How To Become A Successful Freelancer | Good Tips For You

 Guide to Becoming a Freelancer While Working a Day Job

Once you’ve locked in your “why,” given yourself deadlines and done the math, it’s time to finally dive deep into the nitty-gritty of starting a freelance business while working a day job.

Just a word of caution before we start…

Don’t try to do everything at the same time or you’ll end up overwhelming yourself. So many freelancing dreams die because aspiring freelancers make the mistake of taking on too much.

In the beginning, it’ll be slow going. Keep reminding yourself that you have limited time to work on your business while you still have your job. So instead of doing a whole bunch of things at the same time and getting overwhelmed and exhausted, follow the plan below and take it to step by step.

Step 1: Research

If there’s one thing we emphasize at Foundr, it’s the importance of research. Imagine freelancing with a day job—sacrificing family time, working nights and weekends, and investing money in your new business—only to find out a few months later that your idea isn’t profitable.

We get it. Research isn’t sexy. You want to start working on your freelance business right now!

But if you don’t do the research first, you won’t be able to make the right decisions.

When it comes to research, freelancers often make the mistake of focusing too much on figuring out whether freelancing is a good option in the first place. At this stage, you’ve already decided that it is. What you need to find out now is whether your specific freelance business idea is profitable or not.

Justin Blackman realized the importance of research the first time he tried – and failed – to freelance full time.

The first time I tried, I failed hard. I only made $600 over three months, because offers were a mess, my goals were unclear, and I didn’t know how to acquire customers. I didn’t understand what it meant to run a business.

It wasn’t long before Justin went back to working 9-to-5. But he still thought about becoming a freelancer and was determined to try again. He researched, planned, and gradually built his copywriting business, Pretty Fly Copy before he handed in his resignation.

Build that knowledge first. Join groups. Get training. Know what licenses, software, and level of income you need to make it work—and be specific with your business. It’s a lot easier to succeed when you have a plan.

The research phase is the hypothetical phase. This is where you dream big and research the heck out of every aspect of your freelance business.

Here’s a list of questions you need to research to figure out whether your business idea is any good.

Is there a market?

If you can’t find clients, your freelance business will never succeed. It’s why becoming a freelancer while you’re working a day job is so ideal. There’s minimal risk and you don’t have to worry about paying the bills while you feel out your target market.

One of the easiest ways to conduct market research is by talking to the people and businesses in your target market.

When contacting businesses you’d like to work with, ask them if they work with freelancers or whether they outsource your services to freelancers. Why or why not? To stand out, ask them about their problems and frustrations in the past when working with freelancers, or dealing with the type of work that you do.

Who are the notable freelancers in your field?

This one’s easy. It’s time to stalk the competition.

Look up freelancers who are already working in your niche. Research them and their businesses. How did they get started? What advantages did they have? What kinds of clients are they working with? Find out as much about their businesses as you can.

You don’t have to be adversarial with your competitors. The freelancing community is extremely supportive. Take the time to build relationships with your peers and reach out to ask for advice or help. If you’re in the same city, offer to take them out to lunch or coffee.

When I first started out as a freelance writer in 2009, my go-to resource for advice was a blog called Men with Pens. The copywriter behind the blog, James Chartrand, seemed genuine and approachable. So when I needed freelancing advice, I reached out to her via email. Not only did she respond every time, but her advice also got me results.

Back in the day, Men with Pens was the copywriting business I wanted my own to grow up to be like. Over the years, I continued to learn from her and when she launched her copywriting course Damn Fine Words, I was one of the first to sign up.

Important: Don’t get discouraged by another freelancer’s success. Remember, you’re just starting out, and they’ve probably been at it for years. Even seemingly overnight successes have years of hard work behind them. Chances are, they had someone help them out once, and will be more than happy to pay it forward.

But here’s the thing: Talking to prospective clients and other freelancers is just one way to conduct market research. You can also use tools like Google Keywords and Google Trends. 

Step 2: Planning Your Freelance Business

Now that you’ve validated your idea, it’s time to take all of that research and turn it into your business plan. And while you can go crazy making all kinds of elaborate plans, I recommend focusing on these five things.

Pick a Specialty

At this point, you’ve probably developed a pretty good idea of what you want to do. Writer, photographer, designer, financial coach—the possibilities are endless, and depend entirely on the market, plus your skills and interests.

Now all you need to do is pick a specialty, either by type of service or by industry. This is not as hard as you might think, but it’s something a lot of freelancers overlook or avoid.

This is important because choosing a specialty helps you stand out. Let’s say a client is looking for a nutritionist for their 12-year-old. They run a search, ask for a few recommendations, and narrow it down to four nutritionists that look promising. But they still only need to pick one.

Who do you think they’ll choose? A nutritionist who works with anyone or one who specializes in working with pre-teens? As a parent, the client would want someone who understands what their child needs, knows how to deal with children, and has experience helping other children of the same age.

Generalist freelancers are a dime a dozen, and will always have a harder time getting work. As a freelancer with a specialty, you might not be the right freelancer for 99% of the potential clients out there, but that 1% that you’re a perfect fit for will make 100% of your clientele. When they need to hire someone with your specialty, they’ll hire you because you’re exactly who they need. They’ll pay premium rates and trust your expertise.

Picking a specialty is a two-step process.

Step 1: Choose the kind of work you want to do as a freelancer.

You’re probably seeing a theme here. Because you’re crafting your very own, one-person business, you’ve got to let your preferences shape your decisions, at least to some extent. After all, you’re the one who has to do the work!

When I first started out as a freelance writer, I took on any and all work that came my way. website copy, bios, social media posts, about pages, articles…

But I disliked writing almost all of them. It wasn’t until I focused on the kind of writing I enjoyed that the answer came to me. I loved blogging. I was happiest working with clients who needed regular blog posts and even writing them for my own blog.

So I became a freelance blogger.

Think about the different types of specialties that fall under the general blanket of your chosen niche, and move on to the next step. Note that you may need to take on a few jobs in a few disciplines first to find out what you like best. So don’t freak out if you don’t have this nailed down from the very start, or if you decide to change it at some point.

Step 2: Decide the kind of clients you want to work with.

Think about the kind of businesses you want to work with. Is there a specific industry you know a lot about?

Maybe there’s a certain type of entrepreneur that you work well with (startup founders, online business owners, female entrepreneurs). Or maybe you’re partial to a specific industry (health, financial, eCommerce, B2B).

If you aren’t sure, make a list of the ones you find interesting and go from there.

The good news is, your choice isn’t set in stone. If you choose one type of client and realize they aren’t your ideal, you can always pick another. That’s the beauty of running your freelance business. You have the freedom, not just to make your own decisions, but also to change your mind.

But do you really need to pick a specialty?

In my experience, it’s the way to go.

Generalists have a harder time growing their businesses, even though most of them will argue that there’s more work this way. There will be a broader audience, but the clients who want generalist writers are also more interested in cheaper services. Specialists earn more money and attract higher-quality clients.

For the longest time I was just a freelance blogger. The only criteria I had for clients was that they paid. I always had plenty of work so I never gave specializing much thought. But then I hit a wall where I couldn’t get more than $350 for a 1200-word post.

It wasn’t until I met Josh Garofalo of Sway Copy that a light turned on for me. Josh is a SaaS copywriter whose clients include HubSpot, AWeber, Snappa, and InsightSquared, to name a few.

My origin story is different than that of most freelancers. I’ve never struggled—no slow times, no low-paying work for abusive clients, no hours wasted creating content no one cares about, no slimy cold emails—none of this.

Why?

Because I chose a niche that I had an experience, education, contacts, and interest in. From day one, I positioned myself as a SaaS copywriter and consultant. While most freelancers drown in a sea of sameness trying to be all things to all clients, I look like the perfect choice for less than 1% of businesses.

The result?

I replaced my full-time income within a few months of launching my site. My ideal client seeks me out and jumps at the opportunity to pay a premium to work with me. They know they’re getting someone who understands their product, market, and customer better than any generalist freelancer ever will. They know I’ve helped dozens of companies like theirs get more leads and sales.

This is why I always tell struggling freelancers to choose and own a niche. It makes every bit of this business so much easier.

Of all the freelancers I’ve talked to over the years, Josh is one of the very few who planned his transition from the day job to freelance down to the last detail, and his success proves that being deliberate and following a plan works.

His website is a case study in niching done right:

The headline and sub-headline on his website are nothing to write home about. They’re not clever or catchy, or particularly unique. They are, however, clear and concise. In just a glance, you know exactly what he does and who he does it for.

Scroll down his site and you’ll find that he narrows his target market even further. He makes it clear that he doesn’t work with just any SaaS company. It needs to be profitable, self-funded, or VC backed for him to work with them.

Josh’s success and advice convinced me to turn my own freelance blogging into a premium service for a very specific type of client. Granted, I don’t find many clients at my rate, but the ones I do? They understand the importance of a conversion-focused blog post and have measurable metrics in place to track results.