How to Become an Effective Freelancer

Being an effective and successful freelancer is not easy. We have to be polite, respectful, punctual, and our work must consistently surpass client expectations. Here are some tips to help you become more effective at managing your workload.

Let everyone know what you do
Everyone. No, seriously—everyone. Not just your neighbors but their dogs as well. Place your business cards at cafes, stores, bulletin boards, and any other place related to your business.

Many freelancers will find that even their families do not know what they do. A little clarification can help tremendously. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard a family member or friend talk about jobs that I could have had, had they known to refer me.

Use a calendar
Eventually, your load will grow into a chaotic mess unless you implement _and actually use_a calendar. You will never have that “I’m forgetting something” moment again.

An effective use of a calendar is for task lists. When you build out a task list for a project, add estimated dates for each task. By monitoring your calendar you will be on top of things with minimal effort.

On my Mac I use iCal which I sync with my cell phone, giving me instant access to my calendar at all times. This sort of mobility is priceless.

You are a business
An inexpensive and easy way to gain respect as a freelancer is to acquire a business license and fictitious name. Instead of saying “Hello my name is Bob and I do this”, you could say “Hello, this is Bob from Acme Media Services”. No longer an anonymous expendable face, you have a corporate identity.

A fictitious name is a name under which a business performs. For example, “Coca-Cola” is not the name of an individual but rather a fictitious name for the company. These are usually cheap to attain; They are $20 for five years in California. Banks will usually allow you to open an account in your business’ name with just the fictitious name statement.

The easiest business to create is the Sole Proprietorship, which allows you to conduct consistent business, yet requires no extra bookkeeping—all your revenue is claimed on the next year’s income tax statement.

For more information on business licensing and fictitious names, see your local and state government websites, as well as the IRS Website Business Section.

Communicate
A common complaint from my clients is that freelancers are unreliable; They tend to drop off the face of the Earth.

Maintaining consistent contact with a client builds a bond of trust and reliability. As stupid as it sounds, a client is more likely to contact you if they think you will respond.

Reply to all emails within minutes of reading them. If you do not yet have an answer to their question, let them know that you are actively looking for one.

All calls should be responded to with a phone call, never an email, unless specifically requested. Always take the option of a phone call. The more human and welcoming you are, the greater the bond of trust.

Be honest
A riddle: What is worse than receiving bad news? Not receiving the bad news.

Nobody is perfect and freelancers tend to give highly optimistic expectations of a project. Unfortunately, when a delay or other unforeseen incidents happen, freelancers will commonly not inform their clients for fear of retribution. However, this only creates bigger trouble for you. The client needs to know when a problem arises, immediately. They will understand. After all, “business” is another word for “delay”.

Be confident
You know you can complete the project. All of your qualifications match the description and you have had similar projects in the past.

Now you have to convince the client that you can do it.

Your confidence is on what your client’s confidence will be built; If you have none,nor will your client. Dress the part, talk the talk, and have a firm handshake.

Another well-known secret seems to escape many freelancers: do not tell them only what you can do, tell them also what they want to hear.

Use your strengths; Outsource your weaknesses
There will come a time in every freelancer’s career when he or she is faced with a project that is beyond the scope of their solitary capabilities. Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of people simply say that they cannot do it and pass on the project.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed by such a project, the key is to accept it with open arms, as this project could lead to more opportunities. Since you cannot handle it alone, find some people to help you.

For example, I had a large web application that I quoted for a client that involved lots of neat design. However, when designing a UI I have the unfortunate ability to make it as user-_un_friendly as possible. Realizing I needed help, I put an ad on Craigslist as well as some inquiries to some fellow developers I knew. Within days I had a slew of expert UI designers willing to work with me. At that point I could pick the best of the litter. In the end, we produced a killer application that exceeded all client expectations and we were rewarded with several more contracts.

I could not have produced such a high quality product without help and would have missed out on the other contracts. The money I had siphoned to my freelancer had earned me much more money in the long run.

Do not skimp on equipment
Your equipment should be able to serve your growing needs and should not hinder your progress. This is exactly why I decided to use a Mac instead of a Linux based PC. The Mac offers instant and highly capable features that speed up my automation, including WiFi, Bluetooth, UNIX terminal, and excellent third-party software. I could get all that working on a Linux box, but that would detract from my working hours. For me it was a wise investment to get a Mac because, as they say, it just works.

The same can be said for other types of equipment. Getting it right the first time will save lots of money over having to upgrade every year.

Separate home and work
An important part of living is being able to relax. Working from home tends to make this difficult since your work and your life eventually homogenize.

Combat this by separating the two. If you can afford a small office, do it. If you have a spare room, make that your office. Otherwise, find another way to segregate your work area, even if it is just a changing screen. That isolation will ensure that your career does not creep into your real life.

Stay fresh
No matter what field you are in, technology is changing it. This, obviously, is more prominent with those of us who work with computers. The key is to pay attention to the new trends in your field. For example, as a web developer I have seen many new web technologies emerge, most notably Ruby on Rails. This technology is quickly changing the way developers not only develop, but how they plan out their projects.

Though I do not use the underlying software that is Ruby on Rails, I have come to embrace many of its philosophies. This has enabled me to communicate how I can effectively implement a solution with the changing needs of internet users.

Keep and backup your work
Keep it forever; Back it up at consistent intervals.

Just imagine working for 100 hours on a project only to have that work destroyed by a virus,spyware or a hard drive crash. Not only that, but all the rest of your work saved on the hard drive is gone as well. What do you suppose your chances are of retrieving that data? Very small. Services exist that claim to be able to retrieve such data, and while these might be a lifesaver, they should not be the backup plan.

Find a suite of software that allows you to compress your data and burn it to CDs, DVDs or even upload it to a secure storage platform like Strongspace. And always make multiple backups.

Conclusion
Being a freelancer means being agile, smart, intuitive, driven and willing to get dirty. As fun as working for oneself is, it requires a lot of discipline. But if you end up pulling it off, you will have a most rewarding career.