12th January 2012

Finding Inspiration: Starting a freelance career

It’s not a surprise that in a down economy, more and more creative professionals make their money working on a freelance basis. This fact has been well-documented. For nearly as long as I’ve had a full time job, I’ve also had freelance clients on the side to help me pay bills and build the funds to do things like buy my first house.

The big question people ask me is: how do you start freelancing?

1. Portfolio, my friends: Having a portfolio is going to be the best insurance policy you ever created for your career. Be studious and vigilant about what goes in, what works together, what shows your range and what highlights your strengths. If your portfolio is weak in some areas, then start volunteering to help your family and friends with small projects to fill it out. There’s more great stuff on portfolios on the web here.

2. Create a biz card: This sounds so simple, but having a business card that is entirely focused on the work that you do is an easy thing to do to get the word out. Have fun with it, be bold and be simple about your expertise. Hand them out to everyone you know. Your family, your friends, your old colleagues and the guy you met at the laundromat. If they’re memorable, people will remember you.

3. Ask for referrals: Don’t be afraid to ask your clients to refer you to others that they know who need freelancers or contract workers. If a client is happy with your work and you’ve always done good by them, then they should be doing this anyway. However, your clients don’t always know how much work you have on your plate and telling them that you would like more work can even result in their company sending more billable hours your way.

Need inspiration for something? Send us your biggest inspiration pitfalls to [email protected] and we’ll try to help.