answer to this question is an enthusiastic yes.

Freelancing can be an extremely lucrative career choice, depending on what you do and how hard you work.

For those who desire to work on their own schedules, freelancing can be the perfect gig. Learning a highly desirable skill, and learning to do it well, can lead to some big paychecks.

Lucrative freelancing careers come in a variety of packages, as well. Freelancing is not limited to writing and graphic design. Marketing experts, individuals with Google suite experience, even those who know their way around Facebook can be highly sought after by a variety of companies.

The trick to making money with freelancing is patience and devotion. If you desire to make freelancing a full-time gig, you must put in the time to growing your business - yourself.

If you wish to be entirely independent in your freelancing career, you must be patient for that income stream to come. Take the time to market yourself, reach out to potential connections, and ask around for potential gig opportunities.

Once your gig starts to take off, don't forget to pay your new business plenty of attention. Maintaining your website, relationships with clients, and social pages will only help to keep your skills at the forefront of everybody's minds. Keeping your site and profiles relevant and up-to-date can showcase your skills on a potential client's first visit to your site.

Freelancing Careers

Ready to dive right into freelancing?

Some of the hottest freelance careers right now are in the marketing world. In an ever-evolving digital world, businesses rely on savvy individuals to optimize ad campaigns, make content, and tweak websites to fit Google's evolving specifications.

For these businesses, more optimization and better ads means more revenue. The value of a well-optimized website and efficient ads is nearly immeasurable, as it can truly make or break a website.

Level up your skills in these departments, and you may find yourself with a brand new career.

You can find a variety of courses to give you a further understanding of these marketing techniques. Some are free, and some have a fee. Depending on what you intend to do with your newfound knowledge after completing one of these courses, the cost may be well worth the investment.

There are plenty of other lucrative, money-making freelance opportunities out there. Take the time to research your options. It's handy to have a wealth of resources at your fingertips, such as:

  • networks that are hiring freelancers
  • companies that need some extra help
  • setting up a website and promoting your own freelancing business

Future Freelancing Opportunities

By now, we've answered the hot question - what is freelancing? You are ready to put your specialty skills to use and earn some money, and perhaps even turn your work into a career.

Keep up with the latest news, changes, and tips on jobs of all sorts by checking back with our site frequently. While you're here, check out our other articles for some of the best ideas and tricks to turn your job into something you love.




 
 




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