How to Start Freelancing With No Experience [A Beginner’s Guide]

By Ankit Main

The Internet has evolved in the last few years, and that many people want to make their startup or work online as freelancers and earn money from home.

The idea seems easy to follow and very simple, but is it really?

Without the right strategy and proper execution of the plan, it isn’t easy to emerge as a freelancer.

If you want to start from scratch, the freelancing career becomes more competitive and challenging.

You’ll notice that many freelancers having the same or better skills than yours are waiting for opportunities.

Only very few freelancers are getting thousands of bucks per month for similar freelancing skills.

Now, the choice is yours – whether you want to stand in the queue like other ordinary freelancers or become a better one and make a living from your skills.

The best thing is that the demand for freelancers is increasing.

In the USA, more than 34% population is working as a freelancing workforce or on a contract basis. It’s estimated that this would be 40% by 2020.

As a freelancer, you have various online jobs, including a freelance writer, a web developer, or a virtual assistant.

You can get freelance jobs from freelance marketplaces or job boards, or privately by referrals or word-of-mouth.

Here, I will discuss the opportunities to work as a freelancer and the places to get authentic freelance jobs to work from your home.

According to your skills, expertise, reputation, you will start earning a few dollars to several thousand dollars per project.

If you are seriously thinking about earning money from home, part-time, or full-time as a freelancer, then read the entire article to find your dream job.

Freelance Writing

Freelance writing is a popular job to do online sitting from home.

The students, homemakers, older people, or anyone who can write a well-researched and engaging article can work as a freelance writer.

Freelancer writers often get paid on time after completing the project. Still, I’ll not suggest everyone run after the freelance writing before understanding their core strengths.

If you are really interested in writing articles, blog posts, or any material, you should ask the following questions yourself.

  • Are you able to write 100% unique, plagiarism-free, and grammatically correct copies?
  • Have you followed expertise in the particular fields about which you want to write?
  • Are you aware of the market and competitors in your niche?
  • Could you fulfill your expectations from your writing job?

If you get Yes to every question, start working as a freelance writer.

Still, it will take considerable time to get a big income to match your expenses.

In most cases, people may start making a profit earlier than that, but it’s possible when you already know about freelance writing.

Logo Design

The logo is a symbol or identity mark for a specific brand.

Every business wants a unique and creative design for its brand identity or product range.

You can show your logo design skills and get paid for creating a professional logo.

Due to mass digitalization, many startups are going live, and they all require a professional logo.

If you have a creative mind and skillful hands, the job of designing a logo can pay you nicely.

Cross-sell and upsell can bring you more money from the same client.

It includes earlier delivery of gig, additional features like 3D modeling, unlimited revisions, and social media kit.

Graphics Designer

A graphics designer is a lucrative field to work as a freelancer.

If you have good experience working on popular graphics design software, such as Adobe Photoshop,  Illustrator, or Coral Draw, you have many opportunities in the graphic design niche.

One of my friends designs the banners and packaging material for a private client, having an hourly rate of $5-15 (depending on the job) and getting at least 8 hours of work daily (6-days a week).

With her basic Photoshop skills, she is making at least $1000 per month.

Isn’t it impressive?

You have a variety of jobs available in this section.

  • Creative image design
  • Photo retouching & editing
  • Infographics design
  • Sublimation products graphic design
  • Typography
  • Vectors and illustrations
  • Cover & banner design

Video Creator/Animator

If you have good knowledge of video creation or animation, you can make custom videos for clients.

Sometimes, you may get a job in video editing and modification.

Businesses and even individuals may request you to develop a custom video or animation for the YouTube promotion or other advertising campaigns.

The whiteboard & explainer videos, intros & outros, voice-over, sound mixing, and sound effects are other relevant gigs.

Web Developer

Internet usage is increasing rapidly, and at the same time, many websites and blogs are getting live on the internet every day.

Not all bloggers have a sound knowledge of web development, design & optimization. Moreover, only a few of them know the system-related stuff accurately.

Although many tutorials, videos, and articles are available on the internet, most people don’t have enough time or confidence.

So hiring a web developer is a better option here.

Many developers offer a combo package of website development, SEO services, customized design, performance and website speed optimization, web security, and maintenance.

$20 is a minimum hourly charge for any reputed freelancer working in web development.

Premium plans and combo packages may have different rates that vary with the developers and the market.

A freelance web developer can work on regular WordPress websites/blogs and e-commerce websites built using Drupal, Magneto, Shopify, or PrestaShop.

Excellent knowledge of programming languages can boost your career as a developer.

Other jobs include API developers, programmers, and software testers.

As a web developer, you can find freelance jobs on many online job marketplaces.

App Developer

Mobile users are increasing rapidly, so that most companies are trying to provide a better user experience for their customers.

Mobile apps offer an undiversified web surfing experience to users. That’s the reason behind the app development of all big tech giants.

You might have observed that all big companies, including Google, Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Quora, have dedicated apps.

Why they all invested a lot in their app development?

The reason is mentioned above.

These companies and small businesses also need to execute similar strategies to grab more mobile customers.

So when businesses want to develop their mobile apps, it’s a big opportunity to make a huge income for you.

If you have a creative mind and more than the required skills to develop the app as per the client’s requirements, you will earn good money.

It’s not an easy task to develop an iOS or Android app.

You’ll need good knowledge and experience in coding, designing, and marketing.

Initially, work for low-price projects or a try internship in a reputable app development company.

It allows you to learn from experienced professionals and build your portfolio at the same time.

Virtual Assistant

It’s another good career you can do from your home.

Working as a personal assistant to professionals and completing the allotted tasks is an average-paying job for homemakers, especially moms.

Scheduling meetings, talking to the clients on live chat or call, social media management are a few jobs as a virtual assistant.

Sales and Marketing Expert

Every business is willing to make a profit from its operations concerning lead or customers.

Is there anyone who doesn’t want ROI for his hard work?

Probably no!

Because when someone invests the money in a business and puts effort, he obviously wants a huge profit from it.

Manufacturing or developing products don’t make money until they are sold.

Therefore, businesses need sales and marketing experts who know how to make a sale and keep the cycle running.

People with significant knowledge of market trends, business background, advertising campaigns, SEM & SMM have great opportunities to work as a sales and marketing professional or consultant.

These are a few examples of freelance work you can avail of depending on your skills & expertise.

The freelance gigs may seem attractive to give exposure to your professional skills. Still, there is a need to focus on some points before starting freelancing.

The basic principles of freelancing are vital to boost your career and get maximum income through it.

Right from starting as a fresher to a successful professional, there are many steps you have to look at.

Here is a simple list of measures involved in becoming a successful freelancer.

How to Start Freelancing With No Experience

1. Be Realistic & Prepare Yourself

It is the first and most crucial point to keep in mind as a freelancer.

When you think about starting freelance work, ask yourself whether you can give justice to your selected career.

You should get the required educational qualifications, skills, experience, and deep knowledge in the niche you will start.

Suppose,

You travel many countries frequently and want to start working as a freelance writer; it is an obvious decision.

But, if you don’t have copywriting skills, you should get these skills first.

For example, the basics of freelance writing are zero spelling & grammatical mistakes, original copy with zero plagiarism, consistent tone of voice.

Get the required skills and master them before you start taking freelance projects.

Invest in learning complementary skills and in improving your current ones.

And, most important thing – practice, practice, practice!

Because practice makes man perfect (and woman too)!

Lastly, believe in yourself.

Never boast about yourself nor criticize too much.

Be realistic and not emotional.

No one is born perfect.

You can get proficiency in any work by dedicating efforts in the right direction.

2. Define Your Strengths

Once you manage your emotions opposite your skills and prepare yourself, the next thing is to identify your strong zones.

It’s necessary because you can test your skills based on your expertise, interest, and knowledge. It’s better to research the market before starting.

To define your strong zones, start listing the topics with the market demands and your interest.

If the topic is from your domain or you have already mastered it, then that’s beneficial for you in many aspects.

It’s not useful to be a jack of all trades but master of none. It won’t help you in the freelance market.

Don’t go for the topics only for money. If you fail to deliver the expected results, the client may leave a nasty review which will harm your reputation.

3. Market Research

It becomes very difficult to decide how to start freelancing with no experience.

You have to study the market trends so that you can leverage the market opportunities.

Find portfolios of niche experts and experienced freelancers, which you can use as a reference for your work.

There is only a need for creative thinking, and you will get thousands of ideas for the presentation of your job.

Make a collection of freelance work samples in your niche that you can use to create your portfolio.

4. Build Your Portfolio

Now, it’s time to showcase your skills.

Your resume or portfolio is the best way to tell people about yourself and your capabilities.

If you try to find jobs without creating your own sample workpieces or portfolio, hardly anyone will trust you.

The chances of getting work will be minimum in this case.

Creating a blog and mentioning your service there is the best and easy way to find more clients.

You can post your sample work on your blog or write about your niche to showcase your knowledge.

If you have already worked for a few clients, ask them to leave positive reviews and recommendations or testimonials to boost your reputation.

5. Find The Opportunities and Start Working

It’s the actual step where you get involved in working with a client.

It would be best if you found the opportunities relevant to your skills. It’s important to focus only on a particular niche to become an authority.

Find the jobs at trusted freelance marketplaces or from networks or referrals of trusted clients.

Job boards are better than personal requesters at the initial phase due to the reliability of payment and maximum chances of work offers.

Start working on a small project and gradually walk towards the bigger one.

Give your best to attract maximum bids and make them your repeated customers.

Here’s a list of freelance marketplaces to get the work for you.

While working as a freelancer, follow the guideline below to protect yourself from freelance work scams.

Important Tips for Starting  A Freelancing Business

  1. Try to work only with reputed clients and trusted freelance marketplaces. Before submitting your work, check reviews about the same person or company on the web.
  2. Follow the customer’s instructions and craft your work in that way. Work to give more than customer satisfaction.
  3. Be punctual & keep professional tone throughout your job. Always complete the work on time. Creating a schedule and following work calendar is a good habit that you should build in yourself.
  4. Don’t show your expertise only, find what the client wants to get from that particular gig. Contact the requester to know more about the project. It will not only make your work better but build a relationship with him.
  5. Try to work only on freelance marketplace due to significant chances of scams. If you are working outside, then ask your clients to deposit 30-50% upfront.
  6. Be aware of sample work scams and never work free for anyone, if you have confidence in your abilities. Give the discounts for bulk orders but don’t let scammers take advantage of yours. Learn to say ‘No’ and don’t show your client that you are needy.
  7. Be precise and careful on financial terms. Study the market rates and set minimum acceptable standards. Decide your charges whether they are hourly or for the entire project depending on your speed of work, skills competency, project value, your expenses, etc. Learn to negotiate the rates.

6. Promote Your Skills and Portfolio

It’s a common term now. Apart from your portfolio and other promotion techniques mentioned above, work hard on marketing your freelance work.

As I said above, creating a blog is the best way to sell yourself. Guest posting and being a social dominator are also good options to promote your work.

Still, consider advertising your business, search engine marketing, networking, and offline promotion to get a continuous workflow.

Remember, your words are your weapon, but other’s words are your bread & butter. Word-of-mouth is best among all promotion strategies because it’s a byproduct of the trust and healthy relationship between you and your clients.

Furthermore, ask your customers for referrals. Simply tell them your calendar has a few empty slots if they have any additional work or reference for you on similar work. Don’t afraid of asking it or being shy.

7. Scale Your Business

Last but not the least, scale your business once you start getting enough exposure.

Build a team or network to work for you and leverage other’s efforts.

Being more professional and getting a business address are a few things to consider after finding a breakthrough.

Don’t forget to raise your rates after 2-3 months.

Summary

In this article, I have tried to discuss a few opportunities and the necessary things to become a successful freelancer.

I hope the above step-by-step guide will help you decide on your freelancing career and tell you the opportunities available.

There are many other freelance jobs, marketplaces, and tips to become a successful freelancer, but if you like this one, don’t forget to share it with your friend.

If you have any queries or want to add some points to this article, let me know via the comment box below.

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