You hear it a lot. Successful people always tell you to jump into it and give it 100%; otherwise, you won’t succeed. But this is far from true. I started freelancing on the side while I was studying back in the day, and you can do this as well next to a job or a study.
Starting on the side of your job, freelancing is the most secure way of transitioning into being a freelancer, especially if you dream about doing this full-time. Just be transparent about it with your current job, so there will be no misunderstandings. And then share your journey along the way.
Before you just jump into your freelancing career, there are some steps I would recommend you follow. First, some elements you need to prepare and how you set yourself up for the best possible success being a freelancer.
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What to prepare before you start freelancing on the side
There will never be a good time to start freelancing on the side, so you might as well just start now, and you can start working with your first client, but be aware before you can send your first invoice and get your first payment, you need to have some things in order.
Before we dive into this, you need to prepare yourself mentally so that your time will be stretched thinner, and you’ll have to use your “time off” now freelancing. This means there will be times when you’ll have to say no to family and friends because you must finish an assignment for a client.
You can prevent an uncomfortable situation if you’re open and tell your family and friends you’re starting freelancing on the side. Most people will understand it means you don’t have as much time as before because you’re pursuing your dream.
The next step would be to tell your current employer. Again, transparency will get you the furthest. Be open about it, so your employer understands what is happening in your life and if your dream isn’t to stay with the company in the long run. And a bonus here is that you might be able to get your current employer as a client when you, at some point, go full-time freelancing.
You probably already know what industry your forces are within, which will also define your journey as a freelancer. If it’s web-oriented, then there are endless options for you to get clients and get started.
Now it seems there are a lot of downsides to freelancing, and this is part of it, but the upside is simply amazing, based on my own experience. You get much more free time to do what you want. You decide who you work with, and you can work with what you love daily. I love Mondays because I get to work with just the things I love through my freelancing.
A step-by-step guide to get started freelancing on the side
Now there are a lot of different elements you need to get in order during your freelance career, but often then, you can just start by finding your first client and start working. Then you can slowly solve the issues once they surface, such as getting a bank account, setting up a website for your portfolio, building your brand and much more.
1. Set up the essentials
Depending on the regulations in your country, you’ll have to set up a business entity. In some countries, you’re allowed to earn a certain amount on the side, which you’ll then have to report manually to your tax authorities, and this can be a great way to get started.
But as soon as you start to create a higher income, I will recommend you create a business entity to keep the freelancing separated from your personal economy, and it’ll be much easier for your to invoice your clients as you can now add your business entity to your invoices.
On top of creating a business entity, you need to get a bank account as well for the business entity. In many countries, there are also benefits from having your freelancing separated, as you can then subtract all your expenses from your income before taxes.
With a bank account, you then lastly need to do bookkeeping. And luckily, today, there are hundreds of options for helping you do bookkeeping, simply find a bookkeeping tool you like, and then go with that. An example could be Xero.
2. Find your first client
You would think that the next step was to set up a profile, website or similar, but you don’t need this to get your first client, and you don’t have any content to add to your website.
If you’re starting as a first-time freelancer, and you don’t have any work, then I recommend you go straight to find your first client to get started with building your portfolio of work and get your name out there.
Now if you already have some work to show, you could think about building your portfolio first, but I don’t see it necessary as you can add your work to your proposal to your potential new client.
But how do you find your first client? – This one is always tough, but once you get over getting the first client, the ball will start rolling. There are multiple ways of doing this, and I’ll briefly discuss the different ones.
Sign up for a Freelance marketplace
This is the option I would do if I had to start all over with my freelance career. These platforms are filled with job opportunities where you can simply scroll through and apply to the jobs you find interesting.
Sign up for as many as possible, like Upwork, Freelancer.com and Worksome. Many of these are packed with freelancers but don’t worry, 90% of the freelancers use automated messages when they write clients, so you can stand out by personalising your proposal.
I recommend you start low on your hourly rate to get some interest from clients. Don’t start too low, as this will assume your quality of work is not where it should be. I will recommend you test out some rates and see what sticks.
I’m from Denmark, and I started with an hourly rate of around USD 25. I worked my way up from there. As soon as you have the first 3 clients, you can increase your hourly rate from there.
Reach out manually to a potential client
This one takes more work, but it shows initiative. If you’re a graphic designer, for instance, and you have a company for the eye you want to work with, look through their graphical content and see where they can improve. Note all these thoughts, and then shoot them an email where you simply introduce yourself, add some of your work and then elaborate on what they could improve.
Either they’ll thank you, but remember you for your suggestions. Otherwise, they’ll start consulting with you, and this could be your way into working with the company.
3. Set Up Your Online Portfolio
As you start to get some work done for your clients, you start to build a presence in the industry. It’s also time to set up a website and social media accounts.
To set up a website, I would recommend you simply start by using either Webflow or Framer. It’s a no-code way of building websites. You just drag and drop your website together. From start to publishing, you can spend an hour, and your first version is ready for your website.
Your website must show who you are and what you do. Show some previous client cases you’ve worked on and what you did for the client, and add a storyline where you talk about where you started and where you took the client. It would be even better to add a testimonial from that client. It builds trust and supports your client case.
With the website ready, you can now set up your social media accounts. 9/10 times you would use your personal social media accounts for your freelance as well, but if you want to separate it, create some accounts on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok where you can visually show your work.
4 Reflect On Your Freelance Work
The last step in this step-by-step guide is to reflect on your work, and this might be one of the most important steps after you’ve started freelancing.
It’s so important to stop occasionally, look back at your work and reflect. Ask yourself what you could’ve done better in the different situations and client work, and then set small goals. This doesn’t have to take more than 5 minutes weekly, but the output will give you those 5 minutes again thousands of times.
If you deliver outstanding work, then you’ll see the clients come to you and not you having to pursue new clients every time you stop a collaboration with a client. Word of mouth is huge in the freelance industry. As soon as you get recommended, you’re in the right place and doing the right things.
Conclusion
I can imagine it’s scary starting freelancing, and that’s why doing it on the side is the perfect way to start. You minimise the economic associated with starting freelancing, and you still get to pursue your dream.
In my experience, the most important thing is just that you’re transparent with your employer, family and friends about your new freelance side job, you avoid a lot of headaches by doing this, and you make your life easier as well.
Once you’ve decided to start, then find your first client and get started. You can figure out all the issues and elements along the way, such as creating a business entity, getting a bank account, setting up a portfolio website and the rest.
Lastly, remember to reflect on your work. This is the best way to improve yourself and your work. The better you are, the easier you make it for yourself and your clients, as they will start recommending you in their network.
FAQ
Is freelancing a good side job?
It’s a fantastic side job if you stay transparent about it. Both for your current employer, but also your clients. This will make everything smoother. As a bonus, starting freelancing as a side job minimises the economic risk.
Does freelance count as a job?
Of course, it does, but I think the definition of a job is a funny measure. Because what is defined as a job? Is it when something generates an income? Because then, most certainly freelancing counts as a job.
Can you freelance with a full-time job?
You absolutely can; just be transparent about it and be careful it doesn’t become stressful. A full-time job takes enough energy already, and adding a freelance job will add to the pile of work. So be smart about it, don’t take in too many clients, and stay transparent with your clients and employer.