How to Start Freelancing with No Experience

The freelance economy is booming. In fact, it is predicted that by 2027, freelancers will make the majority of the US workforce. But how do you create a profitable freelance career with zero experience?

While breaking into freelancing is not an easy task, it can be done, even with no experience. The hardest part about becoming freelance is landing that the first client. But once you cross that hurdle, you are good to go.

In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about becoming a freelancer with zero experience.

How much can you make from freelancing?

The amount of money you make as a freelancer majorly depends on your field and level of skills. However, on average, you can make anywhere between $25 to $75 per hour.

Which freelancing site is best for beginners?

There are many different platforms for beginners to get freelancing jobs, whether you are a graphic designer, article writer or even a web designer. These sights include:

Fiverr: This is one of the best freelancing sites for beginners with no experience. Here, you can create gigs based on your skill or service and offer it to the market for willing buyers to see and place orders for the service you are offering.

Upwork: This is one of the biggest freelancing sites globally where businesses and independent professionals come together for online work services. This site offers more than 3 million jobs each year, making it ideal for freelancers to earn some money.

Other beginner friendly freelance sites include:

• Guru
• Freelancer
• Total
• PeoplePerHour

To get your first job on these sites, you need to give clients some reasons why they should hire you. This is best done through creating a stellar proposal and sending it to clients looking for the services you are offering.

Remember that there are hundreds of other people looking for the same jobs on these sites. Therefore, your proposal needs to stand out from the crowd and prove that you can do the task to the client's satisfaction.

OK, but what are the easiest jobs to get with no experience? - after a small research, I found out that Writing is one of the easiest freelancing jobs. With time, and once you figure out what the client needs, you will get really good at it. Other easy jobs with no experience include:

• Survey jobs
• Transcription
• Customer service
• Ridesharing among others

But if you don't want to write and earn more money, take a look at some of the best freelance paying jobs:

• Web developer
• Programmer
• Digital Marketer
• Translation
• Writing
• Security specialist

Manage freelance work, time and multiple clients

Ask any freelancer, be it a writer, designer or web developer, and they will tell you that it is difficult to effectively manage your freelancing without proper time management.

The most effective way to managing your time as a freelancer is by creating a work schedule to follow and the estimated time needed for each task. This ensures you know how much work you need to accomplish each day to be able to meet your financial needs.

Another important factor to consider is managing multiple clients. As a freelancer, you have the freedom to work with as many clients as you can handle. However, it can be difficult to handle multiple clients, especially if they have different goals, visions, and standards.

For best results, assign each client to specific times and days. This ensures you set aside dedicated time to complete work for each of your clients. Clear communication with each client is crucial to smoothly juggle multiple clients. Also, make sure not to take on more clients than you can efficiently handle.

Make sure clients pay and you pay taxes

It's important that you make sure you get paid for your services. To ensure that, always bill your client up front. If you bill for time, make sure to invoice them for one or two weeks upfront. This way, you will not spend your time tracking down clients and asking them to pay you. Another way is to make sure to sign a contract that outlines the expected completion and compensation dates, contract amount and revision limitations.

Freelancers should pay their taxes every quarter. Unlike employees, freelancers are expected to pay self-employment tax. For employees, their income taxes are automatically deducted from their paycheck by their employer. As a freelancer, you will need to take that money from what you make and pay the government.

Conclusion

Freelancing provides a great way to make some money from home, whether you do it part-time or full-time. That said, it is essential to understand that freelancing is not a game of luck. It takes a lot of hard work, determination, and perpetual learning to truly nurture a lucrative freelance career.