Freelancing is one of the best way to make money online. Most of the people don’t know the actual meaning of freelancing.
When you can work from any where without a particular office or desk that called freelancing. If someone do this kind of works he/she is a freelancer. In this article I will share you the initial freelancing guide and toolkit for beginners. If you’re really serious and interest to build a good career in this filed then should read this tips carefully.
As a freelancer I’ve got that opportunity to work with many clients from different country. Although, I’m living in a small country of the world which named Bangladesh. But, I really feel proud to be a Bangladeshi.
You guy may be thinking why I’m talking about my country, actually you don’t know how much difficult to make money online from this kind of country. We’ve huge lack of digital equipment’s and opportunity. But still many people doing good just because of freelance market. With a little skill and equipment we can start making money online with freelancing. So, no matter where are you living because it’s freelancing!
Recommended: 9 Best Ways to Make Money at Home
I write this article about freelancing guide not only for a Bangladeshi but also for those guys who’re going to start freelancing career. To freelance efficiently and productively, you must need the right tools and tips. I hope after reading this tutorial you will be able to understand that what kind of toolkit you may need to work as a freelancer.
The Beginner’s Guide to Freelancing
Some of my blog readers and followers keep asking me that how they can start outsourcing and what they need in primary level. You guys will rock after reading this article!
What kind of tools you may need for freelance works that will depends on your skills and field of expertise, but in primary level of freelancing these are the best tools that should be in your freelancing toolkit list:
Learn More and Be Skilled
As I said it’s an initial freelancing guide so that’s why trying to write something about it. But you know with a single article no one can give you ultimate guide of freelancing or outsourcing. Freelancing is a thing with full of work fields. And freelance market is a place where thousands of skilled guys are already working so you will have to compete with them.
So, you should be skilled in any field of freelance jobs. i.e web design, graphic design, SEO, online marketing, business consulting, data entry etc. Without having strong skill you can’t shine in freelance market. There are so many company or person who are giving courses on that specific freelance work fields. You can take a course and gather advance freelancing knowledge (it may few costly).
Don’t worry, still there is a way to learn freelancing without spending money. You can search on Google to find free courses and see YouTube videos to learn more about freelancing. I think in this digital age Google is one of the biggest teacher for all of us. Within short time you can learn so many things without a single penny.
A Computer (Desktop or Laptop)
Computer is one of the must thing to do freelancing because. Whatever may be your field of expertise, you need a good computer to do freelance work, it may be desktop or laptop. If you’ve been using a worn out home PC for months (or even years) already, consider upgrading it to a faster and stronger computer with other related things like headphone, air cooler, webcam etc.
If you want to buy a good computer from online then check this out to find a good computer within your budget and requirements.
Strong and Fast Internet Connection
You know freelancing is online work. So without a good internet connection you can’t be live on web. I can’t express that how important is to have a stable and fast internet connection for a freelancer. This is your key line of communication with your clients, so it must be ready anytime you need to go online and freelance.
Good Workplace
It’s really important to have a good workplace. It’s place where all things related to your freelance business will be managed. With a comfortable chair, a wide table, and the necessary equipment, you can build a great office in the comforts of your home.
Read Skill Development Blog & Books
A blog or book is just not with few content or text, it’s a good person who will let you run on right way. Freelance writers are to writing courses as freelance designers are to books on HTML5, CSS, PHP and the like. Advance skill development is always good for freelancers, so keep a few good skill development and tutorial blog, books nearby to read and learn from whenever you have free time.
I’ve posted so many tutorial and skill development articles in my blog. Stay and dig more here, you may found many useful articles like this: 10 Easy Ways To Improve Spoken English Skills.
Latest Software’s Idea
Without knowing trending things you can’t stay more on freelance or online market. You should be aware about what’s going around world and which are trending. Also to go with your new computer are the latest software needed for freelance work. Office Suite, developer tools, Notepad++, and the like are some good examples of what to download and install as soon as you have your home office and computer installed. Don’t forget other third-party apps as well what you prepare more to use.
Mobile Equipment
Mobile is an important equipment for us whatever you’re freelancer or not. You can never tell when life will take you away from your freelance business, so it’s always good to have a mobile phone with access to 3G or Wi-Fi connections, or a tablet like the iPad or the Galaxy Tab for better surfing and email. Don’t forget to keep a charger and strong power bank.
Portfolio / Personal Website
Having a good portfolio website is really good is you bear the cost for it. I don’t recommend it for beginners but if you can do then make a personal website. A freelancer website consists of a web hosting service, very own domain name, and the website itself. This is your online presence, the storefront where clients will have a look and see if you have the services they need.
If you’re just beginner then skip this step. But if you can do this then will be good to get more works.
Others Office Equipment’s
It’s up to you which other things you want to keep in your desk or office, but as a freelance web designer I’d like to keep office supplies ready for me to use. A whiteboard, a laser jet printer, marker pens, bond paper, and the like are a necessity for my freelance business.
Be More Social and Friendly
As I always say one thing that is “Be more social and friendly”. It’s really important to have a good social network and more professionals in my friend list. Sometime I’ve got any issue i ask them to get quick solution and then i can take suggestions from them. And also someone can frequently ask me about their problems.
Budgeting Tips for Freelancers:
Here’s the list of some items which may be a bit expensive for you, so I’m sharing a few budgeting tips that I follow and also may helpful to you when building your freelance career:
Ignore Instant Buying
Don’t try to buy anything instantly because it will take regular price from you. When buying technology, for example, wait a while till there is a promo, a bundle, or a discount coupon that you can use to get it at a cheaper price. For apps, I’d usually wait till developers drop their prices before buying.
Special Occasions / Festivals
You can keep your eyes for some especial festivals like company anniversaries, Christmas, New Year, and other holidays. Discounts and promos for the products you want are usually being held whenever these events are just around the corner.
Borrow from Friends
This tip especially applies for books and other materials that you can easily borrow from a friend or fellow freelancer. If you’ve a good social network or relationship with other freelancers or friends then easily borrow something you need. But make sure to return them in good condition.
Conclusion
At the start of this freelancing guide I said few things about myself, it’s not something like self-branding. Whether I’m not the related person what I’m talking about then you guys will never be confident on it. When you will know that I’m a freelancer then will give more value to this writing. By the way, most of the people still confused about to star their freelancing works. I strongly suggest you to be skilled in a specific filed of freelancing then just go ahead. I wish you to be a successful freelancer.
Please share this article with social friends because it will encourage me to write another guide for you. Don’t hesitate to ask me anything about outsourcing or all about related with freelancing.