What would you do with $500 extra dollars a month?

A big reason you’re on my site right now is to find out what it takes to be free from working for the man, or woman, or for anyone.

Freelancing is the gateway drug to starting your own business and creating content for money versus trading time for money.

Recently, I have discovered the joys of freelancing and have added it to my repertoire of side hustles.

It’s time I brought you along for the journey!

Why Should You Freelance?

Freelancing is providing services as an independent contractor with no obligation of employment and complete autonomy.

It sounds kind of technical, but it really just means you take on individual jobs (Our article on side hustles)that someone pays you to do.

What makes freelancing so powerful, is the freedom it allows you to have while maintaining the status quo of your day job.

The past is filled with stories of people working two jobs to get by and or get ahead, but in this internet driven world, we can work freelance opportunities on our own time.

This means no hourly wage or obligations on where you need to be.

Imagine sitting on a beach in Maui writing articles for a publication and being paid as you complete them!

This is the freedom that you are searching for and need.

How To Start Freelancing?

It’s easy! It can also be frustrating when starting out! Wait, don’t click away.

Anything worth doing takes some effort, and we are all comfortable in the 9-5 routine.

Freelancing will take an effort to sell yourself,  show others that you can do a task up to their standards.

Once you have built up some respectability(and reviews), it becomes easier to acquire new tasks.

Here are some sites to get you started:

• Upwork– This site has a wealth of freelance opportunities, from software development to marketing and everything in between. Set your own rates and provide proposals to earn work.
• Fiverr– If you can create something or do something of value, then there is a place for you on Fiverr. Create a profile that sells your skills and you’ll be off to the races.
• Rev– This is an opportunity that allows you to transcribe or translate on a per word basis. Only take jobs or work when you want, then easily get paid.
• UserTesting– This website helps large corporations test different aspects of their business. Market research opportunities that ask you to perform certain tasks and then you are paid exactly one week later.

While each of these sites has pros and cons, they all are a great place to get your feet wet and see what freelancing is all about.

The Advantages

• Freedom– Imagine a world where you casually brush away the jobs you don’t like and then grab the jobs you do with great fervor, this is the freedom you are given as a freelancer.
• Get Paid Quickly– With UserTesting, you are paid via PayPal exactly one week after completing a task. Upwork allows you to customize how often you are paid, even as often as weekly, and has many different options on how you are paid(PayPal, ACH, etc).
• Work In Your Pajamas– It’s a whole new world that values your abilities instead of what tie you wore that day or whether you’ve shaved or not. Freelancing allows you to be you and there is no commute!
• Build a Portfolio– Starting may be difficult(see Disadvantages), but building a portfolio of work that can be taken with you is invaluable. Looking long term, you could be a consultant or demand higher pay, because you have the portfolio to do so.
• Develop a Business and Entrepreneurial Mindset– If you are in the 9-5 life, you don’t always know what it takes to become an entrepreneur. Freelancing allows you to dip your toe in those waters and manage your time, tasks, and money. It isn’t a full-fledged business, but you could turn it into one.

The Disadvantages

• Pay– The pay can be low to start. If you haven’t built a portfolio, or you don’t have many skills on offer to start, you could work a lot of hours for little pay.
• Hustle– Freelancing is not easy, and if it was, everyone would do it. The market can be a very competitive place. Make sure you market yourself on your strongest talents and show what you know to get your first gigs.

My Experience So Far

As 2018 closes and 2019 bears down upon us, I have found my freelancing journey to be a massive success.

So far I have earned about $1000 in about a month and a half.

I started this freelance journey in November 2018, and my success came from finding freelance work on Upwork.com.

I was hired for an initial test contract writing for a financial blog(surprise!).

After the initial test post, I was given 3 more contracts to end the year. Without going into too much detail, these contracts added $1000 to my bank account and made Christmas a rousing success!

Freelancing is changing my life.

Freelancing can change your life, too.

The new year gives me an opportunity to grow this portion of my online business and create a sustained income.

This benefits me way more than just Christmas Gifts, and it will help to make me debt free before the end of 2019!

Quick Action Tips

• Find out what you are good at and are willing to do in your spare time. Some freelancing gigs can be mind numbingly boring, but you may appreciate not having to use your noggin after a hard day at work.
• Make sure to put your best foot forward. Almost all freelancing gigs are rated after your turn in your work. Whether you are writing, evaluating, or coding, do great work and you’ll be rewarded with more clients.
• Don’t lose focus. Working on the side means that you are in control of how much work you do. Losing focus means that you are not completing gigs or even accepting new ones.
• You do have marketable skills and talents. Take an hour and look through some of the options I provided above. I can guarantee that you will find something that you can do and do well. Too many folks think they aren’t capable of earning money online. I know that you can.

Conclusion

Your dreams are going to be decided by how badly you want them. Click To Tweet

Your dreams (Our article on Dreaming BIG)are going to be decided by how badly you want them.

Freelancing is a measurable way of testing how much you are willing to do to reach those dreams.

We want to be frugal, of course, but making more money will fill the coffers much faster. Every extra dollar can go towards funding a new online business, paying down debt, or funding your IRA. 

We’ve talked about having a business and success mindset(Our article on creating a winning attitude) now go out there and do it!

Have you tried freelance work before? What advice would you give to a newbie?

We want to know about your experience and any advice you’d give to those starting this amazing journey.