Top 10 attributes of a successful freelancer:

Introduction: 

Many people think working as a freelancer is an easy job. But that’s not the case in freelancers’ lives. A successful freelancer takes all the burden of a client’s work on his back. He did not have the team to distribute the tasks to create flexible time. He has to manage his time and working hours by himself because the scenario is quite different when working from home rather than in a corporate office environment. 

Freelancing isn’t a 9 to 5 job to work on regularly, and there’s no hunting for a task in an office like freelancers do by showcasing their attributes online. Successful freelancers must sell their skills online with a creative portfolio or a good presentation to get their clients on board to get the tasks.

In brief, successful freelancer creates their path by themselves with their excellent attributes and skills. But to be a successful and motivated freelancer, there is a long journey to be discussed. Below, we study the top 10 points of being a successful freelancer.

1. Motivate your mindset to be successful:

Working from home alone needs a strong desire and courage because you have no one to look over your shoulder to guide you with your projects. First, you must train your mind that you are the only person who can do this project better than anyone else. Trusting your skills takes you one step closer to your desire to become a successful freelancer.

Second, you have to motivate your mindset by checking how much your client is offering you for this project because that’s the best way to guide yourself to be more successful by looking at the money you are making in less time than working long hours in an office.

2. Patience is essential in the life of a freelancer:

Freelancing is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you want to achieve your goals as a freelancer, you have to be patient. Many new freelancers quit freelancing initially because they weren’t getting any clients. In the end, they start getting frustrated and, as a result, leave their job.

The first three months are challenging for a new freelancer to land a job. You don’t find your future stable at the beginning of your career, but you find freelancing amusing once you complete your first project with dedication. Consistency is the only key to being a successful freelancer. If you have that, you can achieve anything in this industry.

3. A freelancer should renovate their skillset:

The world is continuously updating. It would help if you kept yourself updated as a freelancer by renovating your skills further. By that, we mean you should learn about your industry online with some new courses about your skills to know what things have changed in your skills.

Platforms like Udemy, Coursera, and Lynda provide a wide range of courses for freelancers to develop their skills further. Through these courses, you will learn more about new technologies, skills, and practical techniques to be more successful as a freelancer in the future.

If you are a good listener, a podcast is one of the most valuable options to outshine your skills. Many successful freelancers learn from online podcasts about their skills by listening to their mistakes and taking steps to be successful in their selected fields. Another way to improve your skills is to learn from your past projects.

That’s the best way to smooth your skills. Recheck your past projects and observe what mistakes you made in the past. After checking them, Write them down in your mind and work on them. Check your client’s feedback about your project and observe if they point out some mistakes or flaws, then improve them too. 

4. A successful freelancer creates a healthy work environment:

You’ll focus better if you have a personal workspace. A home office solves many of your problems and elevates your perspective on working in an adequate space. If you are not wealthy enough, setting up a workspace where you can operate is still essential.

For example, many freelancers prefer cafes and comfortable restaurant spaces to work on their projects. This keeps them motivated and gives the impression that they are working in a good office environment.

Aside from this, keep in mind that if you’re operating your job from home, you should teach your working hours and rules to your family and friends to avoid interaction during your working hours. That helps you set up a healthy environment for yourself.

5. Organize your time to be a successful freelancer:

First, you must create a working schedule that outlines how many hours you can give to your job. You don’t have to maintain the same plan as an office working from 9 to 5. As a freelancer, you can use your freedom by adding the time you spend on changing your clothes and similar other methods.

Note one thing in your mind that keeps your schedule sorted so that you have enough quality time to spend with your family and friends. If you keep running for more projects and overworking for money, that takes you to complete exhaustion and affects your mental health. Learn to say no to your clients. If your working hours are over or you are in your family zone, do politely say no to working further.

6. A successful freelancer is his boss:

After leaving your office job to pursue your freelance career, you must adapt to a new venture. One of the most complex adaptations for a new freelancer is to be their own master or boss. To work as a boss, you must set some boundaries and rules.

Once you follow them, you can proudly count yourself as your boss. You can begin your work by waking up early, just like during office hours. Eventually, you can also find a routine that works with your particular body clock. Still, the quicker (and more successful) your transition will be, the more you will resemble your previous work habits. Start getting rid of more complex projects first.

If you want to be a successful freelancer, complete challenging tasks first and save the easy ones for the end of your working hours. When you are completing your easy tasks, your mind also gets relaxed.

7. Be professionally accompanied as a freelancer:

Professional freelancers are continuously growing in every industry. You must be professionally accompanied if you want your name to be included in the list of successful freelancers. A good freelancer doesn’t seek or beg clients to sell their skills.

They have to send professional and well-written proposals to their clients to show their expertise in the related industry to get their attention. Don’t set your prices too high at the start of your freelancing career.

Compromise yourself first on low and adjust prices to attract clients’ attention. When you have completed enough relevant projects, set your expenses according to your services to better connect with your future clients.

8. Build a Strong communicative mind to be successful:

To be successful as a freelancer, you must build a solid communicative connection with your client. Scheduling daily meetings with your clients is the first step to creating communication standards. If you arrange daily meetings with your client, you understand their requirements more deeply and can provide your best.

Second, use a variety of mediums to communicate with your clients, such as video calls, messages, email, and phone calls, because every medium provides a bizarre amount of privileges in terms of communication.

9. A freelancer should show his worth digitally:

As the world becomes more digital, every business, work, and job posting is shifting to online platforms, where they are looking for hundreds of independent professional freelancers for their projects. However, due to the availability of thousands of good freelancers online, It’s hard to show your relevance online.

To show your worth to your future clients, many platforms offer creative portfolios for freelancers to showcase their skills appropriately. After building a good portfolio, you can use social media to present your portfolio and let them know about your business. Platforms such as LinkedIn, Upwork, and Fiverr are excellent for displaying your portfolio online.

10. A successful freelancer seeks his support:

Quitting a physical job or shutting down your business to pursue your career as a full-time freelancer can get you in a lot of trouble. At the beginning of your freelancing career, you face a lot of backlash from your family, friends, and society.

Taunts like Why did you choose to freelance? There is no future in freelancing and freelance jobs. You cannot earn good money through this job. In this type of backlash, you are the only person who can support you.

Conclusion:

Every profession and career has different morals and values to follow. It’s up to you to decide how to reach that level in that profession or trade. Freelancing isn’t an easy job, but with your dedication and hard work, you can make it look relatively easy. Try to follow all the attributes we discussed above so that one day, we can count you as one of those successful freelancers.