My first freelancing gig was in 2010. I had been blogging after work for curiosity purposes for about a year prior. I had been learning about the craft and trying to publish a post each evening. Then I was offered a job writing one post per week for a small ecommerce business.
I had been pretty new to the working world having just graduated college in the Summer of 2007. So I was learning about the working world in general. It was nice to learn about freelancing as well as having a full time job.
I continued freelancing for a few years and slowly turned the blogging business into one that worked with freelance writers. Over the last decade I’ve learned about the craft from some great freelancers.
If you’re looking to build your skills as a freelancer here are some of the top quality things I’ve observed and learned from some of the best.
1. Ability To Outsource Some Tasks
As a new freelancer I tried to do everything. It worked out for the most part because I had a lot of free time. I was working full time, but I was in my twenties and didn’t have many other commitments. I had time so I put that time into doing just about all things that related to my work as a freelance blogger.
But over time I learned that even freelancers can benefit from outsourcing some tasks. It might be the accounting. It might be the sales. It could be anything that you feel someone else can do for you that helps you to make more money or to do your job better.
This can be difficult though. It requires analyzing and breaking down every aspect of your freelance life and job. Then it requires giving up control over certain things.
2. Money Metrics
It’s important to understand how you make money as a freelancer. There are tasks that will seem like they aren’t making money, but that feed the tasks that do make you money. And typically, as a freelancer, you’re going to look at how much you’re making per hour. Then you’re going to try to maximize those hours.
This approach can lead to burnout. You might be able to make some good money in the short term doing this, but it can lead to disaster in the long run.
Dig into how you make money and how it flows through your operation. Learn what metrics you can optimize and balance so that you’re performing well and living well.
3. Performance Metrics
Also look at your performance metrics. You can look for things that you determine to be your personal performance metrics. But also consider what is important to your employers and how they may evaluate your success. Often it will be about money, but look for the things that lead to the money.
For example, promptness may be one of the key things your employer values. Set up a system so that you’re able to deliver maximum promptness for your clients.
In any relationship there are priorities. Try to identify these with your freelancing relationships.
4. Remote Emotional Intelligence
The world has been shifting to remote work. It’s been in the works for some time. I started working remotely in 2012 when I took on my business full time. And since that time our company has been 100% remote. It was a little ahead of the curve compared to recent times, but even before me I knew plenty of folks that were working remotely.
Emotional intelligence is important in any work setting. It’s important when you’re working in an office with someone and it’s also important when you’re communicating via a channel like email, text, phone and video chat.
I think it’s a critical skill to be able to understand how your communication affects others. Set up time to review your communication. Look at how others are responding. Look for ways to understand how you can communicate differently so every one involved is doing their best work.
5. Sales
One thing I am working on now is sales. It didn’t come naturally for me. It’s something I kind of shied away from early in my freelancing career. I’m not a very outgoing person so it doesn’t come naturally. I have to push myself to do it.
But it’s a key skill. It’s probably a key skill for many professions and even in our personal lives. And it’s definitely true for freelancers. It’s important to be able to sell yourself and the work you can bring to a business.
6. Support
Many businesses have a support team or support system. It’s about fixing problems and answering questions that customers or potential customers have. Freelancers run into similar situations and it’s important for a freelancer to build their support skills.
Conclusion
Freelancing is a booming industry. Even if you’re working for a business in the future you may become a freelancer vs. a full time employee. It’s good that you’re looking at specific things you can do to make sure you’re successful. These are some of the most important skills I’ve observed from some of the best freelancers out there.