More and more people are choosing freelance as their main source of income. Why? Because freelancing is about a free schedule, the ability to work in a convenient place and clothes (pajamas – one love), a low threshold for entering the market, and traveling to other countries. In other words, freelancing means creating an optimal balance between family, environment, and work. That is why according to freelance stats, self-employment is chosen by about 1.1 billion people around the world every year.

Freelancing also allows making good money under certain conditions. Today we will tell you why it’s becoming ever more popular and how to earn more by working on your own.

Why is freelance in demand?

Freelance is a growing trend that has plenty of pros. The biggest advantage is independence from anyone, a free work schedule, and the ability to work from home.

Also, freelancers have the opportunity to choose interesting and profitable projects and refuse the work that they don’t like. In the office, employees often perform delegated tasks that cannot be denied.

Moreover, freelancing is about the ability to independently choose partners and adapt to the established team: there are creative teams, namely employees with whom you can collaborate, on freelance.

By the way, what is freelance for employers? Also, pure benefits. They can:

• pay only for the work performed, and not for the hours spent in the office;

• hire a highly qualified person to the implementation of one or another piece of a project for a lower budget;

• save on the workplace in the expensive modern offices;

• avoid the provision of the benefits packages, as well as vacation and sick leave payouts. And, of course, an employer can minimize paperwork and some kind of reporting.

Ways to increase freelance income

Here are some simple tips on how to increase your value and become the very specialist that everyone wants to hire.

#1. Learn new things every day

Your services will cost more if they meet the day-to-day needs of your customers. If a trend is emerging, you should be the first to know about it. Having studied the digital trend in time, you can introduce the service faster than competitors and increase its cost.

#2. Stand out on the freelance sites 

• Edit the name of the service. Most often, the clients search for the desired service through filters in headings or precise searches. For example, they are looking for not just "Scenario," but "Scenario for TikTok." 

• Create an expressive cover. The first thing customers pay attention to when they enter the catalog is freelance covers. A good cover not only catches the eye but also complements the name of the service.

• Demonstrate your experience and explain the steps to complete the service. Talk and better show the case studies or projects you've done. Also, make sure to show that you have relevant experience and you can do even the most tricky tasks. Without describing verbally, you can record a video of how you cope with the task using the screen recorder for Windows. This way, you show yourself as a real professional who deserves a good charge.

#3. Build long-term relationships

Treat each prospect customer as a partner, not a one-time “bag of money.” Most of the customers are entrepreneurs. They value professionalism, the ability to conduct a dialogue and solve problems. The customer needs fruitful cooperation and will be ready to pay more to a partner.

#4. Automate routine processes

Try to automate your workflows to save time. If you're not doing well with automation, turn to delegation. For example, if there is some kind of routine work that takes a lot of time, but brings little income, give it to an assistant. Copywriters can hire an editor who will proofread and edit their texts and hand them over to the customer, to focus directly on writing texts and working with information. The time saved can be spent on new orders or training.

#5. Add extra options.

Add related services to the main one that the client can order. For example, if you are developing logos, suggest animations or stickers in Telegram. All these contribute to long-term relationships and increase income, making you a truly successful freelancer.

How to become a freelancer: a step-by-step checklist 

1. Decide on the field of activity: do you want to change it or stay in your industry as an independent worker? As a rule, design, copywriting, journalism, law, programming, translation, photography, and video filming are the highest-paid freelance jobs online. However, you can independently provide accounting services and even make repairs – all these are types of freelancing.

2. The next step is to design a digital portfolio. It should include any work that you consider successful. After that, you can start looking for freelance work.

3. Where can a freelancer look for work? One of the most popular and reliable ways to find a customer is through recommendations from satisfied customers. Social media also work well: just write a winning bio and voila, – you’ll get the first orders. Also, you can publish a post or story about what you can do, what tasks you are interested in, what projects you have already worked on. Ask your friends to share them.

Another method, which is primarily suitable for novice freelancers, is specialized exchanges. Top websites include Fiverr, Upwork, Behance, and Freelance.com. By the way, the popular Guru is also among the best freelance websites.

4. To protect yourself when working with clients directly, you need to draw up a sample contract and sign it with each new customer. Customers, as well as you, need guarantees that the work will be done on time and be fully paid.

5. Prepare a financial pillow. It should be enough for at least a couple of months of a comfortable life. After all, freelancing at first is an unpredictable business.

6. Don't forget about properly managing your tax documents. It isn't an easy task as filling them out might be challenging, but this is especially important for freelancers and small business owners who often have more complex tax situations compared to regular employees. But it's possible to find services that offer tax form templates as well as guides to filling them out on their platform. It's also essential to stay informed about any tax changes that might affect you. In this regard, in 2024, IRS has introduced some changes aimed at simplifying the tax filing process and providing more clarity on deductions and credits. Additionally, new guidelines have been issued for remote workers and gig economy earners, reflecting the changing nature of work in the post-pandemic world.

Final words

Freelancing is the key to freedom and good permanent income. But don’t forget that to achieve great results, you must boost your skills daily.

Always be open, share your works as much as possible. Show yourself and your expert power to a potential customer, and constantly develop. Gradually experience, the number of orders and their price will only increase.