Make Your Work Transition Smart: 4 Ways To Prepare Yourself For Becoming A Freelancer

Working for yourself seems like a distant dream when you are still stuck in the 9 to 5. But it’s just a matter of a good plan, strategy and consistent focused work in order to get there.

You can be a freelancer a few months or even weeks from now, and earn enough to escape the rat race in a year. Nothing brings more happiness than a freedom to be a master of your time. If set well, freelancing can be as much profitable (or more) than a regular work. And being your own boss is so attractive! 

Wondering how to escape the office routine and become a freelancer? Here is how.

1. Start while at your Regular Job.

Some people forget that the beginning doesn’t need to include drastic lifestyle changes. You can do your research, plan your next steps, find your first client and actually become a freelancer while at your current job.

You can use your early mornings and late evenings as well as weekends. Add to that your lunch break and the time you spend commuting. That’s what dedication means and that’s how you build the foundation of your freelance career.

2. Choose your Niche.

There are a few ways to transition into freelance work. You can simply do what you have experience with but remotely and with your own clients.

You can choose one of your other talents or skills in life and start getting paid for that. Or you can learn a completely new skill, start with no experience and work hard till you build a name for yourself in the industry.

That’s part of the planning process and it’s worth going through this now. Think this through, carefully choose your niche and make sure you’re passionate about it. You will be investing years of your life (or maybe a lifetime) in this so it’s worth having an interest in it.

3. Be Ready to do the Work before you see any Money.

Freelancing isn’t for everyone. Some people feel comfortable at a day job as it makes them feel safe. The thought of not being sure whether they will meet their minimum budget next month scares them. So they prefer to answer to a boss, go to an office 5 times a week and have little time left for themselves.

However, freelancing is actually freedom. It allows you to set your own working hours, to take time off when you feel like and to work twice as hard when inspiration hits. Even though you work for clients who pay you, you are the boss and can find new ones and ditch old ones if you aren’t happy with the collaboration.

One thing to know before you transition into freelance work is that it takes time to build your portfolio and find a paying client. That time is necessary to hone in on your craft, understand how the market works and form relationships. Once it happens and you become someone in the niche, clients will start finding you.

4. Work on your New Mindset.

Last but not least, leaving the 9 to 5 and becoming a freelancer would mean making a mind shift.

For example, are you ready to find focus when you’re distracted, to set the right expectations with a new client, to negotiate your rates, to research and network in your free time, to structure your day in the most effective way for maximum productivity? Because these are all things you will need to do to make it as a freelancer. Start getting ready for that lifestyle now.

Whatever your future business is, if it’s a startup, becoming an artist or having a yoga youtube channel that’s how you make your transition smart and can make money freelancing and be the boss of your time sooner. What will you start with?