1Set Your Mind for Success

Successful freelancing requires a degree of self confidence in yourself and your ability to create success on your own level instead of on someone else’s terms. When you think about it, most people work a regular job and wait for others to determine when they are worthy of a promotion. As a freelancer you have the power to create your own success and on your own terms.

To some people, relying on themselves to create success is a scary thing so they place the decision in the hands of another. You have to believe that you can create success for yourself, create a plan, and then go for it. And don’t quit just because you hit some roadblocks as these are part of the journey.

2Planning for Success

Sit down and create your goals and objectives for success. Where do you want to be a week from now, a month from now, next year, and in five years? If you do not have a mission and a vision it is like trying to navigate the high seas without a compass. You will lose your way.

Your goals should be set in steps so they are measurable and so you can track your progress. Also, for each tool you use for promoting yourself set specific goals for how you are going to use each tool as well. For example, if you are going to promote yourself through Twitter or LinkedIn, set specific goals for each of those tools as well as a vision for what you want the outcome to be from your efforts.

Decide on the income you want to achieve and how you are going to get there. For example, a lot of freelancers set a goal for getting so many clients per month in addition to their repeat clients. In addition to servicing clients many freelancers have passive streams of income such as running a money making website, creating and selling information products, affiliate marketing, and many other sources of passive income streams. You have to set goals for multiple streams of income to ensure you achieve the income you desire and so you can take a break without sacrificing income.

3Generating Business

If you are good at what you do you will find that once you start the ball rolling it works just like a snowball rolling down a hill...it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Not only will clients return to do business with you, word of mouth travels fast as well as word from your marketing efforts. If you produce quality work sometimes you will get so overloaded that you don’t know how you are going to get everything accomplished which is a good problem to have in freelancing.

One of the most powerful marketing methods is being easy to work with. If your clients feel comfortable expressing what they want they will return to do business with you. On the other hand, if you get bent out of shape the minute they ask for some changes this hurts your freelancing business more than helping it. Remember that every client is an individual with different preferences and needs and it is simply a matter of getting to know what those are when you are working with a new client. It has nothing to do with you so don’t take it personally.

Also, if you are freelancing as a hobby it will be difficult to generate business over the long term. In your mind you see it as a hobby and then you tend to treat it that way. This can be frustrating for some clients who are trying to get some goals accomplished. If you want to generate business you have to take it seriously and be in it for the long haul.

4Take a Sincere Interest in the Project

Work on projects that you enjoy and present you with a challenge. If you enjoy what you are doing you will produce quality work. If you are simply in it for the money and really do not enjoy the project, then don’t take it on because it will reflect on your work. Remember that you chose freelancing to live a higher quality of life and to enjoy what you do. If you hate the work then you are better off returning to the 9 to 5 grind because you are affecting too many people and too many projects.

5Fire High Maintenance Clients

If you have a few clients which are high maintenance and paying you cheaply then it is best to fire them so you can give your time to the clients that appreciate you. You will occasionally get clients that expect the world and keep asking for more but do not want to pay the price for quality. If you are a successful freelancer this drains your time and energy away from quality clients so it is more worth your while and your time to fire these clients. This leaves you the energy and the time to focus on your repeat clients and other clients who appreciate what you do.

6Specialize in a Niche

Although you may be talented in many different areas specialize in a niche. Most people prefer someone who is focused on a particular skill than a “jack of all trades and master of none.” Choose a specific skill set and then build your business on this niche. If you want to branch out later you can once you get a handle on running a full-time freelancing business.

There are many tips you can find to become a successful freelancer; however, the most important ones are to take it seriously, be easy to work with and flexible, and to focus on a specific skill set.