Image credit: Efe Kurnaz on Unsplash Somewhere, early within my 24-year career, I vividly remember working as a sales rep and I told myself at the time of leaving the company that I will never again work for commission. I recall sitting behind my desk making cold calls to reach a target of 10 new business meetings per week to reach a specific sales target at the end of the month. I remember spending countless hours in traffic, driving to and from prospective client meetings, working after hours to get proposals drafted and submitted, and numerous follow up calls in attempts to close deals. The competition within the sales team was tough and not knowing what my exact income would be every month drove me to tears. Fast forward a couple of years and here I am, working as a freelancer in the competitive world of marketing having to do all those things I said I would never do again. Is it an easy way to earn an income? No! Is it rewarding? Yes! How to become a freelancer A freelancer is self-employed and hired to work for different companies on particular assignments. To be able to call yourself a professional freelancer, therefore, means that you have no other income than what you generate from your projects – you do not work for a boss and you don’t earn a fixed salary at the end of the month. Anyone in any industry can choose to become a freelancer. According to US firm Moonlighting , some of the most popular freelance skills include marketing, blockchain, writing and editing, graphic design, web design, photography, accounting and virtual admin assistance. Before you hand in your letter of resignation in pursuit of a freelance career there are a few things you need to do. In my view, the most important thing is that you need a good reputation. Start building a reputation and portfolio in your area of expertise before you quit your full-time job. If you are a bookkeeper at a corporate and you are considering a freelance career in accounting, start moonlighting by offering tax return services within your local community. This is something you can do after work to build your reputation and client base. I can also highly recommend that you join the South African Freelancers’ Association ( Safrea ). The organisation offers different types of membership based on your annual billable income. This means that if you work full-time and earn less than 60% of your income through freelancing, you can still obtain membership. What to expect from your freelance career So, you’ve quit your job and forthwith call yourself a freelancer. If you think you can now sit and binge-watch your favourite TV series during the day and do some tax returns for your new client base after dinner, you have a big surprise waiting. Taking a quick balcony moment between work. #freelance #freelancer #freelancelife pic.twitter.com/6qQIqWymhQ — Elliott Bledsoe (@elliottbledsoe) July 13, 2019 Yes, freelancing offers you […]
Click here to view original web page at www.bizcommunity.com
from Freelancing Buzz https://freelancingbuzz.com/freelancing-what-you-need-to-know/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=freelancing-what-you-need-to-know
via https://freelancingbuzz.com
No comments:
Post a Comment