Forget your fears and open new horizons!

For those who are not afraid to take risks and walk towards their desires, the article will tell you how to become a freelancer from scratch and what stages you have to go through to start getting the first results.

Where to start your journey? Always the hardest thing to do is take the first step, target the start of some action. Therefore, first you need to mentally tune in, catch the right wave. Having decided to become a freelancer, you should start with the simplest, namely:

1. Prepare computer and internet access. This is not only the main tool of a freelancer, but also a workplace. You need to clearly remember that the computer is now your work, that is, when you turn it on, you are already at the workplace, and when you turn it off, you leave work.
2. Get electronic wallets for which payment will be made in the future. This is one of the motivations for work. Agree, the idea that a certain amount of money will soon be credited to it encourages action.

Preparation of instant messengers and social networks

For reference! It is quite logical that for work you will need all kinds of ways to communicate with the customer: email, phone, skype, social network page, WhatsApp, Telegram. The more of them, the better, so that the client is comfortable.

When working remotely, you must follow the same rules as when interviewing offline. Names and the profile itself, nicknames must be official, presentable. There is no need to be creative in this case.

The name must be your real name. Also follows take a quality photo on which you look well-groomed and business-like. This also applies to pages on social networks. Necessary wisely approach the placement of photos and other information.

If the employer visits this page, then he should have an extremely positive opinion about you. Therefore, every detail matters, creating a certain image for you.

Choosing a profession

Of course, it's great if you initially know what you will be doing as a freelancer. However, most often this question is extremely difficult and what to start from scratch is usually not clear. This one can help list of popular and in-demand professions which can be understood even without education:

Self-study or online courses for a quick start

The hardest thing about becoming a freelancer is choosing a profession. If the choice is made, then the next step will be self-development. You need to learn as much as possible about the chosen direction, read, listen, watch various sources. This will be the beginning of your professional growth.

Most often, such training is paid. However, it is worth noting that business always requires investment. You are a so-called business project in which you need to invest in order to develop and grow further. In this case, the choice is always yours.

Self-study, although free, requires more effort, effort and time. It is important to plan it effectively, as your earnings will depend on it in the future.

We create a portfolio

Most people before buying anything first read reviews and only then make a choice. Before we go to see a certain film in the cinema, we read the opinions of others about it.

Before choosing a manicure master, the girl first looks at his work. To order a bouquet for a gift, first look at the florist's catalog. Reviews save time and money and make life easier.

This rule also applies to performers. The customer wants to find a professional, and therefore, looks at the completed work of a potential candidate. Therefore, for a successful career, it is extremely important to create a portfolio that will showcase your work and testimonials from satisfied employers.

Note! To create it, you will have to work for free, or at least for a nominal fee. It is worth notifying your friends and acquaintances about your lesson. Most likely, one of them will need your services.

You can also place an ad with a detailed description on your page from a social network, for example, the now popular Instagram. So there is an opportunity to reach a larger audience.

Examples of quality work performed will only benefit and will help to find more customers, it is easier to build relationships with them. With experience, self-confidence will grow. In addition, competence will increase self-esteem, and bring pleasant sensations. All initial fears will go away. The main thing is not to stop.

Where to look for a freelance job?

Aspiring flangers can find work freelance marketplaces. To do this, you need to register and search for a suitable order.

Their cost is usually small, so do not expect that you will earn a lot of money right away.

Opportunities increase if you perceive the exchange as a platform where you can find regular customers.

It is possible to start with small cheap tasks for 100-200 rubles. Employers are often looking for responsible performers for more voluminous work.

Also, do not be afraid of difficult tasks. Often this uncertainty says that they are difficult, but in fact it is quite feasible. In any case, it is impossible to know if you do not try. Obstacles must be overcome, to fight with yourself. Only then can you move to the next level.

Where else can a newbie find a job?

Exchanges are not the only source of remote earnings. You can earn income on the Internet from any website, blog or Internet project. The main thing is to be able to prove yourself. Job search methods can also be as follows:

Monitor your reputation

Important! Reputation should be your first rule. It is important to achieve its perfection. Many freelancers believe that it is not at all necessary to complete the task on time, or that it is even possible to change your mind about doing it. However, this is a huge misconception. This behavior is unlikely to make you a successful freelancer.

If a certain deadline is set, then it must be observed. It is very important. Not only the quality of the work itself, but also its timely delivery plays a big role.

Based on this, a reputation is formed, thanks to which in the future you will no longer have to look for customers, they will contact you themselves. Responsible and competent professionals are highly valued.

Useful video

In the video you will see a story about how to become a freelancer without experience in a particular profession:

To work remotely, freelancers do not need to have a special education at all. Anyone can be successful in this business. The main thing is to remember some important points:

• The desire to move forward, to develop, as well as a decisive attitude are already half the success. You need to believe in yourself and everything will work out.
• First you need to learn a little theory, then to effectively apply it in practice, along with diligence and purposefulness.

Thus, if you do not take risks, then it is unlikely that you will be able to achieve any results. No need to be afraid, it is important to go forward to success, try, experiment. At the same time, it is necessary to remember about formality when compiling profiles, responsibility and discipline when performing tasks.

These are the components of the reputation, which in the future will become your calling card and will allow you to attract more customers.

As you know, the beginning is always the most difficult in any business. Many people really need to see at least a minimal result already at the beginning of their undertaking. If there is no success, despondency sets in and the case is abandoned. In order to guarantee a successful start as a freelancer and earn money, it is important to choose the right direction.

The easiest way is to develop in the same area as before. If you were, say, a good hired hairdresser or florist, now you can just do this, but on your own. Another thing is if the profession does not suit you, or your former sphere is not entirely good for free swimming. For example, it will be easy for a programmer to become a freelancer, but a former cashier-operator will definitely have to change his profile. Let's try to consider in detail which professions are most in demand in freelancing, and in which of them it is easiest for a beginner.

1. Web design and programming

Web space confidently holds the lead in the list: both in terms of demand and supply. Real masters in their field feel best here. A competent web programmer will never be left without orders, another question is that you still need to become one. The market is filled with a huge number of freelancers of various levels: on the stock exchanges you can see schoolchildren, housewives who have completed free website building courses, and self-taught pensioners, and numerous graduates of retraining courses at universities. Each of them is able to find his client if he is ready to agree to his conditions (there is the same mass of clients with minimal budgets who are looking for cheap performers). Basically, the income level of a specialist is fully consistent with his professionalism and, despite the enormous dumping in this area, real knowledge and skills will be paid at their true worth. Therefore, the conclusion is: if you like it, then you can and should do it anyway. But if you are not a high-class master, then be prepared for penny orders and a fight for each client. Another way out is to invest heavily in your education and reach a fundamentally different level of income and position in the market.

2. Copywriting

Texts are needed now by everyone and everywhere. Product descriptions for online stores, product reviews, feature articles for websites, posts for social networks are especially in demand. In terms of competition and pay, everything said about web design is true here. But it’s a little easier to become a copywriting professional if you have, as they say, “natural data”. At a minimum: competent Russian, the ability to write a lot, the ability to quickly perceive and process information. It is imperative to understand the principles of SEO and the requirements for optimized texts. There is also a higher caste of copywriters who write sales texts and headlines and charge a very high price for them. This area already lies at the junction of copywriting and marketing itself.

To enter a niche, it is enough to try yourself on content exchanges, like TextSale and the like. Articles written for sale can be sent to potential customers as a sample of your work. I repeat, there are a lot of clients, and for a start it’s worth it. But the ubiquitous ads for the recruitment of beginners with an offer of about 10 rubles for 1,000 characters, in my opinion, are best ignored unless you write with the appropriate quality, since not being a robot, at best, you will earn 100 rubles in this way for a full day and an incorrigible reputation as a virtually unpaid worker.

3. Promotion of sites and groups in social networks

It is also a very actively developing area with great potential. Entry is complicated by the need to confirm one's qualifications not only with education, but also with the presence of actually completed (that is, advanced) projects. It is clear that you cannot get a resource in the Top 10 of search results in one day, so even the simple creation of a portfolio will take a lot of time and your own money. That is, of course, you will most likely have to train on personally created sites and groups. But on the other hand, the reward for you will be not only an excellent portfolio, but also the possibility of additional earnings on your brainchildren. You can learn professions in this area both for a fee and for free - there are a lot of courses. For constant polishing of knowledge, do not neglect seminars and thematic conferences, since the field is very mobile - something new appears all the time.

4. Consulting, training, coaching

Suitable if you have achieved real success in something and are now ready to teach others. An indispensable condition here is precisely the presence of personal results. Calling yourself a business consultant without creating a single successful business of your own… well, I think you understand. Therefore, entry into this niche is not immediately available to everyone. But, having gained some experience in other areas, it is quite possible to move here. Truly in-demand coaches and trainers earn incredible sums; for beginners, you can try to release mass products at a low price first.

5. Unskilled labor

There is a vast area here that does not require any special skills. The Internet is full of services that offer pay for clicks on ads, likes on social networks, posting on forums. There is also a higher level - online assistants and performers of various tasks, for example, searching for information or sending mail. To enter a niche, you need almost nothing but a computer. But it is unlikely that you will be able to really make money - the pay is so low. Offline, the profession of a handyman or a cleaner can be called a similar one.

6. Transfers

An old proven niche with a stable flow of customers. The only caveat, as you might guess, is the quality of your knowledge. Of course, here is the place of real certified philologists and translators. You can try your hand and being a student of a specialized university. Another option is if you live abroad and know a foreign language at the native level. The level of qualification will have to be confirmed, as a rule, by performing a test task.

7. Accounting

Accountants have been and will be needed, although, with the advent of online accounting resources, small individual entrepreneurs and firms with a small number of operations have disappeared from the clientele. They will most likely be ready to hire an incoming accountant only if he has significant experience. So, one can say almost 100% about this area: you can become a freelance accountant after working long enough in some company and, of course, having a full-fledged specialized education. An excellent option for former chief accountants who have retired or are on maternity leave.

8. Manicure, eyelash extensions and hairdressing

Of course, in the process of work, your presence is expected next to the client. In this regard, there is a certain inconvenience. Many are quite successful in working from home, although this cuts off a decent part of potential customers. So the trip to the customer will be the most profitable, especially if you took up the wedding hairstyles and makeup. To recruit the base, social networks and the good old word of mouth are now actively used. Smart and hardworking masters in megacities are able to make very decent amounts. Training can last about a year and is quite expensive, but usually it fights back in the first months of independent activity. If you live in a big city and you like such specialties, it’s definitely worth a try.

9. Repair and construction

A real goldmine for people with hands from the right place. Demand is traditionally high, contacts of professionals are willingly passed on to friends and acquaintances. Only practical skills are needed, hardly anyone will ask you for a diploma. It is easiest to engage in those types of work that do not require special permits and permits. If you have the appropriate skills and experience, you can start right now. The highest earnings and volumes, of course, are in densely populated regions.

10. Insurance

Not everyone can be a consultant/insurance agent. Actually, not because of his talents, but because of his personality. This niche is well suited for active, punchy people, extroverts with a lot of friends. It is necessary to have no fear of "cold" calls and active search for clients on all fronts. Income, alas, is unpredictable. Entry is easier to do if you have experience in sales. With the help of special services, such as Workle, you can work online.

Today is Freelance Day. We suggest not to panic, relax and read our article on how to become a freelancer.

Where to start to become a freelancer?

First you need to decide in which area you will work, and whether freelancing will be your main activity. Naturally, your specialization as a freelancer should be the same as in your main job. If you are going to radically change your activities, then you need to start training, and freelancing as a launching pad for gaining experience is not for everyone.

Almost anyone can find a freelance job, not just IT professionals. However, depending on your business, the competition can vary greatly.

You need to understand how much time you are willing to devote to finding orders and fulfilling them. If you're currently working full-time and want more freedom, start small. Look for small tasks that will take several hours to complete. Give yourself time to get an impression of the freelancer's activities and save up a financial cushion for the first time.

Venues and specialization

As already mentioned, it is not necessary to be a programmer or designer to become a freelancer. There are many platforms on the Internet where specialists from different fields can earn money by helping other people solve problems.

If we talk about sites with the most common range of services, then we can distinguish the following:

Fiverr is an English-language exchange where you can both get analytics and place an order for a funny video. Suitable for creative people. Fiverr has a peculiarity - all orders are valued in fixed amounts of $5. Orders are often compound and include additional options, so in fact the average check can be much higher.

Kwork is a five hundred ruble analogue of Fiverr. The system of services and their range is very similar to the Western exchange, the difference is in currency and language.

Yandex.Toloka is a versatile order exchange from Yandex. Here you can find many tasks both online and offline. The amounts are determined by agreement.

For technical specialists, programmers, designers and analysts, there are a large number of specialized sites with different entry thresholds. To get comfortable in freelancing, you can start on one of the following exchanges:

Upwork is one of the most famous online exchanges. Here you can find work on projects in completely different parts of the world, and most of the Western customers have a positive effect on the average cost of the project. To be successful on Upwork, you need to get serious about filling out your profile and even completing specialized tests. And, of course, be fluent in English.

Freelancer.com is another Western exchange that is similar to Upwork in many ways. Here you can find a large number of orders in various areas, from design to analytics.

Freelansim is a Russian-language exchange from TM, the creators of Habr. Not the largest Russian-language site, but even despite the latest changes and the ability to place orders for free, it is still full of interesting projects and responsible employees.

Legalization

Naturally, entrepreneurial activity (which is freelancing) is subject to registration. For proven illegal activity, an individual faces fines, albeit small ones. However, there is no need to run headlong and register with the tax office.

When you ask a neighbor with a Gazelle to help move a closet and thank him with a thousand dollar bill, he will not report for it to the tax office. Small amounts that circulate between citizens are not of interest to specialized bodies, because their origin is almost impossible to prove.

Another thing is when it comes to amounts orders of magnitude higher. Regular movement on the account of amounts of several hundred or even more millions may be of interest to the authorities. This is exactly the case when you need to legalize your activities.

There are several ways to do this. Classical - IP and LLC (sometimes foreign), from the new - patents for the self-employed. A lot has been said about the first two options, they also have many differences, but they are needed if you want to trade, hire people and conclude agreements between legal entities.

A patent for the self-employed is so far a new way of legalizing what a freelancer earns and, say, not very popular. Now a patent is issued for a very limited number of services (software development is not included there) and has some restrictions (for example, you cannot hire employees), but the soul is calm for the taxes paid.

There are other options for the official conduct of activities, for example, a service agreement or a work contract. But these methods are rather situational and are not suitable for every order.

Possible questions

Is it illegal to be a freelancer?

Proven (!) Entrepreneurial activity that is not properly formalized is illegal and punishable by fines. And if a friend returned your old debt to the card - who cares?

I'm afraid that I'll take on a project and I won't succeed.

The skill of assessing the complexity of work, and, most importantly, one's own strength comes with time and experience. Pass by large projects at first, understand how you will work when no one can push you. And if you feel that problems with the order are starting, unforeseen difficulties, you do not meet the deadlines - discuss this with the person who entrusted you with the order. Together you can solve problems faster and easier, the customer can connect someone else to deal with it faster, and so on. This is much better than falling apart and worrying about failure, causing problems for the other person.

I'm afraid I'll do the job and I won't get paid.

On small orders, it can be problematic to insure, especially if the execution of the transaction takes longer than the execution of the work. In such cases, intermediary sites can help, which confirm that the customer has money, and the contractor receives it when the customer sees the work done. Such a “safe transaction” functionality is available on many exchanges. Of course, for some orders, even this approach may be redundant, in which case it is possible to agree on a staged payment.

When it comes to a large and multi-stage project, a good solution would be to draw up a contract. If you are registered as a legal entity, it will be somewhat easier and cheaper (for you and the customer). Although even if you do not have an official legal status, you can always agree with the customer on the execution of a contract. You will have to pay 13% of the transaction amount, but you will be insured against unforeseen circumstances.

Online life is no different from real life. To lie or not to lie is your own business. But a few simple rules that negatively affect your earnings are worth remembering:

• you are not 18. The stereotype of an irresponsible schoolboy cannot be destroyed by anything
• Your name is Vasya on VKontakte, Petya on the exchange, and WebMoney will give out that you are Masha. Few people think at the very beginning of their journey about their virtual profile, but in vain, then nothing can be changed. Think not only about the reliability of the input data, but also about their “purity”. If a user under your nickname is on the phpclub forum asking to teach him how to program, then be prepared for suddenly lost clients.
• give the future customer as much information about yourself as possible: phone, Skype, ICQ, wallet and account numbers.
• pay attention to social networks. Nothing compromises the performer like a VKontakte page containing swear words, swear words, etc.
• put yourself in the place of the customer and check for purity and consistency of all this information through search engines
• try to write without errors and typos. I think it’s not even worth talking about swearing in communication with the customer.

Get used to living in a new era ...

First order

So, registration is done. Next, you need to try to get an order. To be honest, for the first 2 years the cost of an hour of my work aspired to 0. There are a lot of options to earn money from a programmer on the stock exchange. It is important to make the right choice. You obviously won’t see big orders, you need experience and reviews. So the choice is something like this:

• Small hacks and modules for popular CMS systems. This work is very good, you can quickly gather loyal customers around you who need to maintain sites. But the disadvantages include the lack of growth. CMS for housewives do not differ in the quality of coding, which means that you will have to constantly communicate with the redneck code and generate it. It will slow down your professional growth. In any work, mistakes are made, even small ones. The second drawback is the accumulation and difficulty of identifying errors in your work. You can choke on it. After all, you do not disappear after receiving the money, but honestly and free of charge correct the mistakes made in the code. Yes, and apologize to the client for each of them. The third disadvantage of small-scale coding is the contingent that needs it. You will have to get used to being bombarded with stupid questions and requests. The fourth drawback is the high rotation of customers. In other words - a lot of talk, but little money.
• Parsing. Almost perfect work, despite the moral background. There is a lot of it, it dominates among orders. At the moment, you can easily find up to 20 offers per day on Russian-language exchanges. Huge opportunities for automation of work. Everything depends on you. Learn curl, sockets, html parsing libraries and of course regular expressions. It is advisable not to go in cycles in php. Before our eyes, there are many examples of freelancers who earn as little scraping money no less than Moscow office programmers who love to talk about patterns during interviews.
• Small scripts. Forms, small databases and other chores for less than $100. The worst possible direction. The risk of running into an inadequate customer in this category is very high. And all because most of the orders are generated by “housewives”, the very ones who stamp everything from a business card to a store on WordPress and Joomla. Having stuffed their creation with everything that can be obtained in the public domain, they run to the exchange to order the missing functionality. The trouble is that their work is not much appreciated, which means that for a couple of dollars they will be ready to take out all your brains. Also, the disadvantages include the inability to accumulate and improve ready-made solutions, at first your professional growth will strive upward by leaps and bounds, knowledge will be required from a variety of areas, but this entry-level knowledge and therefore in the end you will stall somewhere in the middle and get bogged down in this slag of shit-code concocted for $ 10 in haste.

This concludes the choice of newcomers. Further, you will be required to have programming experience and reviews on the exchange.

We start earning

• Turnkey websites or development of modules on open-source engines. Designers who need a programmer to implement projects are spinning in this segment. Also, poor web studios, to the detriment of their reputation, are asked to create a site using Joomla, pulling the design and finishing it a little. I'm completely unfamiliar with this direction.
  how he avoided him like fire. Therefore, I will express my opinion based on logic, and not experience. Study popular engines: see which one gives you pleasure and go for it.
  If you treat your duties professionally, then customers will definitely gather around you.
• Writing small engines. If you are not looking for easy ways, then this is your choice. You will have to get used to the idea that you will not be able to get a quick return. As you grow professionally, your views on the architecture and implementation of web applications will definitely change. And for each change of views, you will have to pay with your time or money, which, by the way, are synonymous with freelancing. It is best to work with intermediaries - small web companies that will send you orders from $200 with non-standard functionality. The intermediary takes care of communication with the client, drawing up the TOR and is often a more obligatory and stable partner.
  It is better to avoid private customers, otherwise you will become an interrogator, and your work will turn into continuous conversations and drawing up technical specifications. For all the time of my work, I met a tiny fraction of customers who knew what they wanted, the rest flew in the clouds. A new client is always a risk of running into an inadequate person or a scammer. Only your own experience of communication will help to recognize them.
• Frameworks. In recent years, this direction has been constantly growing. By learning one or more popular frameworks, you will not only get professional growth, but also the opportunity to work in a team on a large project. However, you should never forget that you are programming in a language, not a framework. Another danger of frameworks is that you solve problems that will become irrelevant when this framework retires. Do not repeat the mistakes of jquery programmers who have never seen clean code in their lives and connect the library to write something like
  $(".btn").css("display","none");

Communication with the client

So. You have created a virtual working image for yourself and decided on the front of future work, what's next?

• Evaluation of work. Freelancers are surprisingly fond of round numbers. You give him a task, and in an hour he gives you $ 1000 with a smart look. The probability that a freelancer is a lazy person and called the price from the ceiling is extremely high, and personally, such amounts immediately arouse suspicion in me. Therefore, an important point of freelancing is the evaluation of work. Mainly work hours. The cost of an hour usually ranges from $3 to $35 depending on experience and greed. The number of hours is calculated based on the TOR. Only your own experience can help you here. I break the project into pages and blocks. For each block, I set the estimated execution time in minutes (this is where we see the real need for using all sorts of time managers). To the amount received, I add a certain number of hours to talk with the client and debug the project. We multiply the received amount by the cost of one hour of work and give the result to the client. To complete the picture, you can still reset the estimate for him. Even if the price is more than the client expected, he will hardly argue. At best, it will offer to cut down part of the functionality.
• Prepayment. You can't work without prepayment. The more experience you have, the more you ask for an upfront payment. Ideally, you need to demand all the money for the project at once. already. This will save you from unnecessary communication with the customer on the topic of finance. You are a creative person and you do not need to fill your head with a financial routine. At the dawn of my work, I worked without prepayment, I proudly declared this to my customers, and this certainly helped me to find orders. The project was divided into parts and after the implementation of each of them, the client, as planned, had to transfer part of the money. But here's the problem: you completed the first part of the project, sat at the monitor for a week from 8 am to 10 pm, shipped the result to the client for testing, and... that's it. Day of silence, another. Your client is busy and greedy. One quality of his character does not allow him to pay for the work without checking, and another to allocate time for this very check. And like any cynic, he didn’t give a damn about you from the high bell tower and he doesn’t care about the delay. Will you start the next part of the project? No... Realizing that a hole is starting to form in the budget, you will take on another project. And this, in turn, is fraught with the waste of a huge amount of additional time. After all, your greedy client is not a deceiver, and in a week he will still check the project and perhaps even pay for it, but he will definitely cut the amount, noticing errors. And you will have to do the project further, and all thoughts have disappeared from your head for a week of inactivity, and you have to spend time restoring memory. Worse, you no longer have time; on the other side of the country, another client is waiting for the results of your work. Such clients are quite common. Therefore, at any convenient opportunity, demand an advance payment and as much as possible.
• Time estimate. I notice that many people, and programmers in particular, suffer from an overestimation of their strengths. You look at the TK, and your head is spinning “Yes, what to do there, a trifle” and you name it without thinking about the deadline or even worse, you take one job, another, a third and you don’t understand that the collapse of time is close. It looks like it's all about to fall apart. And then at best you have to apologize to the customer. To avoid this, you need to keep a clear log of work. You should be aware of: how many hours a day, a week, you are able to spend. What is your potential for force majeure. It is very important to be able to correctly assess the amount of work, this also comes with experience. Write down how much you spent on a particular job, then analyze and draw conclusions.
• Timing. Often freelancers forget to stipulate the deadlines for accepting a project. It's a paradox, but 50% of my clients take projects longer than I do them. There are no problems until you break the project into parts with payment for each of the completed parts. A freelancer is not considered a person, because he is not protected by the Code of Administrative Offenses, therefore, as practice shows, it is useless to appeal to people's conscience. People don't want to understand that they are delaying your RFP. Although I think many people understand everything and just enjoy it.
• Client's choice. Can you program? This is not enough. Learn to communicate with people more. I studied for a long time, more than 4 years. And then he abandoned this thankless task. As I wrote above, it is more convenient and safer to work with intermediaries. Only his experience can save a freelancer from deception. Don't be careless and naive. Don't work on the client server. Don't work without payment. I am now writing this phrase, but I myself know that at first I will have to work without prepayment.
• TK. Here they often argue whether or not TK is needed. Everything is quite simple - TK is an extra cost. But this rule only works with old, proven, adequate clients who are confident in you, and you are confident in them. If we talk about new employers, then the lack of TK is a failed project. You leave it up to chance to surrender. If you think that TK is the answer to all questions, then you are mistaken. TK simply allows you to save time by eliminating a bunch of wrong steps. But this will not save you from an inadequate customer who changes his desires every day. By poking his nose into the TK, you will get litigation and blackmail. It is not profitable for you to argue over trifles, so you will have to swallow the insult and continue to work to your detriment or waste unpaid time arguing. Also, you can simply be put before a choice: continue working according to the tune of the customer or go through the forest. In this case, no one will pay you for the time spent. Even worse, they will write a complaint against you. A negative review in a freelancer's portfolio is like death. Few of the customers understand how much effort and time is invested in this profile. A rating is earned over the years, and deteriorates in an instant. It’s pointless that you write a negative review if, out of principle, they write nasty things in response to you and it doesn’t matter if they write the truth or lie. So make a deal. Every freelance site allows this. Let the site act as an intermediary in your contract.
• Learn to refuse. If something does not suit you in the client, then it is better to refuse. It is not so easy to do this. Refuse clearly and politely. Finally, give some banal advice. Often, the client is not mentally prepared for a refusal and begins to dump the dialogue to the level of srach. You should not get involved in a dialogue, you still won’t achieve understanding, but your mood and working mood will deteriorate. It doesn't matter to you that the last word is not yours, you should be above it. Do not try to explain to the client the reasons. An adequate person will simply say goodbye and leave, in the worst case, in English.

Getting started is always difficult. Whatever business a person decides to do, the first steps will be given to him with incredible difficulty. Freelancing is no exception. If a person decides to start freelancing, at first it will be very difficult for him. The Internet is full of stories of fast and spectacular successes. Many freelancers tell how they achieved decent results just a couple of months after the start. Is it possible? Yes, it is possible, but here we are dealing with a phenomenon called “survivor error”. For every success story, there are a hundred sad stories of total failure. It's just that no one talks about them - who would be pleased to publicly admit to being a loser?

Does this mean that a person who decides to go freelance is taking an incredible risk? Not at all. The market has long been formed, people believe in the possibility of earning money by remote work, customers also began to treat freelancers without undue skepticism. So the beginner has every chance to succeed. All he needs is to be patient, hardworking and willing to change. Freelancing is impossible without self-development, which many people forget about. You need to constantly improve your skills, keep your nose in the wind, as the situation changes very quickly. For those who are just starting out, all this seems incomprehensible. In what direction to move? Where to focus your efforts? And how, how to earn at least something? They have nothing but sheer enthusiasm. So what to do? The answer is obvious - start small and gradually increase your skills.

Freelancing is a completely different world, not at all like an office or any other job. Therefore, you need to look at everything with sober eyes - as long as there is a permanent job, the situation is under control. So, in no case should a novice freelancer burn bridges and quit a hateful job. It is best to start quietly earning money, doing something like what he does when working for hire. This is the easiest way to painlessly dive into freelancing. If a person works as a designer or a programmer, or an illustrator, it will not be difficult for him to find a side job. If you have the skills necessary for the job, orders will definitely be found. The main thing is that freelancing does not interfere with the main work. At first. If everything goes well, sooner or later freelance income will rise and then it will be possible to think about leaving a permanent job. But not before.

Surprisingly, these days there are a huge number of people who sincerely do not understand how you can make money while sitting at home at the computer. This misunderstanding has ruined many freelance careers that ended before they really started. A beginner needs to have nerves of steel to resist the pressure of society. Relatives and friends will tell him that he is sitting out his pants in vain, it would be better if he did a normal job. Former colleagues will be divided into two camps - some will twist a finger at their temples - they say, how could they exchange a stable job, don’t understand what, while others will be absolutely delighted with such a risky act as the decision to work for themselves.

What should a newbie do? Should we engage in polemics or simply ignore sharp remarks? Both methods work, but you need to remember one thing - a freelancer is his own boss. So you can listen, but you don't have to listen. There is no need to fill your head with misconceptions about freelancing - it is better to spend this time researching the field in which a person is going to work.

Not all freelancers have a home office. Most often, this is a small corner where it is possible to concentrate and work in a relaxed atmosphere. This place is of great importance for a freelancer - this is his holy of holies. At first, it will not be very clear - after all, you can create, in principle, where inspiration catches up. The problem is that a freelancer cannot rely on inspiration - he needs to give out another portion of an intellectual product every day. Otherwise, it won't work.

If a person works from home, he needs to set clear boundaries. His family members must know exactly what time he works so as not to interfere. It is very important. Many people quit freelancing due to the fact that sitting at home they cannot completely disconnect from solving household problems. Freelancers-newbies are constantly distracted by something and as a result, their efficiency drops below a critical point. If this happens, then you will have to forget about working at home. The best way out of this situation is to create a workplace outside the home walls. You can go to a coworking space or rent a small office for work. Finally, you can work in a cafe or library if that solves the problem.

Tip 4: Invest in good hardware and fast internet

Whatever one may say, freelancing is a real business. A business cannot function normally if its owner does not invest in the means of production. In the case of a freelancer, these are computers, software, reliable communications. The good news is that in freelancing, the investment is usually relatively small. However, you need to invest in hardware and software. So that the work does not bring surprises, it is imperative to take care of the reserves. At least one more computer and a backup channel for Internet access. At first glance, this may seem like an unnecessary expense, but only until such time as a serious contract is broken due to a computer breakdown or a dropped Internet. Beginners often make this mistake, hoping for a chance.

Since a freelancer's clients can live anywhere, even in the other hemisphere, you will need to communicate with them somehow: discuss projects, hand over work in stages, attract assistants or consultants. To do this, you need to be able to work with the relevant programs and services. At least a beginner should know the basics: Skype, Google Drive, Dropbox, mobile messengers and be able to work with services for teamwork. All this may seem banal, but times have changed, communication by e-mail or chatting on the stock exchange is no longer enough. Clients can come from anywhere, and if you have to work through Facebook, then there's nothing you can do, you have to figure out how everything works there.

To become a successful freelancer, a beginner must have good communication skills, that is, he must be able not only to speak and write correctly, but also to listen to the interlocutor. Whether a freelancer works as a virtual assistant, graphic designer, web developer or copywriter, they will greatly benefit from their communication skills. How? Very simple: he will have to write emails, talk to clients on Skype, conduct personal negotiations, write business proposals, do research, talk to experts. All this is communication. And if a freelancer does not know how to do this, he has problems.

It's terrible, but I have to admit, the freelancing community isn't very newbie friendly. The competition is too high. But if a freelancer stops competing, no one will be able to get ahead of him. Sounds weird, but this approach works. It is better for a beginner not to compare himself with other freelancers. Despite the fact that he considers himself a designer, programmer or someone else, he is still different from other professionals. You just need to understand what makes it unique. After that, communication with colleagues will become much easier. When others don't see you as a competitor, they are much more benevolent.

Every freelancer is a learner in some way. Unlike the office, where management deals with the problems of training and development, the freelancer is responsible for his own development. His professional growth depends only on himself. If a person does not like to study (meaning self-study), then he can find a way out - go to courses, attend seminars and conferences. If a freelancer is not interested in this, sooner or later he will leave the race - he will be ahead of his more inquisitive and trend-following colleagues.

Freelancing is a business. A beginner should understand from the very beginning that his success is the result of his efforts. He will have to master marketing, personal finance, time and resource management - all at the same time as hard work. It's difficult. It's incredibly difficult, so it's important for a freelancer to keep a positive attitude early in their career. Because no start is complete without setbacks and failures. In order not to give up, you need to believe that all difficulties are temporary and learn from mistakes. Sooner or later, everything will return to normal, yesterday's newcomer will have regular customers and he will begin to work in full force.

Building a portfolio can be a real nightmare for a beginner. He is in a vicious circle: he cannot get a single order because he does not have a portfolio, and there are no orders because he does not have a portfolio. On the Internet you can find advice: create a fake portfolio, do some work for existing or non-existent brands - this is enough to start. The advice is good, but not suitable for everyone, since for this you need to have a well-developed imagination and appropriate motivation.

But you can do it easier. Every newbie freelancer has some kind of background behind them. He knows how to do something, since he decided to leave for free bread. If a person was engaged in design, wrote texts, drew or programmed, he will have something to show. Yes, the first works will be frankly weak (or maybe not), but this is the starting point for creating your own portfolio. It doesn't have to be impressive - all that is required in the first step is to demonstrate the presence of skills.

Conclusion

Newbies to freelancing should not be in a hurry. Everything must be done gradually, step by step moving forward. Problems need to be addressed as they come, while keeping a close eye on the rapidly changing environment. But if you are careful enough and consistent in your actions, sooner or later it will lead to the first successes. And then everything will follow if the freelancer continues to develop and learn new skills.