Starting from Scratch: How to Launch a Freelance Business in 5 Simple Steps

Have you wanted to start a freelance business, but you aren’t sure where to start?

Maybe you’ve turned to google to help you get launched, but you became overwhelmed by the amount of information out there about this topic.

This blog post is going to simplify everything for you!

The fact is, there are quite a few steps to get a freelance business up and running successfully. But, there are really only 5 key steps that are essential to get your business launched and starting to make money.

When I first started my freelance business, I was able to launch within 1 week, got my first paying client the following week, and received my first payment the week after that. Freelancing truly is one of the fastest ways to start earning an income on your own terms!

So let’s dive into these 5 essential steps to get your freelance business launched!

Step 1: Choose Your Services

As a freelancer, you will earn money by providing services to businesses. The services you offer should be things that you enjoy doing. The last thing you want to do is start your own business and offer services you really hate doing! With freelancing, you can do work you are actually passionate about!

You also want to make sure the services you are offering are things you know how to do and do well. You’ll be paid by businesses to perform these tasks, so be sure you’re confident in your abilities to complete the services you’re selling.

If you aren’t really sure what services to start with, or maybe you don’t have a lot of work experience - you might consider starting your business as a general virtual assistant.

A general virtual assistant offers administrative services that may include things like calendar management, data entry, email management, and customer service among others.

Step 2: Price Your Services

Once you’ve determined the services you’re going to offer clients, it’s time to set your prices.

There are a couple of different ways you can charge for your services, either by the hour or by creating packages.

If you really aren’t sure how long tasks are going to take you to complete, I recommend starting by charging hourly. Begin to time yourself using a tool like Toggl when you are completing tasks for clients. Doing this will allow you to more accurately charge for services.

Once you know how long it takes to complete your services, I recommend moving to a package pricing model. The reason for this is that with hourly pricing, the better and faster you get at your job, the less money you’ll actually be making. Moving to a package pricing model will help you avoid this.

Step 3: Identify Your Target Client

Next, it’s time to discover who specifically you want to work with. Having a good understanding of who your target client is will:

• Allow you to customize your marketing + messaging

• Allow you to tailor your services and create specific packages that meet your client’s needs

• Help to make connecting with clients easier

• Give you a better understanding of the problems that your ideal client has so you’re able to solve them.

• Help you weed out clients that are less than ideal and aren’t really a great fit for you and your business.

So how exactly do you go about identifying your target client?

You want to write out specific details about the person that you would most enjoy working with and would also benefit from the services you offer in your business.

Demographics such as age, gender, occupation, education, location, and family situation should be considered when identifying who your ideal client is.

Step 4: Connect with Clients

After choosing your services, pricing your services, and identifying your target client, it’s time to get out there and start making connections!

When you’re starting a new business it’s important to tell as many people as possible about your business. You simply can’t reach those who need your services if you’re staying quiet about how you can help businesses.

Telling friends and family is a great starting point. Even if they’re not your ideal client or aren’t business owners themselves, it’s still worth sharing about your business! Why? Because most likely they know someone who owns a business or may meet someone in the future who owns a business that needs your services. You want those who know you to have a clear understanding of how you help businesses, so if the opportunity presents itself, you’ll be top of mind and they can refer you.

Social media is another way to get connected to potential clients. You can truly use any social media platform where your ideal clients hang out. I’ve personally had the most success finding clients through Facebook groups and LinkedIn.

And don’t forget about networking events! Do a little research and I’ll bet you’ll find small business meetups in your area easily. Your local Chamber of Commerce may be a great resource for learning about networking events for small businesses.

Step 5: Market Your Business

There are countless ways to market your freelance business and share the message about how you help businesses! Social media is a great place to start. I would recommend sticking with 1-2 platforms and posting consistently. Not sure what to post?

• Take a look at what freelancers who offer similar services are posting and get ideas of where to start.

• Show off your expertise by sharing content that your ideal client would find value in and find useful.

  • Quick tips, suggestions, mini-trainings, and more.

• Give followers a behind-the-scenes look into your business.

• Share about your personal story and how you got to where you are now

Other ways to market your business may be:

• Creating a website with blog posts that share information your ideal client would find useful and enjoy reading.

• Creating a lead magnet - an e-book, workbook, cheat sheet, checklist, etc. that potential clients can download and be added to your email list.

Want a much more detailed plan of action to create a successful freelancing business? Click the link below for the FREE launch Toolkit. Inside you’ll find a step-by-step checklist of EVERY step you need to take to get your business up and running.

It also includes a Services Workbook, Pricing Guide PLUS 30 Ways to Market Your Business. All completely free and available to access now!

Want a step-by-step plan to get your freelance business launched?

Click here to grab a FREE Launch Toolkit to help you gain instant clarity and start taking real focused action to get your business up and running.