Working as a freelancer can be a rewarding and challenging job in and of itself, but it can also be a great way to supplement your income and learn new skills. Individuals who want to do freelance in the tech industry, in particular, have a lucrative career path ahead of them. The gig economy offers plenty of opportunities for profitable freelancing for IT professionals who want to go it alone or start their own business.
With constant technological advancements and an ongoing need for IT maintenance and engineering support, freelance technicians and engineers have never been more in demand.
People used to think of freelancing as a way to make ends meet, but the gig economy has altered our perceptions of subcontractors. Freelancing has evolved from a means of supplementing income to a legitimate and viable career option, with many successful entrepreneurs and business owners launching their own careers through freelancing.
How to Make Money Freelancing
While freelancing can be a great way to develop your skills and gain experience working with a variety of clients, you’ll want to make sure you’re earning a decent living while doing so. Profitable freelancing is certainly possible, but in order to make money, you must approach your freelance role correctly. If you follow these guidelines, your freelancing career could be more rewarding than a full-time permanent job in the industry.
Take a look at our top tips if you want to learn how to make money freelancing and start building a career right away…
1. Know Your Worth
It’s tempting to undervalue your time and expertise when you’re first starting out as a freelancer in order to get clients. However, charging too little for your services may cause clients to be hesitant to hire you, resulting in a decrease in work. Furthermore, working for a pittance is unlikely to provide you with the necessary income to pay your bills, potentially putting you in financial trouble.
Working for less than market value is also demoralising and demotivating, which can affect the quality of your work. Price your time and services fairly, and make sure that your pricing strategy is in line with your experience, expertise, and that it is competitive with other freelancers.
2. Choose a Specialism
Clients are often willing to pay more for specialised knowledge and skills, so take advantage of new technology and specialise in a specific area. As a freelance technician or engineer, you can corner the market and earn significantly more than the average if you have extensive knowledge of a specific niche. Businesses recognise that technology has become a competitive market for top talent, and they are willing to pay for it.
3. Use an Established Platform
Setting up hardware, devising cyber security strategies, and providing IT maintenance may be your core business as an IT freelancer, but working for yourself means you’ll have other responsibilities as well. As a subcontractor, you may find yourself spending an excessive amount of time discussing projects with potential clients and chasing invoices, neither of which is billable.
You can streamline your processes and focus on your core business functions by using an established platform, such as IT Field Engineer. Instead of focusing on day-to-day business management tasks, you can spend your time on profitable freelancing work with a dedicated platform designed to manage everything from project bids to job progress and payment.
Your working hours will be spent increasing your earnings and profits, rather than doing admin or accounting, with this support in place. As a result, you may find that your earnings increase while your working hours decrease!
Finding a Freelance Community
Adapting to a freelance working style can be difficult for some people. If you work with a variety of clients on a regular basis, you might miss having your own team and regular colleagues. You can collaborate with other subcontractors, share industry news, and learn from your peers if you join an established freelance community.
Sign up for free with IT Field Engineer to learn more about how to build a successful freelancing career.