Expansion, Expansion, Expansion

14.06.2020 |

Episode #10 of the course Starting a freelance business: Ten essential tips by K.C. Finn

 

Many freelancers find that they get stuck in a cycle of working the same amount of hours without ever getting paid more for their time, and many may return to a physical work setting if they feel their business isn’t going anywhere. In this final lesson, I’ll show you how to increase your ranking and credibility to work for the most earnings in the least amount of time and to always be on the lookout for exciting and profitable ways to expand your freelance lifestyle.

Here are my top recommendations for how to capitalize on every expansion opportunity you see.

Look for ambient income streams for content that you have already created as part of your freelance work. For example, if you are a teacher producing lesson plans, activity sheets, and worksheets for students, there will be websites such as TES where you can package these as products and sell them to a marketplace of other teachers who may be looking for resources. Taking the time to invest in these other platforms will slowly increase your ambient income over time and therefore, reduce the weekly hours that you need to work in order to maintain your wage.

Compare your ratings and the quality of feedback on your work regularly with others who may be listed on the same sites as you or those who are online and doing similar levels of work. Don’t be afraid to discuss with other freelancers the prices that they offer for their services. You may find that you are undercutting yourself in areas where clients will pay more for the skills that you have and the content you provide them. This vigilance in comparisons will allow you to gradually increase your pricing structure so you are being fully compensated for your efforts and the level of talent and experience that you now possess.

Reuse materials, templates, and structures that you have perfected through several jobs as much as possible in order to save yourself time on new work. I have found this particularly useful in my freelance work as a critical book reviewer, where I find that the more reviews I write, the more I already know about how to grammatically phrase the review structure. I also have a handy glossary of descriptive terms, both good and bad, by my side to turn to whenever I need it. Freelance teachers will find reusability incredibly helpful to cut down on unpaid time during lesson planning, and creative types may find it useful to save pre-set graphics, brushes, video effects, etc. to use again in the future.

One regular, reliable client is always far more valuable than ten brand-new ones. Respect the clients who request repeat business from you and treat you well, and always try to make time for them in your working schedule. In times of great need, when I have been looking for work in a hurry, it is always the clients with whom I’ve developed the strongest relationships who have come through for me. They have even found work for me and invented new projects based on my availability because they wanted to keep me occupied as a freelance option for their company. This relates back to Lesson 7 and the information on customer service, in which respect for the client is always of the utmost importance.

It’s time to say goodbye for now! I sincerely hope that this course has provided you with a wealth of information, tips, and tricks on setting yourself up for success in the world of freelancing. If you’re looking for more creative education, don’t forget to take a look at my other Highbrow courses, which teach creative mindfulness activities and practical techniques for writing and editing award-winning stories and novels.

I wish you the very best in all your endeavors, and I would like to thank you for taking this course. Until we meet again!

K.C. Finn

 

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