Scaling up your freelancing business

If you have a particular skill or talent that you would like to share with the world, one of the best ways to go about this is through freelancing. About 30% of the world’s workforce does some form of freelance work. This number is expected to even go higher as technology advancements make freelancing even easier than before. Freelancing can either be done locally or remotely. But most of the freelancers in this era work remotely thanks to the fast internet that enables seamless communication between freelancers and clients

Platforms like Upwork and Fiverr have made it easier for freelancers to connect with those that need their services. And new up-and-coming platforms like Kwork allow freelancers to find more clients thanks to low competition and more interest from potential buyers. It is now possible to deal with a client you have never met with these platforms acting as the mediator. All freelancers know that as you get more experience and good at your craft, more clients will start coming your way. Satisfying all these clients may not be possible if you continue operating as a single person. It is at this point that you need to think of scaling up and turn your freelancing career into an actual business. Let’s look at some of the strategies you can use to scale up as a freelancer.

Strategy #1: Increasing price

If you don’t want to have other people to help you out with the work, one of the first things you can do is to increase the prices of your services. This way, you will get a few quality clients who are willing to pay you more to get quality services. This will give you enough time to concentrate on these few clients that will lead to more quality work at the end of the day.

Strategy #2: Subcontract

If you don’t have fulltime projects, you may choose not to hire a permanent team but to always find other freelancers who can help you out when you have big workloads. Your main role will be engaging with the clients and negotiating contracts. You may not necessarily get the freelancers from your local area since you can hire them remotely using some of the trusted freelance platforms for example, Kwork, where you can buy services from over 200 categories starting at $10 — with 100% money-back guarantee! All you need to ensure is that the amount you pay the freelancers is less than what you’re getting from the clients so that you remain with some profit.

Strategy #3: Permanently hiring

You may also decide to locally or remotely hire some workers permanently to help you out with some of the tasks. This strategy will only work if you are sure that you’ll always be having work on your table to put your hired workers to good use. If the projects are not constant, it is unwise to have permanent stuff that you have to give weekly or monthly salaries. So, weigh your options before deciding whether to hire permanently or to simply subcontract

Strategy #4: Build your own platform

If you freelance remotely, you will certainly know that most of the freelancing web platforms have rules that you have to abide by if you are to thrive on their platforms. Some of these platforms even require paying fees if you want to get connected to clients easily. If you want to scale up your freelance business, you may have to build your website and let your clients meet you there. This will be challenging at first mainly due to trust issues but over time, it will pay off when you build your reputation.

Strategy #5: Create a product

For instance, if you are a writer, you may think of writing a book. If you are a software developer, you may think of building a software application that you can sell. The point here is creating something tangible using your skills and experience. This will enable you to earn even while you are not working. Creating a product may take some time, but once you create one and it picks off, the fruits you’ll get will be worth the sweat.

Conclusion

Scaling up as a freelancer is something you need to start planning right from the start of your freelance journey. This is because if you are doing good work, you will certainly start getting more jobs that you may not handle as a single person. If you don’t plan accordingly, you may end up losing some of these clients due to poor quality work and delayed delivery. Make a plan to use any of the above strategies to scale up your freelancing business. Take your time and choose one that works for you to avoid being frustrated along the way.