How to Start Freelancing With No Experience

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Are you looking to start a side hustle this year for some extra income? Or maybe you want to start a freelancing business and quit your corporate job.

Whatever the case is, freelancing has so many benefits that normal people can take advantage of and live a better life doing more of the things they love.

However, getting started freelancing with no experience can be difficult and frustrating if you aren’t able to prove your skills to potential clients. So many people try freelancing and then end up quitting in a few weeks if they can’t get any paying clients. 

This article will explain what freelancing is, the benefits of freelancing, and how to start freelancing with no experience as a side hustle or as a way to quit your corporate job.

What is freelancing?

Before you learn how to start freelancing, you should have a comprehensive understanding of what freelancing is and why it’s such a great path to financial freedom and location independence.

Freelancing is one of the best ways that you can become self-employed by acting as an independent contractor for clients from around the world. 

Freelancers enjoy plenty of benefits. However, some of the downsides of freelancing may make you want to continue working a corporate job with a stable income, health benefits, and generous employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Why freelancing?

One of the best parts about freelancing is that you have the freedom to choose how much time you put into your freelancing business. You can choose to be a part-time freelancer making some extra money on the side, or you can pursue a career as a freelancer who supports themselves from their freelancing business.

While the competition among freelancers can be fierce, that shouldn’t deter you from becoming a freelancer this year. Plenty of freelancers started on freelancing websites during the early days of COVID and are now clearing six figures with their freelancing business.

Low barriers to entry also mean that the market is starting to become saturated with low-quality freelancers. If you want to start freelancing with no experience, you’ll need to find a way to differentiate yourself from all the other freelancers that offer the same services.

This often means charging under market rate for your services when you’re just starting out. It’s the best way to get your feet wet working with real clients for real money. 

Freelancing niches

There are so many different things you can do as a freelancer and so many different fields you can break into.

Some of the most popular freelancing niches include:

• Freelance writing

• Search engine optimization (SEO)

• Digital marketing

• Social media management

• Video production

• Music and audio

• Consulting

• Graphic design & logos

• Software engineering

As you can see, regardless of your skill set, there is a lot of money to be made in many different freelancing niches. For me, I chose freelance writing due to the low barriers to entry and the fact that I’ve always considered myself to be a good writer. I found that starting a copywriting agency was the easiest way for me to get started as a freelancer.

When trying to determine which skills you should offer as a freelancer, the best way to do so is to take a look at what you’re already good at. Most people tend to believe they are decent writers, which makes freelance writing a popular option for beginners with no experience. 

However, plenty of the other freelancing options are viable paths toward a successful career in freelancing.

Why you should consider freelancing

Even if you’re not looking to quit your corporate job with freelancing, what if I told you that you could make an extra $3,000 per month as a freelancer?

Some freelancers like Carrie Blogger work about 10-20 hours per week freelancing and can support themselves by charging their client's high rates for their time. Carrie routinely makes well over six figures as a freelance writer using Fiverr.

Pros of freelancing

In addition to a great work-life balance, freelancing offers the following benefits.

Unlimited earning potential

As a freelancer, there is no cap on how much money you can make. Since freelancers aren’t bound by a yearly salary, the more they work means the more they get paid. 

This is something that traditional jobs don’t have and is why many people get into freelancing. Some of the top freelancers can charge over $100 per hour for their services which can start to add up for freelancers that put in the work and are serious about making freelancing an actual business.

Location independence 

Freelancers aren’t tied down to an office and can often work anywhere they want. Some freelancers have decided to become “digital nomads,” which is a subculture of people who work remote jobs and often travel the world alone or with other digital nomads.

In places like Colombia and Costa Rica, you can meet other digital nomads that are on a similar path and who value location independence.

Schedule flexibility

Whether you’re most productive in the early morning, during the day, or late at night, freelancers can choose when they want to work and don’t usually follow a typical 9 to 5 schedule like corporate jobs. 

Freelancers can do simple tasks like going to the grocery store, cleaning the house, or mowing the lawn at any time of day and don’t need to worry about punching the time clock.

Unleashing your creativity

Some freelancing professions allow you to unleash your inner creativity since you’ll be coming up with new ideas and designs each day. Social media freelancers often create graphics for social media accounts that are visually stunning and creative in nature. For those who value self-expression and creativity, freelancing is a great option.

There is no one to answer to

Aside from the clients that you work with, you don’t have anyone to answer to and you’re able to manage yourself without having to worry about a boss or subordinates. The only person you need to worry about is yourself and making sure that your clients are happy with your work.

Learning new skills

The last benefit we’ll discuss is the ability to learn new skills as a freelancer. After you get your freelancing career off the ground, there will be plenty of opportunities to learn new skills which allow you to charge more for your services and acquire more clients in different verticals.

Cons of freelancing

Freelancing is a great option for people who want some extra income or who want to quit their jobs and start working for themselves. However, freelancing does have some downsides that you need to consider before starting a freelancing business.

Difficulty acquiring clients

Regardless of which channel you use to acquire your first few clients, new freelancers without any experience may find that it’s very difficult to get their freelance business off the ground. With so many other people also trying to break into the freelancing world, the competition is fierce and may be challenging for new freelancers.

Low pay in the beginning

Regardless of your field, freelancers with no experience are going to have to charge less for their services than established freelancers. Even if you normally work for $40 per hour at your normal job, you may need to swallow your pride and charge much less for your freelancing services when you’re just starting out.

Dealing with bad clients

If you make freelancing your career or next side hustle, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter clients who aren’t the best people to work with. They may have unrealistic expectations about how long your work takes to complete and the effectiveness of your skills. New freelancers with no experience need to prepare to deal with bad clients who are irrational and unpleasant to work with.

Freelancing can be a lonely road

Without anyone to answer to or other coworkers to chat with throughout the day, freelancing can be a lonely road that not many other people can relate to. If you’re like me, most of your friends and family members may work traditional jobs and don’t care about your freelancing business.

Zero job security

Unless you sign a contract with your clients guaranteeing several months of work, freelancing often doesn’t have much job security. Your client’s budget may change or they may simply not be happy with your services. Unless specified in a valid contract, your clients aren’t required to provide you with advanced notice that they want to cancel your services.

No traditional benefits of a corporate job

Corporate jobs often give their employees the option of employer-sponsored health insurance and retirement plans like a 401(k). If you embark on a full-time freelancing career, you’ll be required to pay for private health insurance and contribute to your retirement accounts on your own. This is why many people choose to work as a freelancer in addition to their traditional job which provides these essential benefits.

Acquiring your first few clients

Now that you know what the pros and cons of freelancing are, it’s time to get started and acquire your first few clients. This is where most freelancers with no experience struggle the most.

While there is no magical formula to acquiring your first few clients, there are several ways that have been proven to give you the best chance at finding success as a new freelancer with no experience.

Freelancing platforms

One of the easiest ways to get your feet wet with freelancing is to get started on freelancing platforms. These platforms are typically free to sign up for and anyone can do it. There aren’t any special certifications needed to become a freelancer in most fields.

Fiverr

Fiverr is one of the most popular freelancing platforms for beginners since you can get started in about 20 minutes and start acquiring clients on autopilot.

Fiverr doesn’t require freelancers to actively submit proposals or do any outbound marketing. Their algorithm filters freelancers and gives everyone a chance to get discovered by people in their industry looking for their services.

Because Fiverr is so popular, the competition couldn’t be much higher. Freelancers with no experience should expect their first few months on the platform to be very slow without many orders. I only made $160 in my first month of freelancing and started to get discouraged when I didn’t see my six-figure dreams start to come to fruition right away. 

Sign Up for Fiverr

Freelancer.com

Another popular freelancing website is Freelancer.com. They have millions of people on their platform actively hiring freelancers and high-quality freelancers looking for work. 

While Freelancer.com is well-known in the world of freelancing, online reviews point toward customers complaining about scammers on the platform. However, their fees are typically better than other freelancing platforms and may be more attractive to new freelancers.

Upwork

Upwork is the final freelancing platform that you may choose to get your first few clients. Upwork requires freelancers to actively apply to jobs and compete against sometimes dozens of other freelancers for many low-paying jobs. 

Without any reviews or testimonials on your Upwork profile, you may find that this is one of the most difficult platforms to make a lot of money on.

Cold email

Cold email is still one of the best ways to get in front of the decision-makers at companies you want to work with as a freelancer. You can use automation tools to send out hundreds of emails each day to targeted clients who have a high chance of being interested in your services.

While cold email can be very effective at contacting the right people, there are many regulations you need to be aware of before sending out unsolicited emails.

For example, you’ll need to include an “unsubscribe” button that gives users the ability to opt out of receiving emails from you. Failing to do this can result in hefty fines.

Check out my review of Email10k, which is one of the best cold email courses that beginner freelancers can use to get their first few clients through cold email.

Social media

Posting on social media and making people aware that you’re a freelancer is one of the best ways to acquire your first few clients. People in your personal network are more likely to give you a shot at proving your skills as a freelancer.

You may want to consider working for free or at a reduced rate for people in your personal network to get your foot in the door. Once you prove your skills, you can start charging more for your services.

Creating a freelancing portfolio

If you want to learn how to start freelancing with no experience, you’ll need to create a freelancing portfolio that shows some of your past work for potential clients to look at. 

In fields like freelance writing, video production, and graphic design, you’ll need an extensive portfolio if you hope to compete against all the other freelancers in the field. 

A freelancing portfolio shows potential clients you have the skills needed to meet their expectations and get results. 

But how do you build a freelance portfolio without any past experience?

You’ll most likely need to start by practicing your skills on your own without getting paid by a client. For example, freelance writers can start by writing a few articles on different topics as the first few examples in their freelance portfolios. 

Graphic designers can start by creating a few logos or infographics, while video producers can start by shooting and editing new videos, and so on. Whatever your niche, you’ll need to build your portfolio to show clients that you are an expert and that you’re experienced in your field.

The bottom line

Those that want to learn how to start freelancing with no experience should expect to put in lots of work to get their business off the ground. We highly recommend working a normal job with regular income while building your freelancing business and making a name for yourself.

I was able to quit my corporate job 6 months after I started my freelancing business, which means it’s still possible to quit your job and get started freelancing this year. 

As a new freelancer with no experience, you’ll also need to take advantage of the best tools that professional freelancers use if you want to make it in this industry. These tools help by automating your workflows and allow you to work more efficiently to get the best results for your clients.

For more information on how to get started as a freelancer, visit our website or send us an email at info@interphasemkt.com to get started!

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