How to Start an Online Freelance Business with Almost Nothing

How to Start an Online Freelance Business with Almost Nothing

When I was completed my B.Sc (computer science) then I wanted to become a IT administrator but after completing MCA , my mind went to become a business administrator. After that I joined North Bengal University for MBA in advertising management and got placed as regional manager in Hindustan Unilever Limited but I had left the job with in 1+ years. Working in a multinational company I had got lots of experience to become a freelancer to earn my bread & butter. Starting an online business can seem like a grand, daunting task. But it’s not as hard as you might think.

How to Start an Online Freelance Business

In this post, I’m going to show you how anyone reading this can start an online business where they can make hundreds to thousands of dollars a month or more right away. You don’t need an investor, you don’t need a team, you just need you and a few hours of your time. Everyone can do it.

Step 1: Free up 1-2 hours per day for your new freelance business

If your excuse is that you don’t have any time, make time. Instead of watching trashy reality TV shows, focus on your new online business instead.

If you spend hours a day browsing Facebook, Instagram – cut your social media addiction in half and spend that found time in your new business.

The point is, you can always find time. We all have the same amount of time, 24 hours in a day. There’s more than likely something you are doing that you could instead invest that time into an online business.

Step 2: Pick a category to freelance in

Here are a few ideas:

• Writing articles/content
• Graphic design
• Coding/programming
• Virtual assisting
• Copywriting
• Social media posting/marketing
• Online marketing
• Search engine optimization/link building
• Entry level accounting/book-keeping
• Data entry/spreadsheet work

…and countless others

Keep in mind that you don’t need to be an expert, yet. You will charge entry level prices for entry level work. You can start from the bottom and charge just a minimal price. Then as you get more skills you can raise the price. Just about anyone reading this can do basic tasks in all of the above.

Don’t be one of those people that says they can’t sell article writing services because they aren’t an expert. If you had an English class ever in your life you have the skills to at least charge $5 an article. Nobody is expecting gold for $5. They are expecting bronze at best. And in time you will be able to deliver gold and charge gold prices.

To get more of an idea of what kind of services you can market online easily, check out these  freelance sites:

• Upwork.com
• Elance.com
• Fiverr.com
• Freelancer.com
• Guru.com
• seoclerks
• gigbucks.com

Step 3: Register on freelance sites

Registering on freelance sites above will allow you to attract clients that will pay money for these services. If you are somewhat new in that field, you can charge as little as $5 to complete a job for someone on Fiverr.

Take a look at what other freelancers are doing and how they get jobs. Post as someone looking for a freelancer to see what the responses look like. Hire a fellow freelancer to get some tips on what works for them. Freelancers are the type that tend to bond tend and help each other, so don’t be afraid to ask.

As you enhance your skills more and more you can start to raise the price. I would recommend being perfectly honest with people on what your skills are at the time. Don’t try to start charging hundreds of dollars if you have never done it before. Raise the price as you gain experience and your reviews will help you demand those prices.

Step 4: Focus on doing a good job and getting quality reviews

As you complete more jobs make sure to ask your clients to leave you a review. As you gain more reviews you can raise the price. And as you gain more quality reviews you will also attract more clients. It’s a win/win.

Make sure that you under promise and over deliver. A lot of people make the mistake of over-promising and under delivering and this results in bad reviews. Do more than what you promised, not less. This results in exceeded expectations and great reviews.

If the customer doesn’t leave a review, simply ask. Another way to both help you sales and get good reviews is to explain to the client that you are new but dedicated and you will work your tail off for cheap to get a great review. Do this several times and build up quality reviews.

Step 5: Expanding your business from freelance platforms

People often ask what the next step is after freelance platforms. Well, there are several options:

Setup your own website and sell the same services there without having to pay the freelance sites a cut. You can get started on that by getting your own web hosting and domain name so you can build a site with a free tool such as WordPress.

Expand out into a new business for yourself. Instead of taking clients, do the skill you learned for yourself in your own project.

You can scale freelancing gigs pretty high by raising the price. Instead of having 100 clients paying $5, you can have 5 clients paying $100. That way you can handle more jobs and get paid more.

Freelancing is a great way to get started with an online business. After you have an initial client base and skill base the possibilities are endless. The money is also endless. Many people have scaled freelancing into full on agencies and massive companies.

You can also do freelancing while you have a full-time job. If you have an hour or two before or after work (which everyone should be able to find) you can invest that time into your freelance business. Before you know it you may have a great extra income stream or something that you can totally replace your 9-5 with.