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How To Make $1000 To $10,000 As A Freelancer In Your First Year

Reading Time: 15 minutes.

INTRODUCTION:

I have done an effective job of defining my value propositions, branding myself as an expert within my field, and getting my content in front of new target audiences. I now have a three- to six-month waiting list for new freelance clients.

However, that certainly didn’t happen overnight. My rapid success in the world of freelancing is the result of a lot of strategic positioning, hours of hard work, and good timing.

If you’re ready to get serious about freelancing and multiplying your self-employed income, please read through this article, so you can get my tips on how you can make between 1000 -10000 dollars per project in your first year.

But, before you get started, check out something awesome I helped put together, The High paid Freelancer Premium Program on Expertnaire. You’ll find tips for learning the tech skills you need to get started, strategies for adopting “the freelance mindset”, how to get your first project really fast, how to get clients who are willing to pay you top dollars for your services(and it works even if you are a newbie freelancer with no skill). Also, how to set up your profile and evade scam likely projects/clients. And more (Get the premium program here)

So, now let’s get started, shall we?

Here we go:

If you’re new to freelancing, you might feel ready to take any paid work you can get your hands on. But, as you get deeper into your freelancing career, you’ll need to start being more strategic about the types of work you do and the clients you take on.

You might be thinking: How can I get picky about freelance work and still make more money?

This is possible, when you specialize and become an expert in a specific field, thus, experts do charge more for their specialized services.

In my opinion, the age-old debate of whether you should be a specialist or a generalist when starting your freelance career isn’t even worth thinking twice about. If you were a client and you needed someone to fix your email marketing, so people sign up,or write ads that persuade people to buy, or just update your outdated website, would you rather hire someone who’s a jack-of-all-trades, or a person who’s a pro at doing one thing and doing it extremely well?

Well, I’ll choose the specialist every time.

And when it comes to my own experience, choosing to specialize as a digital marketing consultant–as opposed to being a general digital marketer for hire–has been the single best decision I’ve made with my freelance business.

If you choose the right niche, decide to specialize and put some effort into branding yourself as an expert within your niche,it can really pay off for years to come.

One major decision you need to make early in your freelance career is what you do and what you don’t do.

The more specific you can be about what services you offer, the better. Not only will it help you brand yourself, it’ll allow you to control how potential clients perceive you and give you the opportunity to continue building your portfolio in the direction you want to move in.

If you want to focus on becoming a sought-after, highly paid Ruby on Rails developer, then you shouldn’t even consider contract offers for customizing WordPress themes or designing the user experience for an upcoming app. While the short-term benefits of steady work are tempting (and sometimes necessary), taking on projects that aren’t getting you closer to your ultimate goal of becoming the best in your field will only distract and delay you from making meaningful progress.

Before you can go out and start looking for clients, you’ll need to develop a clear picture of whom you’re going to work best with. Do you want to build websites for small-business owners, pitch in on new feature development for high-growth technology startups, or take on longer-term contracts with enterprise-size companies? Making these clear distinctions between whom and what type of business you’re targeting will be essential to effectively pitching your services.

To define exactly who your ideal freelance clients should be (and how to start finding them)

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What type of business has the problems I’m solving with my services?

2. Can the business I want to work with afford to hire me?

3. What demographic trends can I identify about the decision makers in the types of businesses I’m targeting? Think age, gender, geographic location, websites they frequent, and their personal interests.

Once you know that you’ll be more engaged and work most effectively with smaller startup teams, who are working on projects you can personally relate to. I’ve proactively chosen to make my scope of potential clients narrow. By working with similar startup teams, which new potential clients I target within my niche are able to instantly relate with, and have confidence that I’ll be able to replicate my results for their business, too. Picking your niche and making yourself stand out is one of the core principles needed to adopt as a freelancer and this is covered in the High paid Freelancer Premium Program( click here to check it out)

It goes without saying that one of the best ways to demonstrate your technical skills is by having an amazing portfolio site of your own.

If you want to be taken seriously as a new freelancer, you’re going to need a website that:

1.Showcases your expertise.

2.Highlights relevant past experiences.

3.Shows who you are.

4.Includes your contact information so potential clients can easily find you.

5.Plus, a stellar portfolio can really help you out if you don’t have a lot of job experience to prove that you know your stuff.

But don’t worry even if you don’t have experience, the High paid freelancer premium program will teach you everything and how to go about that.

The purpose of your portfolio is to educate, spark interest, and convince potential clients that they’ll want to choose you for their technical needs. That’s why it’s worth investing time in deciding what to feature in your portfolio and how it’s being displayed–before you start looking for new projects.

I’m a huge fan of starting your freelance career as a side business, as opposed to leaving your day job to immediately pursue self-employment.

In addition to the fact that creating a high-quality portfolio website, building your personal brand, and adding to your portfolio naturally take a some amount of time, it’s a good idea to have a few steady freelance clients on your roster before axing your sole source of income.

I recommend growing your side income to at least 50 to 75 percent of your total current income before leaving your full-time job, depending on your risk tolerance.

Managing a tight schedule, heavy workload (including demanding freelance projects), and being responsible for client deliverables with limited time resources will teach you quickly what it’s like to run your own business.

The other awesome benefit of picking up freelance clients while you’re still working full time is that you can be selective. You likely don’t absolutely need the money. This puts you in a position to turn down work that either doesn’t pay enough to justify your time investment, or that you’re not genuinely interested in.

These are two points you’ll need to be a stickler about if you want to be happy once you’re freelancing full time. In the high paid freelancer program you will see a list of testimonials of people who started as newbies and began to get high paying clients for their projects. Check out these testimonials here

The best way to justify higher rates? Make sure you have impressive skills that are in high demand.

Practice using your new skills by building the types of projects that you want to eventually be paid to work on. Whether that’s WordPress websites, mobile apps, or something else entirely, the more you can differentiate yourself among a sea of competition with cool side projects and examples that’ll attract potential customers, the better.

And remember that while highly trained freelancers can get paid much more for their work, you don’t have to head back to school for a B.SC. in computer science to get on the train. Taking online classes like a Super simple web design masterclass can get you on the right track and put you in charge of your education.

There are many ways to build your credibility within your industry. Aside from creating high-quality website/blog content(you can Check here for how to create a 7- figure blogging platform to grow your Freelance business and get high paying Clients). You can also collaborate with notable Influencers in your industry, you can write an eBook, create an online course, and line up speaking engagements to start increasing your visibility within your niche.(check here for guide on how to launch your first profitable online course based on your skills and experience)

These credibility boosters can help you add to your list of accomplishments that you can highlight on your portfolio and simultaneously demonstrate your knowledge for more potential clients to see. The wider you can broadcast your message, the more influence you’ll build within your niche.

Deciding how much to charge for your freelance services is a major step toward determining your perceived value, you need to make sure you’re charging enough to make a sustainable, comfortable living. Most clients won’t hesitate to pay higher rates for a freelancer who gives them an incredible first impression and sells them on the ability to deliver high-quality results.

As long as I continue to deliver consistent value to my clients (beyond their expectations), I have no trouble setting and maintaining high prices for the services I’m providing.

Before setting your prices at the bare minimum you need to charge to hit your financial needs, consider the actual value you’d be creating for your potential clients and make sure you’re not leaving money on the table. You can always increase your rates in the future and hope your client stays on board, but if you start at a price point you’re already excited about, you’ll be that much more likely to over deliver and continue increasing your value moving forward.

One of the most effective ways to land higher-quality and better-paying freelance work is through leveraging your existing networks. Whether pitching your actual friends and former co-workers on freelance help, or using their connections to make warm introductions to companies you do want to work with, this is a great alternative to cold contacting potential clients.

Whenever I discover a freelance opportunity I want to pursue on Angel.co, Cloud Peeps, or elsewhere, I give myself 10 to 15 minutes to research the company, find my ideal point of contact, and do a little homework to see if I have a mutual connection on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook before reaching out with a cold email.

If I do have mutual contact, I’ll reach out to my friend (only if I’m actually friends with the person) and ask if he or she would mind sending an email introduction on my behalf.

This approach, in which my first impression is being endorsed by a recommendation from someone my potential client already knows, has consistently netted me higher response and close rates.

There’s an art and science to pitching your freelance services to new clients. Because it’s such an important part of running a profitable freelance business.

Landing new clients isn’t just a matter of crafting an awesome freelance proposal. Your success depends on how you’re selecting new jobs, how you position your value propositions, and how much research you do ahead of time.

I’ve won new gigs simply because I clearly put more time and effort into researching the company, determining its needs, and providing immense upfront value in the form of insightful recommendations before I even discuss payment. In the world of freelancing, much of your success will depend upon the strength of your client relationships, and how well you’re able to forge meaningful partnerships.

The goal of having a website/blog showcasing your skills is to attract and convert new clients. What better way to increase the number of potential new clients coming across your website than by creating high-quality blog content that positions you as a standout expert within your field?

At the beginning, aim for creating one or two in-depth blog posts per month, geared toward providing truly helpful solutions that your potential clients may be searching for. Note: That means you’ll be writing for an audience of your clients, not other people in your field.

Once they discover your content and get some free value from you, you’ll naturally be top of mind, if they’re ready to hire out for more in-depth help.

I initiated the majority of the freelance contracts I’ve landed over the past year by mentioning a company in a successful blog post on my website. After publishing my in-depth post chronicling all of the best side-business ideas, I spent a lot of time reaching out to a carefully chosen person at each brand or online tool I mentioned, asking if I cited it correctly within the post. The majority of the people wrote back either confirming or offering a suggestion, which then gave me an opportunity to either pitch a guest post, ask them to share my content with their audience on social media, or open the door to a potential marketing contract.

My blog has been by far my highest-return marketing channel for my freelance business. (Check here for how to create a 7 figure blogging platform to grow your freelance business and get high paying clients).

Once you have a website that highlights your abilities and clearly communicates that you offer freelance services, one of the most effective ways to increase your online visibility is by getting content published on the blogs and publications where your potential customers spend the most time. Marketing guru and consultant Neil Patel frequently shares about the huge contracts he lands for his business by publishing more than 100 guest posts per year.

While you’ll be starting on a much smaller scale, don’t underestimate the immediate benefit of getting your content featured on blogs and publications that can drive hundreds or even thousands of new visitors to your website. In the span of less than one year, I’ve been able to get my posts published on Entrepreneur, Inc., Business Insider, Hub Spot, and dozens more publications by creating extremely high-quality content and leveraging my pitching abilities.

This increased visibility has had a direct, positive impact on my business.

But there are some simple secrets to becoming a successful freelancer which I am going to share with you in this blog post.

Here they are in brief :

1. I Reached Out To Everyone I Had Ever Known

Literally. Everyone.

The very first thing I did when deciding to make the switch was to get in touch with every single person I have ever known and told them my decision. I told them the field I was going to be working in and as it became clear, even the date I was planning to leave my awful day job (in 30 days time).

I also told them that I would be more than happy to take projects right away.

The reason I told my friends and friends of friends, colleagues and ex-colleagues that I was willing to take on projects straight away was for three reasons:

Experience

2. Contacts

3. References

And the earlier you send this email the better. Do it 30 days before you want to go freelance, or do it six months before. But the point is, don’t leave people hanging.

Not only do you want to make your announcement actionable, but clients take time to develop. Don’t put yourself in a position to do the work “in a month”, when the discussion you need to start may take that much time anyway!

The more experience, contacts and references you have when you go freelance, the easier making that final break from your job will be.

And when people asked me to do a job for them that they couldn’t pay me for I would again consider:

1. Experience

2. Contacts

3. References

If I was going to get just one of these things out of the arrangement then there was no way I was turning down that work, money or no money. If in doubt, remember the wise words of freelance expert Jon Norris,

“Building a network and finding work are two sides of the same coin.”

Here I just want to include a note for those of you who have already started freelancing, as for you guys too I cannot emphasize the importance of this step enough. It’s never too late to start reaching out to people and expanding your network. If you have work to show for your efforts already, your outreach will go much further, a reason why this step should be repeated annually even once you are a successful freelancer! Keep yourself fresh in people’s minds and be their go-to person when they need a professional in your field.

So after I’d contacted my entire network, what did I do next?

2. I Began Developing My Personal Brand

So what does my personal brand have to do with anything? I’m an experienced [Digital marketer and consultant], not a social networker – why can’t I just make an ad and put it online/buy a spot in the newspaper/stick it to a tree/leave under windshield-wipers in the parking lot?

The reason is that as a freelancer, YOU ARE YOUR BRAND.

So, help me God, this is a truth among truths, irrespective of whether you’re a web developer, a user experience designer, a writer or a marketer.

What do I mean when I say you are your brand?

I mean that when you are selling your services, you are actually selling yourself. So, how you come across online or off is reflective of your success, your ability, and your professionalism. Your personality counts. Big time. If people don’t like you, they won’t buy what you’re selling.

So, how did I build my personal brand?

1. Got myself on Linked In and I fully filled out my profile. Every single detail of my experience. Every relevant job I ever had. Every morsel about me that could be interesting.

2. I then did the same thing on Facebook. I joined relevant groups for my field and started asking questions, lots of questions, as well as answering any I could.

3. I did the same on Twitter.

4. And on Meetup.

5. And when it was made available I did the same with Quora, which has become the fact-filled platform for experts.

6. I then went to every industry-relevant event I could find, afford and get to, and hustled like a maniac…

If you’re someone who still believes social media is the devil, you’re in trouble, because it’s never a single tactic that will get you anywhere, it’s a combination of many intelligently coordinated pieces.

Asking and answering questions is the easiest way to get people involved and invested in what you do, and while you could meet 15 people during a night out, you could meet 100 online. And perhaps yes, the contact is “shallower” but you can be a hell of lot more targeted. So, I recommend starting online, understanding who’s important for you, preempting offline events by connecting with people via Twitter, and leveraging LinkedIn connections into meetings for coffee.

If you combine a strong digital brand with meeting people in person, you’ll make yourself:

1. Easy to find

2. Easy to remember

3. Good to know

You want to be understood as an expert and an influencer in your field, and in a world where most industry communication is digital, you better be all over it!

Just remember not to get discouraged if you don’t get 1000 Twitter followers instantly, because what’s important here is that quality wins over quantity every time. Stay focused, stay targeted and talk to every new connection like they’re your best friend.

And vice versa, if you’re awkward and depend entirely on social media to drive your network, you’re doing it wrong. You have to get out, you have to meet people and confirm that you’re real and worth investing in. As Jon Norris explained:

“Although it can be awkward attending networking events, it’s a great way to build contacts. Get out there, hand out business cards and make friends.”

contacts. Get out there, hand out business cards and make friends.”

3. I Drew Up A Strategy

I want you to pay very close attention to the next statement.

Never, ever, undervalue time taken to plan. Never.

I also carefully drafted and redrafted a personal business plan, including my financial requirements, goals, and how I thought that would actually translate into work. I realized that if I landed the equivalent of 2 short projects a month, I could survive. Well barely, but it’s good to know where your survival limit is, because when push comes to shove, it’s to accomplish that goal or be stuck eating dry toast for a month.

Unless you’re one of these eternally adventurous types, freelancing is no fun as a hand-to-mouth game. Nobody chooses this path with the goal of living on a financial knife edge. And by the way, it’s ok to be scared, in fact if you’re not, you’re either invincible or a dumb ass, so keep your eyes open, know your limits, and plan accordingly.

I also used this as another excuse to grow my network, reaching out to experts in my industry to ask for advice:

1. How much should I charge?

2. Where do I best find my clients?

3. How difficult is it to close a deal?

4. Should I template my pitches or create new ones every time?

This created an opportunity to learn, improve and perfect the skills I would need in a month while growing a power-network of professionals in the field. Two birds in one stone at its finest!

4. I Researched The Competition And Paid Close Attention To It.

Whether it was hours scanning social media, reading blog posts like this one, offering my services to friends, or just generally building a network however I could, I absorbed as much information as possible.

Sure, it’s overwhelming; anyone who has spent a 4 hour stint on a single topic online knows that the rabbit hole is deep, and easy to get sucked into. At the end of the day, you have to pick and choose what’s important for you, but what I found most helpful was taking a good look at what my competition was doing. And there is always competition.

Looking closely at what others are doing, I found out three ( 3) things that helped me a lot and they are:

1. I had local competition, and I mean local. As in down the street from me. But even if they had been doing it for a while, they didn’t seem to be effectively marketing themselves, it took effort to find them.

2. People who were looking for someone of my expertise had no central data bank to find me, or other freelancers like me. I had to be in the right place at the right time.

3. I could easily differentiate myself from my competition by having an attractive personality, and a digital presence.

Leif Kendall likes to tell people to:

“Deliver work that is better than anything your competitors are doing.”

and truthfully, I couldn’t agree more. Maybe you have a lot of experience, and maybe you don’t, but your job is to perform better than everyone else in your field, both in the work you do, and the way you act.

But how did I know what my competition was actually doing?

Remember that old adage “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”? This is one way of looking at it, but in a world of freelancing where your network is everything, you can’t afford to have enemies at all. So try this instead:

“Keep your friends close, and make friends with your enemies.”

Don’t be guarded, don’t be defensive. Share, trade, and exchange what you can from your own knowledge and then keep doing it better, and better, and better, and better, and better, and better.

In the end, you’ll find that some people have big egos, but a lot of people are happy to have a friend. Freelancing can be a bit lonely sometimes as by its definition you often lack those daily colleagues who understand the work you do. A lot of people out there are just like you, and happy to have someone they can relate to about work, and even share a bit of knowledge and experience.

5. I Found A Mentor And Landed A Paying Client

The best piece of advice I ever received was simple in theory and tough in practice:

“Don’t burn any bridges.”

If you’re a freelancer, this quote should be read in all caps lock and underlined, because you can’t afford to. Every contact counts, and on behalf of your reputation and livelihood, although it’s very tempting to give your boss the finger as you storm out the door, it’s not something you can afford to do, ever.

No one likes “kissing ass” and I don’t really recommend it, but now that you’re leaving you need your employer more than ever before, because face it: your current employer is your strongest link to your first job as a freelancer. If your job is at all related to what you plan to do, they may themselves be your first client.

In my case, the karaoke bar owner would eventually make it very clear that he didn’t care what I was doing beyond his bar. But I needed something, so I went and found myself. I willingly put myself in thrall to an influencer in my industry. It was the smartest decision I ever made because despite totally overworking myself, I sure enough gained Experience, made Contacts, and walked away with one hell of a Reference.

Oh, and yes, I did this on top of the study, the job, and the prep. If you want something, don’t half ass it.

So, how did I manage to get myself a mentor?

Well, if you have a boss who knows anything, that’s the best place to start. But if you’ve read this article then you can probably guess how I did it: I networked like a maniac, showed my plan of action, and proved I knew how to work like the competition.

In the end, I convinced my ‘would be mentor’ that I was worth that little bit of time and effort, and sure enough got my first client after a couple of weeks. Boom! I was officially a freelancer, on schedule and making money.

Whether it’s a boss, mentor, professor, uncle or neighbor with good advice, the people you see daily are most likely to have the biggest impact on your transition. So be accommodating, be thankful and be willing to work your ass off for an opportunity to do what you love.

So finally….

So, what’s my last piece of advice? What’s that final nugget of understanding what you need to open the doors to your new career, new lifestyle, and impending financial freedom?

The simple answer is that there isn’t one. There is no one solution, there is no one path. Your puzzle is your own! And understanding how the pieces fit together is what will guarantee your success.

If you’re hunting for that single piece of magical advice that will get you out of your job and thousands of clients a year, let me tell you, it doesn’t exist. Like in life, relationships, and all other forms of comedy, it’s your ability to understand the big picture and refine each detail to pixel-perfect clarity that makes you who you are and good at what you do.

So, my advice is don’t forget that, don’t get hung up on singularity in a world full of complications, because what will make you successful is knowing how to apply who you are to what you want to do to the best of your ability.

As for the rest of what you need to know? Start by practicing all in this article! People will say you’re crazy to set out on this path of uncertainty, which if you’re like me, it is just confirmation that you should be doing! Freelancing is something you really have to want, and be prepared to work hard for. And the result of that is a lifestyle, and a sense of freedom that is unrivaled by any other job in the world.

So prep it, work it, and then LIVE IT for all your worth!

How to become a highly paid freelancer is the dream of every freelancer because it is the only way to realize the dream of these valuable workers. While many freelancers have achieved this goal, many more are still trying to figure out how to earn six figures from it. If you are in this group, how can you join the select freelancers who get paid top dollar? Broadly speaking, you need two major factors to be in place for you to succeed as a highly paid freelancer. One, you need to be highly skilled in your chosen freelancing field. This means that you have to build on the knowledge you already have and continue improving on it.

The second pillar of freelancing success is that you need clients. These are not just any clients but enough of those who are ready to pay you well for your efforts. Achieving these two factors requires a combination of events that include the following. Don’t be everything to everyone. You cannot just take every freelance job that comes your way. You must operate in a certain tight area where your expertise will shine through. This is called choosing a niche. A niche allows you to focus your energy on an area that people will associate with you and see you as an expert. In other fields, experts are paid highly in comparison to general workers. Be the go-to person in your niche. Become an important freelancer industry player in your field by going beyond doing projects for clients. Develop online content that helps visitors to your website or blog( check here for how to Launch a website in Few hours without writing a code) and here (for how to create a 7 figure blogging platform that will help you grow your freelance business and get high paying clients). You can also include free and paid online courses or eBooks( check here for how to Launch your first profitable Online course based on your skills and experience). Podcasts are another way of doing this. Down the line, speaking engagements or organizing workshops will put your credibility at a much higher level(check here for how to hold successful seminars and workshops). Using all these comes with high freelancing earnings for you. Let your freelancing portfolio promote you.

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One of the major hurdles new freelancers have to overcome is how they price their services. More often than not freelancers charge below what they are worth. If your work is exemplary, then you should charge enough to sustain your dream freelancers’ lifestyle. Avoid misunderstanding. Be very clear on what your services include and where necessary to mention what is not included in your service package. In this way there will be no misunderstanding between you and your clients. It is an important way of being identified with specific areas of your niche. You become a brand while at the same time; this approach helps you to move towards your freelancing goals. Network Use your existing clients, friends and other contacts to promote your services. Ask for references to those who may need freelance support with their jobs. Guest blog to expand your reach and also accept relevant influencers to be guests on your blog. This way your network will expand and your value as a freelancer will grow rapidly. How to become a highly paid freelancer is a process, but the rewards are worth starting the journey. I wish you the very best as you start your Freelance Journey.

Cheers,

Marve Samuel

Digital marketing Expert and Consultant

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