What Is Freelancing?

The term freelancer was first seen in Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe in the late 1700s, from the words “free” and “lance.” Scott used it to refer to a medieval mercenary—a sort of roving soldier in the middle ages, who didn’t particularly care for morals, ethics, or even whom he fought. It’s probably not the ideal approach to a career nowadays, and this book hasn’t been written for those types, although it’s possible we’d all appreciate having some skills in jousting and swordplay up our sleeves when those projects go wrong.

Nowadays, a freelancer is defined as someone who sells his or her services to employers or clients without a long-term contract.

Freelancers often deal directly with their clients, or possibly work as a contractor to a number of larger businesses, which then on-sell the freelancer’s services to their own client base. In the main, working as a freelancer implies that you don’t have staff working for you, and that you frequently work for more than one client.

It’s fair to say that nowadays there are more freelancers working in diverse fields than ever before, and much of this explosion is directly related to the rise of the Web. The Internet has been responsible for a huge jump in the numbers of freelancers operating around the globe. The ease of electronic communication, ability to develop virtual teams among other freelancers online, and broad acceptance of freelancing has meant that over the past decade or so it has become a highly popular career choice for millions of people.

The most common industries in which freelancers dwell in abundance, apart from the Web, are knowledge-based professions such as copywriting, photography, business consulting, information technology, journalism, marketing, and graphic design. Many of these offline professionals have a role in our online sphere as suppliers or consultants, and many of the principles discussed in this book would apply to their world as well.

However, this book will discuss principles of successful freelancing as the relate specifically to the Web; if you are a web designer or web developer considering going it alone, this is for you.

Three step for building your reputation

Amongst clients: When you do consistently good work you will naturally develop a positive reputation amongst your clients. Every freelancer should strive to build a strong reputation with their clients as it leads to referral work and repeat jobs.

Locally: Being known in your area is one step better as you will be get work from unexpected sources who may have heard of you even though you haven’t heard of them. This is the first step to having a reputation that proceeds you.

In your industry: If you are known as being amongst the best in your industry in a specific area or overall, you will be able to command far higher rates as well as better jobs. As an expert, you will also earn the respect of your clients, and your suggestions and input will carry more weight. Sometimes you may not even need to be amongst the best to be well known. You may simply be outspoken or have a knack for generating publicity. A reputation takes time to build and requires you be genuinely good at what you do. You should be aiming to build a reputation that reinforces your brand value, however a natural part of any reputation is expertise.

Building a reputation is dependant on three elements:

(1) You must do something to set you apart
The actions you take to improve or expand your reputation depends on whether you want to focus on your industry, clients or your community at large. If your focus is your industry you might speak at an event or create a local group. If your focus is the community at large, you might speak at your local chamber of commerce to small businesses wanting to learn more about your industry, or create a blog that offers information to those wanting to learn more about your industry. If you are building a reputation amongst clients you might aim to win awards, produce consistently good work or provide amazing levels of service that people can’t help but talk about.

(2) You must generate publicity
Building a reputation is to become renowned or famous in one area. To do that you must be noticed. This means networking, being seen at events, or volunteering for not-for-profit activities. Your aim should be to network and become widely known in your industry or community.

(3) You must be consistent
The reason a reputation takes time to build is that it must be done consistently and over time. You can’t provide great service to one client and not to another and expect to maintain a reputation for great service. Similarly you can’t build a reputation as an expert by writing a single article or winning one award. You must repeat your achievements and develop your reputation over time and on a consistent basis.

Although difficult, building a reputation will reap rewards. You will gain respect in your industry and from clients, you will win better jobs and your rates will be a reflection of that.