You are young, intelligent, talented and ready to put your small business ideas into action. The fear of leaving a full-time job might make you feel hesitant about freelancing.

I remember staring at a window when I worked a full-time job wondering if my corporate skills could land me my first freelance gig. It took two years of moonlighting on the weekend while writing for content mills that paid low rates. As time passed, I realized the industry is open to people like you that are ready to sacrifice some of their personal life to finish tentative assignments.

How To Build a Career as an At-Home Freelancer

Now is the best time to pursue a dream of fixing people’s problems with a unique solution. I am living proof that the industry has an abundance of freelance work opportunities for people ready to work smart.

The next time you disregard the idea of starting a freelance business, here are my helpful tips to get started.

Know Your Professional Strengths

The freelancers that are winning, primarily work in healthcare, consulting, graphic design, writing, and human resources.

I learned in the beginning that the experience at work could help me transition into the freelance lifestyle. For example, leadership, public speaking, effective communication, and presentation skills helped me build confidence in facing a CEO of a company to present my services. The most used resume examples will help with writing a resume that will capture hidden strengths to send to potential clients.

The downside of freelancing is your weakness can be the reason why clients won’t hire you. I learned that feedback from clients should be immediately corrected because repetitive mistakes can lead to the loss of a good client.

Marketing Your Personal Brand

The truth is 80% of my time is spent marketing and the rest of the day I complete assignments. I wake up early and connect with organizations or reach out to social influencers. Marketing can be collaborative with seasoned freelancers that can propel your career.

Social media profiles that include LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, are a few of the most effective tools to announce you are ready to start freelancing. Small business marketing is a learnable skill if you have an interest in taking University courses or online webinars to learn.

I recommend you tell personal stories of your failures and achievements instead of focusing on products or services. The moment I started to allow myself to be vulnerable with my audience was when success became a reality.

If you need help with marketing, follow a few of the top freelancers or social influencers in your industry to learn what helps them to succeed.

Think About Your Future

Did you know 43% of millennials freelance? I remember dreaming of the reality of independence without being micromanaged while working. I knew that the 65-year plan of working to support someone else’s dream would continue to make me unhappy.

According to a CNBC article, “Forty-one percent of millennials haven’t started saving for retirement, and they earn 20 percent less on average compared to Baby Boomers when they were of the same age.” It is an alarming surprise, but it can be prevented by owning a side business.

Think of it this way. If you work full-time, the money earned completing freelance assignments can be invested or in a savings account. The confidence of knowing money is being set aside each month can be the beginning of a bright future.

I recommend you hold onto your full-time job before you make a transition into freelancing. The day I was able to leave the corporate world was when my freelance work became overwhelming while balancing a job.

Know Your Worth

The truth is people that freelance can earn 50% more than a person working for a company. Freelance rates are set based on experience and the ability to prove your hard work has helped previous clients.

At the end of the year, I write a personal plan on how much I want to make per hour, each day and per year. I include what I plan to do to make it happen. This plan remains in my home office to remind me of my self-worth in this business.
If you can charge clients an hourly rate and complete the work within the hourly, it will increase the chance of achieving your goal.

Final Thoughts

The freelance industry is expected to grow in the next decade because people have a chance to be financially independent through their talent. As the economy changes, freelancers can rest assured that organizations across the globe will continue to need them for ongoing work.

I am more confident about my future because I am doing what I love. The fulfillment of waking up every day to write for individuals and organizations can become your reality.

You can never be too young to start a business. Imagine the people in your community that can benefit off your invention or business idea. You have the power to control your destiny.

Makeda Waterman is a professional writer with clips from CNBC Make It., Yahoo Finance News, Huffington Post, Glassdoor.com, Elite Daily, Bizcatalyst360.com, among others. She is passionate about helping people improve their personal lives and career’s through her writing.

Featured Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash