7 Popular Freelance Services You Can Make A Successful Career Of
Have you considered quitting your job and freelancing full-time? If so, just know that you are not alone. At least one in three people are freelancing in some form or fashion. And, it’s believed the number will only increase in the years to come. This means you have more and more chances to earn money how you want – and not by someone else’s rules.
Of course, you may wonder what types of freelance services you should offer. Believe it or not, you can offer any kind of freelancing service you want. But, if you want to take a professional approach to freelancing, then you need to consider an in-demand service to ensure regular amounts of work.
Which one is right? Which one is wrong? There’s no exact one right answer to that question. Some people attain success with unexpected areas whereas others choose to focus on the more popular freelancing categories. Whatever you decide to do, the thing to remember is to do it above expectations to ensure your success in freelancing.
What are some of the most in-demand freelancing jobs that you can do to make a little (or a lot) or money? Consider the following ideas for freelancing services and decide which one makes the most sense for you.
Writer/Editor
There’s no reason you need formal training to become a writer. You may have an English or Journalism degree, but it’s not a necessity to become a freelance writer and to make a great profit from it. Many people have become a successful freelance writer, never having any sort of training. In fact, some just take the leap of faith and become successful.
If you want to become a freelance writer and be successful at it, you need to choose a niche (a genre). The narrower the niche, the better your chances of being successful. You may think that limiting your writing to a certain genre hinders your chances of being successful, but, in actuality, it helps to find even more clients and come across as an expert. Once you’ve attained that status, more clients will seek you out through referrals, which leads to even more money.
The hard part of it all is just getting started. And, once you do, you may have to take on a few lower paying gigs to prove your worth to clients – to perfect your skills, establish a portfolio and prove how good of a writer and/or editor you are.
A great writer can make $55 an hour, but you have to understand that some freelance writing gigs are low paying. If you want to make a lot of money, you need to perfect your writing skills and do some research.
Transcriptionist
Many people are under the mistaken impression that transcription isn’t as necessary as once was, especially with the development of speech-to-text technology / artificial intelligence. However, consider all the legal and insurance transcription jobs that need verbatim accounts. Video captioning is necessary for picking up on the emotions, atmospherics and other things the audience needs to know what is happening.
Humans have a better understanding of the subtleties in speech than computers can ever do. Many companies do not want to use artificial intelligence and still prefer an actual human. Consider the number of transcription companies who hire independent contractors and freelancers to turn audio into text. Many companies have a plethora of work that they’re unable to stay up on all the demand. They need to hire typists to assist them in getting the work done.
How can you become a transcriptionist? You need three things:
- High-quality headset
- Foot pedal
- Transcription software
There’s no reason to have any prior experience. You just need to have three things:
- Strong understanding of grammar
- Can type quickly and precisely
- Listen to what is being said and type it out at the same time
This is a skill you need to master, but it can be done. Of course, taking a transcription course can improve your chances of becoming a successful freelance transcriptionist.
Virtual Assistant
While Siri, which is essentially a virtual assistant app, helps people attain the things they want quicker, they are still not as good as human beings. When you work as a virtual assistant to a busy company owner or professional, you do the following tasks for them:
- Schedule appointments
- Calendar management
- Answer calls
- Return emails
- Travel arrangements
Keep in mind that this is just some of the many tasks a virtual assistant may be asked to do. It will really depend on the client and what needs they have. If a freelance virtual assistant is what you would like to do, you’ll be glad to know that many companies will hire them as an independent contractor. It’s possible to become a virtual assistant without any prior experience, but make sure to do some homework here to ensure you get the right gig.
Bookkeeper
If you love numbers and math, you’re going to love bookkeeping. Best of all, you can do it all remotely. This is why freelancing from home is such a lucrative idea for prospective bookkeepers. A small business owner must keep good track of all their expenses and run the daily operations. It is why many of them will go to a freelance bookkeeper to handle the books for them.
Now, don’t make the mistake of thinking a bookkeeper is the same thing as an accountant – they are not the same. Accountants generally give advice to clients about the company’s finances and review things such as payroll and taxes. Bookkeepers, on the other hand, record the various transactions a company has and keeps an eye on the money going in and going out. If something appears to be off about the records, the bookkeeper can let the business owner know what they suspect.
You may think that to become a freelance bookkeeper, you must have a degree or some prior experience. A person who little to no experience can actually become a very successful freelance bookkeeper.
Marketers
If you have a marketing background, freelancing your services can net you anywhere from $45 to $55 an hour. As a marketer, you help to develop strategies for brands, use social media and work on establishing and building a relationship with customers. The great thing about this type of freelancing career is that finding that one company that loves what you do can give you long-term work.
To become a successful freelance marketer is similar to becoming a freelance writer, you need to define a niche to work in. You need to create a brand and produce some business. In order to become successful, you need to do come up with a marketing plan for yourself (how will you let potential clients know that you are “open” for business. You need to know what strengths you have and identify your weaknesses. Research who your target audience is. Determine what start-up costs you will have.
Graphic Designers
Graphic designers can use both new and old ways to make money. In the past, it was just corporate logos and advertisements graphic designers could do. However, a graphic designer can use their talent on the internet, specializing in Internet graphics. You could draw an avatar or do graphic designing for video games, online videos or even ads. While graphic designers can work with a single entity and make good money, as a freelancer, they can work with multiple companies and do quite well for themselves.
Nurses
Most people would never suspect the medical field to be tied to freelancing. However, there’s been an increased demand for nurses who would like to work from home. This isn’t home healthcare, but home-based nurses that help patients remotely.
Case managers and telephonic nurses are extremely popular freelancing jobs. Their duties include calling patients, talking to them about their healthcare needs, reminding them that they must take their medications and address any health-related concerns and questions.
Another freelancing avenue a nurse can try is case reviewers for an insurance agency or law office. As a nurse, you would look over the different medical records and look for potential problems and mistakes.
5 Key Reasons People Become A Freelancer (In Whatever Career They Choose)
There are tons of freelancing services out there – not just the ones mentioned above. But, it’s important to know why you’re freelancing in the first place. Before you attempt a freelancing career, you should have a definitive reason why you are doing it. It sounds easy to get going on, but the reality is that it’s much harder than it looks and you may think.
So, what are some of the reasons you are freelancing?
You’re The Boss
Most people, who decide to become a freelancer, do it because they like the idea of being their own boss. They don’t have to work for someone who is a control freak or clock in. They don’t have to worry about being late to work or commuting to and from work. They love the idea of working for themselves, and not someone else.
You Make Decisions
As a freelancer and business owner, you have the power to decide what to do or wear. If you want to wear pajamas while working on a webpage or writing a blog article for a client, you can do so. If you want to wear a suit and tie, you can do that too. You have the freedom to choose what’s right for your business.
You Can Work Wherever
As a business owner, you have the freedom to work wherever you want. If you’re tired of looking at the four walls of your office, you can take the laptop and write at a local coffee shop or the park. If you can get the job done in a place other than a home office, then no one can stop you from doing so.
You Can Choose Your Projects and Clients
The great thing about freelancing is the freedom to also choose who you want to work with and who you don’t. For example, if you’re not keen on writing articles about sex products, you can respectively turn the client down. When you work for a company, you don’t have the freedom to do this. If you have a client that seems rather troublesome, you can let them know that you can no longer work for them without being rude about it. If you’re annoyed by a client, you can just let them go.
You Can Charge What You Want
As a freelancer, you can make as much money as you want or take on as much business as you can feasibly handle. Freelancers often make more money than those who work for a company – usually because they need to pay for things themselves such as healthcare, equipment, vacations and other expenses.
What To Remember…
All your efforts you put forth into your freelancing career can lead to great rewards. However, you need to remember that you have to find the perfect freelancing career that will work for you – something you have a genuine interest for. When it comes to freelance services, choose the one that speaks to you and something you feel you could do easily and effortlessly.
Freelance Jobs, Professional Development, Working From Home Tips
