Freelancing

The
Complete
Beginner
Guide

By
Eric
Rosenberg

Making
money
on
the
side
has
completely
changed
my
life.
Last
year,
I
earned

$30,000
outside
of
my
full-time
day
job.
That
is
more
money
than
many

people
earn
in
a
year,
and
I
did
it
on
evenings
and
weekends.
The
only
thing

that
makes
me
special
is
my
work
ethic.
Any
smart
person
can
do
exactly
what

I
do
if
they
put
their
mind
to
it.
Here
is
my
ultimate
guide
to
get
started
with

freelancing.

The
Freelance
Economy

The
way
we
work
is
changing.
While
most
of
us
still
go
into
an
office
or

physical
location
to
do
our
work,
technology
is
letting
us
work
like
never

before.

When
I
had
air
conditioning
installed
at
my
house
a
few
weeks
ago,
I
was
able

to
work
from
home
to
be
there
while
the
work
was
done.
In
August,
Iʼll
work

remotely
for
a
day
in
Chicago
so
I
can
be
in
town
for
a
weekend
event.
My

boss
prefers
we
go
into
the
office
most
days,
but
when
we
are
sick
or
need
to

be
home,
it
works.

At
the
same
time
we
are
able
to
work
from
nearly
anywhere
in
the
world,
or
at

least
anywhere
within
a
few
time
zones,
the
world
is
shrinking
and
people

want
more
independence.
I
once
had
a
boss
who
had
spent
over
40
years

working
for
the
same
company.
His
pension
was
well
earned
to
pay
for
his

retirement,
but
outside
of
the
government
and
a
few
union
protected

industries,
pensions
are
a
thing
of
the
past.

As
company
loyalty
wanes
and
location
and
schedule
independence
become

more
important
priorities,
work
is
slowly
beginning
to
adapt.
People
are

finding
contract
and
freelance
positions
to
fill
very
specific
company
needs,

and
companies
are
coming
around
to
paying
freelancers
to
do
a
task
rather

than
to
through
the
expense
and
commitment
of
bringing
on
a
full-time

worker.

We
are
at
the
dawn
of
a
freelance
revolution,
and
the
massive
wave
of
change

is
just
beginning.
If
you
want
to
pick
up
a
few
dollars
on
the
side,
or
work
your

way
towards
a
full-time
freelance
lifestyle,
read
on
for
the
strategy
and

specific
steps
I
took
to
turn
a
small
hobby
into
a
nearly
full-time
income.

Picking
a
Skill

If
you
are
going
to
freelance,
you
need
to
start
by
deciding
what
type
of
work

you
are
going
to
do.
This
can
be
related
to
your
existing
education
and
career,

or
take
you
a
completely
different
direction
based
on
your
skills
or
passion.

My
freelance
work
came
out
of
my
passion
for
blogging
and
personal
finance.

I
have
both
an
undergraduate
degree
and
MBA
in
finance,
and
when
I
left
a

job
working
as
a
bank
manager,
it
was
a
natural
fit
for
me
to
start
a
blog
on

the
topic.

I
am
a
very
thrifty
guy,
so
I
was
determined
to
learn
and
do
everything
myself.

I
have
grown
my
business
to
a
point
where
I
have
hired
freelancers
myself,
but

when
I
started,
I
wanted
to
do
it
all.
So
I
figured
it
out.

Going
back
to
my
very
old
posts,
you
can
see
that
I
was
not
always
a
great

writer
churning
out
detailed
guides
like
this.
I
have
written
hundreds
of
shitty

blog
posts.
But
like
with
nearly
anything
in
life,
practice
makes
a
big

difference.
My
writing
has
improved
dramatically,
and
continues
to
do
so
with

nearly
every
page
I
write.

At
the
same
time,
I
was
building
my
own
websites.
I
made
the
mistake
of

starting
with
the
free
platform
Blogger,
but
quickly
came
around
and
moved

to
WordPress.
Moving
a
blog
from
Blogger
to
WordPress
is
not
simple,
and
it

took
me
hours
of
reading,
trying,
and
doing
to
move
my
site.
It
took
me
hours

more
to
fix
all
of
the
mistakes
I
made
along
the
way.
Lucky
for
me,
I
had

multiple
blogs
on
the
Blogger
platform,
and
I
was
able
to
go
through
the

steps
several
times.
I
was
a
self-taught
Blogger
to
WordPress
migration

expert,
a
skill
that
would
come
in
handy
later
on.
When
I
moved
to
self-hosted
WordPress,
I
had
more
to
learn
than
just
moving

my
posts
and
pictures.
I
learned
how
hosting
accounts
work.
I
learned
how

CPanel
works.
I
learned
what
Apache
is
and
why
it
is
important
for
websites.
I

learned
how
to
edit
and
customize
my
own
website
theme,
and
picked
up

HTML,
CSS,
and
PHP
coding
languages
along
the
way.

This
practice,
trial
and
error,
and
do-it-myself
attitude
put
me
in
a
perfect

position
to
do
freelance
writing,
WordPress
design,
and
WordPress

development.
I
never
went
through
formal
training
for
either,
but
I
developed

the
skills
that
others
did
not
have,
needed,
and
were
willing
to
pay
for:
the

trifecta
to
begin
a
freelance
business.

Of
course,
writing
and
website
design
are
not
the
right
gig
for
everyone.
Some

people
are
great
musicians
able
to
perform
at
weddings
and
corporate

events.
Others
are
amazing
DJs
able
to
rev
a
crowd
into
dance
mode
‒

another
freelance
business
I
dabbled
with.
Some
people
can
repair
anything

in
a
house.
You
might
be
great
at
a
specific
code
language.
Maybe
youʼre
a

social
media
guru
able
to
build
a
huge
fan
base
on
Facebook,
Pinterest,
or

Instagram.
You
could
be
a
skilled
photographer.
You
get
the
point.

Hone
Your
Abilities

So,
now
youʼve
picked
what
you
are
going
to
do.
Great
job!
Donʼt
get
too

attached,
as
it
might
not
work
out.
Always
have
a
plan
B.
But
you
picked
plan

A
for
a
reason,
so
itʼs
time
to
get
really,
really
good
at
it.

When
I
began
freelance
writing,
it
was
not
until
I
had
written
many
hundreds

of
blog
posts.
I
may
not
have
needed
to
wait
quite
that
long
if
I
had
planned

on
freelance
writing
from
the
start,
but
it
made
me
even
more
qualified
when

it
came
time
to
start
writing
for
clients.
According
to
the
book
Outliers
by
Malcom
Gladwell,
it
takes
10,000
hours
to

become
a
true
expert
at
something.
You
donʼt
need
to
spend
10,000
hours

practicing
to
become
a
freelancer,
but
it
is
important
to
understand
that
it

takes
more
than
a
few
hours
to
become
an
expert.
Be
ready
to
invest
time,

effort,
and
maybe
even
money
into
your
chosen
skill
to
become
a
successful

freelancer.

For
web
design,
I
probably
built
at
least
a
dozen
websites
and
re-designed

them
another
two
or
three
times
each.
Every
time,
I
learned
something
new.

Every
time
I
ran
into
a
problem
I
didnʼt
know
the
answer
to,
Google
was
there

to
help
me
figure
it
out.

I
didnʼt
charge
much
or
take
on
many
projects
at
that
point.
But
as
I
did
start

to
bring
on
clients,
I
realized
I
needed
more
education
to
deliver
a
quality

product
I
could
stand
behind.
I
took
online
courses,
notably
a
detailed
and

lengthy
course
on
designing
websites
with
HTML5
and
CSS3
before
I
started

to
land
jobs
over
$500.
Since
that
time,
I
have
had
jobs
well
over
$2,000.

At
the
same
time,
I
have
turned
down
jobs
that
I
might
have
been
able
to

charge
more
than
$2,000
for
because
even
with
the
skills
I
have
and
the
time
I

have
invested,
I
was
not
sure
I
could
deliver
a
stellar
result.
If
I
canʼt
deliver

something
amazing,
I
donʼt
take
the
job.
Reputation
and
past
work
quality

mean
a
lot
to
your
freelance
business
as
you
try
to
grow.

Practice
with
Friends
and
Family

Once
you
think
youʼre
ready
to
take
on
your
first
client,
give
yourself
a
test

drive.
I
took
on
some
pro-bono
projects
for
friends
and
family
to
work
out
the

kinks
in
my
process
and
find
out
if
I
had
more
to
learn
before
I
started
taking

on
paying
clients.
To
test
out
my
freelance
writing,
I
wrote
guest
blog
posts
on
other
sites
in
the

same
niche.
This
had
two
benefits.
First,
it
helped
me
market
myself
and
my

site.
Guest
posting
is
a
great
way
to
get
the
word
out
about
what
you
are

doing,
as
long
as
your
posts
are
high
quality.
When
I
was
applying
to
my
first

writing
gigs,
I
used
those
guest
posts
as
an
example
of
my
work
quality
that

they
could
count
on.

For
website
design,
things
came
together
a
little
differently.
I
was
not
actively

trying
to
become
a
freelance
web
developer.
Friends
were
coming
to
me
for

help
building
their
sites,
and
I
happily
shared
my
talents
with
them
to
help

them
succeed
in
their
own
projects.
It
started
with
Blogger
to
WordPress

moves.
Then
I
started
helping
people
build
new
sites
from
scratch.
Along
the

way,
I
participated
in
a
community
forum
at
a
finance
blogger
network
called

the
Yakezie,
and
regularly
offered
tips
and
advice
for
design
and
development

questions.
Eventually,
people
asked
if
they
could
hire
me.
I
am
a
big
fan
of

earning
money,
so
I
readily
said
yes.

If
you
donʼt
know
anyone
looking
for
someone
with
your
skills,
get
out
there

and
offer
to
do
a
couple
of
free
jobs.
Not
too
many,
but
enough
to
know
you

can
handle
the
job
when
it
comes.
When
I
began
my
short
lived
DJ
career,
I

began
by
playing
at
a
fraternity
party,
friendʼs
house
and
backyard
shindigs,

and
a
few
public
events
and
parties
for
groups
I
knew
could
use
a
DJ.
Before
I

knew
it,
some
paid
gigs
started
rolling
in.

Find
Client
#1
and
Earn
Your
First
Dollar

Once
youʼve
done
enough
test
runs
that
youʼre
comfortable
charging,
it
is

time
to
stop
with
the
free
work.
Never
give
away
what
you
should
be
getting

paid
for
unless
it
is
for
a
non-profit
cause
you
believe
in.
I
built
a
few
non-

profit
websites
without
charging
for
causes
I
was
involved
with
and
believe
in.

For
other
non-profits,
I
sometimes
offer
a
discount,
but
donʼt
work
for
free.

Their
staff
doesnʼt
work
for
free,
and
neither
should
you.

I
found
my
first
freelance
job
through
public
job
boards
and
online
searching.

When
I
started
with
paid
writing
for
sites
other
than
my
own,
there
were
easy

ways
to
jump
on
a
listing,
claim
a
job,
and
get
paid
a
few
bucks.
I
wrote
a
ton

of
articles
for
Demand
Media,
the
site
behind
several
large
“content
farms”

including
eHow,
where
most
of
my
writing
lived.
I
was
thrilled
to
make
the
flat

$10
per
article
or
an
ongoing
royalty
for
each
article
published.

While
Demand
Studios
is
still
around,
I
would
not
start
here
anymore.
I
would

start
with
your
own
blog
to
build
up
a
writing
portfolio
along
with
a
few
guest

posts,
as
mentioned
above.
Once
you
are
ready,
youʼll
have
to
work
hard
to

market
yourself
to
find
your
first
client.

Another
great
place
to
get
matched
with
a
client
is
Cloudpeeps
if
you
are

great
at
social
media,
blogging,
and
online
marketing.

If
youʼve
been
doing
free
projects
for
friends
and
family,
it
is
time
to
start

charging.
Unless
you
are
doing
a
quid-pro-quo
barter,
make
them
start
paying

up
for
your
time
and
effort.

Market
Yourself

Marketing
yourself
is
one
of
the
hardest
parts
of
freelance
work.
Once
you

have
a
good
list
of
clients,
it
is
easy
to
ignore,
as
you
donʼt
get
any
direct

income
from
marketing.
You
can
spend
hours
with
no
results,
or
you
can

spend
a
few
minutes
and
land
an
amazing
client.
You
never
know,
but
if
you

are
new
or
looking
to
expand,
marketing
is
a
must.

You
can
start
by
listing
yourself
on
major
freelance
work
sites
like
UpWork.
I

find
UpWork
to
be
awesome
for
hiring
freelancers,
but
it
is
very
competitive

when
applying
for
jobs.
Build
a
top
notch
profile,
take
a
couple
of
relevant

tests,
and
respond
very
quickly
if
you
want
a
chance
to
be
hired
for
a
job.

Remember,
you
are
competing
with
international
workers,
so
you
have
to

compete
with
them
on
rate
as
well
as
skill.

You
can
also
look
to
popular
online
job
boards
for
work.
For
freelance
writing,

I
love
the
ProBlogger
Job
Board,
Media
Bistro,
and
Contena.
For
other

industries,
search
around
for
your
equivalent.

Click
here
to
check
out
ProBlogger

Click
here
to
check
out
Media
Bistro

Click
here
to
check
out
Contena

I
have
also
done
well
marketing
myself
within
specific
communities.
Many
of

my
first
clients
came
from
the
Yakezie,
as
I
mentioned
above.
As
the
personal

finance
blogging
community
has
grown
and
shifted,
Iʼve
followed
to
new

Facebook
groups
and
forums
where
I
can
connect
with
potential
clients
as
a

resident
expert.

Once
you
have
a
good
client
base,
you
will
get
occasional
referrals.
Always

work
hard
to
impress
every
single
client,
as
you
never
know
who
they
might

send
your
way.
I
did
a
small
project
for
a
blogger
friend
once,
and
that
friend

has
sent
over
a
few
very
valuable
clients.

And
never
forget
your
own
website.
I
funnel
in
clients
through
the
main

Narrow
Bridge
Media
website,
and
also
discuss
how
to
hire
me
at
Personal

Profitability
and
my
personal
Eric
Rosenberg
website.

Build
a
Portfolio

As
you
finish
client
projects,
be
sure
to
ask
for
a
couple
of
sentences
you
can

use
for
a
public
recommendation
on
your
website,
ask
for
an
honest
rating
if

they
found
you
through
a
job
board
site
like
UpWork
or
Elance,
and
gather

relevant
images
for
an
online
portfolio.

Iʼll
admit
that
my
portfolio
is
quite
a
bit
out
of
date,
but
it
has
not
harmed
my

ability
to
find
new
clients.
You
can
see
my
online
portfolio
here.

There
is
no
right
or
wrong
way
to
create
a
portfolio
for
your
work.
I
have

purposefully
left
out
some
projects
where
I
met
client
expectations,
but
I
did

not
find
the
end
product
particularly
bragging
worthy.
I
make
a
point
to

showcase
and
feature
my
very
best
projects
as
examples
of
what
I
can
do
if

you
bring
me
on
board.

For
writers,
a
list
of
links
to
your
best
blog
posts
or
your
author
page
on
client

sites
works
well.
For
photography,
youʼll
want
to
use
photos.
For
web
design,

snapshots
work
well,
but
avoid
direct
links
to
the
site
as
the
client
may
make

changes
after
you
finish
up.
No
matter
what
industry
you
work
in,
the
more

quality
images
you
can
include,
the
better.

Raise
Your
Rates

If
you
are
brand
new,
donʼt
get
ahead
of
yourself
and
start
turning
down
low

paying
jobs
just
yet,
but
after
you
build
up
a
full
client
load
that
meets
your

goals,
it
is
time
to
start
raising
your
rates.

Over
the
years
I
have
been
freelancing,
my
rates
have
steadily
crept
up
from

$10
per
post
to
the
$100-$300
per
post
range.
This
was
very
deliberate
and

planned.
If
you
think
your
work
is
only
worth
$20,
thatʼs
what
youʼll
make.

However,
if
you
position
yourself
as
an
expert
and
leader
in
your
field,
there
is

no
limit
to
what
you
can
charge.

I
raise
my
rates
by
cycling
in
new
clients
at
higher
rates.
Sometimes
you
lose
a

client
due
to
higher
rates,
other
times
you
lose
them
because
the
project

ended
or
it
was
just
time
for
one
of
you
to
move
on.
Thatʼs
okay,
and
a
great

opportunity
to
bring
in
someone
new
at
a
higher
rate.
I
never
take
on
new

clients
below
my
current
floor
rate
I
set
for
myself,
and
periodically
adjust.
Raising
your
rates
on
current,
recurring
clients
can
be
more
difficult.
Some

freelancers,
like
my
friend
Miranda
Marquit,
suggest
raising
your
rates
by
a

reasonable
percentage
on
an
annual
basis,
and
communicating
that
up
front,

but
remaining
loyal
to
good
clients
who
give
consistent
work
that
you
enjoy.

I
have
a
couple
of
writing
clients
below
my
floor
rate
by
quite
a
bit,
but
I
have

not
raised
the
rate
on
them
because
the
posts
they
require
are
relatively
easy

to
put
together
and
my
hourly
rate
is
still
compelling
enough
to
keep
going.

When
I
have
raised
rates
in
the
past,
I
used
an
email
like
this
one
(actual
client

communication
with
revealing
details
removed).
Feel
free
to
customize
and

use
for
your
own
clients
in
the
future:

CLIENT
NAME,

My
business
has
grown
over
the
past
year.
Iʼve
loved
working
with
you,
and

over
the
months
Iʼve
learned
a
lot
about
your
goals
and
process
while
writing

for
WEBSITE
NAME.

My
rates
have
increased
as
the
year
rolled
along,
but
because
of
our
great

relationship,
Iʼve
kept
you
at
your
original
rate.
However,
as
of
the
new
year,

your
current
rate
will
be
below
my
floor.
Going
forward,
I
am
looking
to
raise

my
rate
to
$XXX
per
post,
still
a
discount
to
what
I
charge
for
new
clients.

Would
that
work
for
your
budget?

I
appreciate
your
business
and
look
forward
to
our
continued
relationship.

Please
let
me
know
if
you
have
any
questions
about
my
new
rates.

Sincerely,

YOUR
NAME

When
I
sent
this
email
to
a
client,
he
happily
kept
me
on
at
the
new
rate.
In
the

years
since,
my
rate
has
more
than
quadrupled
from
what
I
started
charging

this
client.
About
a
year
after
this
message,
we
decided
to
part
ways,
but
new

clients
have
come
on
that
happily
paid
quite
a
bit
more.

Go
Full-time,
Maybe

As
your
business
grows
and
your
rates
increase,
you
might
find
yourself

tempted
with
the
“should
I
do
this
full-time”
question.
In
many
cases,
the

answer
is
a
resounding
yes.
I
have
over
a
dozen
friends
who
have
turned

their
freelance
hobby
into
a
full-time
income.
However,
there
are
lots
of

risks
that
go
with
full-time
freelancing.

When
I
see
friends
like
Stephanie
Halligan
of
The
Empowered
Dollar
and

Melanie
Lockert
of
Dear
Debt
(also
a
former
Personal
Profitability
writer)

leaving
their
old
career
for
the
freedom
of
freelancing,
I
am
very
tempted
to

follow
suit.

There
are
tons
of
benefits
of
full-time
freelancing.
Here
are
a
few
that
top
my

list:

Set
your
own
hours

Location
independence

Diverse
income
streams
‒
you
donʼt
lose
your
entire
income
if
you
lose
a
job

Do
a
job
you
love

Do
several
types
of
work
to
keep
things
interesting

But,
thereʼs
also
the
downsides.
Big
ones.
Here
are
benefits
of
working
for
a

full-time
employer
rather
than
going
the
full-time
freelancer
route:

Steady
income

Retirement
account
matching

Health
insurance

Paid
vacation

When
you
are
a
full-time
freelancers,
all
of
that
falls
to
you.
You
create
your

income.
You
create
your
retirement
account.
You
buy
your
own
health

insurance,
which
is
now
much
easier
thanks
to
Obamacare.
You
do
not
really

get
vacation
as
a
freelancer.
You
just
have
days
you
donʼt
make
any
money.

As
you
can
tell
from
reading
this,
I
did
not
go
full-time,
though
I
have
seriously

considered
it.
I
once
did
go
full-time
for
a
month,
and
it
was
amazing.

Why
I
Am
Not
a
Full-Time
Freelancer
(In
April,

2016,
I
went
full
time)

I
think
about
going
full-time
on
occasion
to
this
day.
When
I
have
been
in

jobs
I
was
not
happy
with,
I
thought
about
it
every
day.
These
days,
it
is
not
a

big
consideration
for
me.

I
have
a
job
I
really
do
enjoy.
I
wish
I
could
work
at
home
a
bit
more
often,

but
I
like
going
into
the
office
and
interacting
with
my
co-workers.
I
like

knowing
that
every
15th
and
30th
I
will
get
a
nice
direct
deposit
into
my

account.
I
like
the
social
aspects
of
working
for
a
big
company,
and
I
have

been
successful
getting
raises
and
promotions
sprinkled
along
the
way.
I

now
make
more
than
double
what
I
did
in
my
first
year
out
of
college
in
2007

not
including
side
income.

Most
importantly,
I
have
a
wonderful
wife
and
a
daughter
on
the
way.
We

are
fortunate
to
be
in
a
situation
where
my
wife
can
work
on
our
businesses

and
will
be
able
to
stay
home
with
our
family.
This
is
all
thanks
to
the
day

job.
My
side
income
is
great
money
to
have,
but
would
not
pay
for
our

current
standard
of
living
on
its
own.

Last
year,
I
did
have
a
bad
day
where
I
lost
my
old
job.
I
didnʼt
look
on
the

situation
with
despair.
I
had
a
huge
emergency
fund
saved
and
was
bringing

in
a
steady
side
income.
In
the
month
I
had
away
from
full-time
employment,

my
side
income
doubled.
I
have
been
able
to
hold
that
income
level
most

months
since
despite
losing
the
8-10
hours
a
day
I
spend
in
the
office.
I
left
the
meeting
where
I
lost
my
job
excited
about
a
new
career
as
a

freelancer.
It
was
just
about
a
month
after
the
high
of
World
Domination

Summit
in
Portland,
where
I
was
inspired
by
peopleʼs
amazing
stories
of

entrepreneurship
and
passion.
I
was
ready
to
jump
on
board.

But
just
a
few
hours
after
getting
home
from
that
fateful
meeting,
I
got
a

fateful
email
from
a
recruiter
via
LinkedIn.
That
email
led
to
a
meeting,
which

led
to
an
interview,
which
led
to
the
job
I
have
today.
I
was
brought
into
a

great
company
by
a
great
manager,
and
I
am
very
happy
with
the
decision
I

made.

Without
this
job,
I
would
not
have
my
house
that
I
bought
last
November,

among
other
things.
Sure,
there
was
a
big
opportunity
cost
to
what
could

have
been,
but
Iʼm
happy
with
my
decision
for
the
time
being,
and
the

foreseeable
future.

For
now,
Iʼm
happily
go
to
work
five
days
a
week
and
spend
my
evenings

and
weekends
doing
the
side
income
hustle.
The
$30,000+
per
year
I
bring
in

lets
us
save
heavily
for
the
future,
go
on
plenty
of
weekend
getaways,
and

helps
to
ensure
that
I
donʼt
have
to
stress
about
money.

Life
is
good,
and
thatʼs
what
freelancing
is
all
about.