your 5 point checklist to becoming a successful freelancer

Action
Plan
1.
YOUR 5 POINT
CHECKLIST TO
BECOMING A
SUCCESSFUL
FREELANCER
1. CONTACT EVERYONE YOU HAVE EVER KNOWN
In your initial outreach email include:
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What you are freelancing in
When you can start taking on work
How best to contact you
Links to previous work
These are all the steps you need to
take before you quit your job to go
fully freelance. Looking for some
more advice? Why not send an
email to Annie, our student advisor
at [email protected].
Don’t forget to ask all of these people to pass your email on to ANYONE
who might be interested. Just asking people to share these things along
can make a huge difference and spreads your net even wider.
2. BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND
This means getting a name for yourself on the internet, so that when
people Google you they get a clear image of your what you as a
professional have to offer.
• Set yourself up on LinkedIn, fill out your profile in AS MUCH detail
as possible.
• Revamp your Facebook page to include your professional credentials,
and join lots of groups specific to your area of expertise.
• Start following influencers on Twitter, and ask them questions.
• Fill out your details on Meetup and Google+.
• Start asking and answering questions on Quora.
• Start a blog describing your experiences as a freelancer.
3. WRITE A PLAN OF ACTION
• For every day between deciding to go freelance and the day you
quit your job you need to have a goal. That could be contacting a
certain number of people that day, or filling out a profile on a
freelancer’s website.
• Think about charting the results of your success in your blog post.
• Write a few longterm goals and pin them on your wall to keep you
focused on the bigger picture.
4.RESEARCH YOUR COMPETITION
• Research your competitor’s niches, locations and rates.
• Try to befriend your competitors, they can be a great source of
information and support
• Make a note of what niches they don’t cover, these are gaps that you
could fill
5. FIND A MENTOR
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Utilize your networks
Approach a former boss or colleague you admire
Think about what you can do for them
Show them how much you are committed to this field, and you may
find your first jobs coming your way!
Do you have anything to add to
our checklist? We’d love to hear
how your freelance journey is
going, so let us know in the
comments below the article!