Yuwanda Black - The Ultimate Freelancers Guidebook: Learn How to Land the Best Jobs, Build Your Brand, and Be Your Own Boss

Avon, Massachusetts

Copyright 2016 Simon and Schuster

All rights reserved.

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by

Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.

www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-4405-9678-6

ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9678-0

eISBN 10: 1-4405-9679-4

eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-9679-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Black, Yuwanda, author.

The ultimate freelancer's guidebook / Yuwanda Black.

Avon, Massachusetts: Adams Media, [2016]

Includes bibliographical references and index.

LCCN 2016014815 (print) | LCCN 2016023886 (ebook) | ISBN 9781440596780 (pb) | ISBN 1440596786 (pb) | ISBN 9781440596797 (ebook) | ISBN 1440596794 (ebook)

LCSH: Self-employed. | Vocational guidance. | BISAC: BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Careers / General. | BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Careers / Job Hunting. | BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Project Management.

LCC HD8036 .B53 2016 (print) | LCC HD8036 (ebook) | DDC 658--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016014815

Cover design by Frank Rivera.

For my mother, Geraldine, who instilled in me a sense of fearlessness, the importance of education, and self-confidence. I love, honor, and miss you every day.

To my friends and family: thanks for your patience as I cut you short on phone calls, left messages unacknowledged for days (sometimes weeks), and declined invitations so I could adhere to deadlines.

To my sister, Cassandra, in particular for telling me, You can do it; just a little longer, when I was dead tired and didnt see a way to finishing.

To Acquisitions Editor Eileen Mullan (Adams Media), for approachingand entrustingme to write this book. Thank you for this opportunity. It was a career milestone Ill forever cherish. You were a joy to work with.

To Developmental Editor Peter Archer (Adams Media), for making this book so much better than it would have been with his insightful edits. Thank goodness for your keen eye!

More Americans are going freelance every daysome by choice; some forced by circumstance.

No matter how you may arrive at this career option, with the right information, you can thrive as a freelancer. It doesnt have to be a scary, challenging road. It can be rewarding, exciting, and fulfillingwith a step-by-step guide to help you chart your path to success. And thats what this guide is. Youll learn everything from how to write a business plan, to how to market for clients, to how to brand your freelance business.

The twenty-first-centurys global economy has laid the foundation for the demand of a freelance workforce. For those willing to seize the opportunities presented, the sky is literally the limit.

Heres to your success!

Independent Contractor.

Contract Worker.

Freelancer.

No matter what you call them, these types of workers are becoming increasingly common. In many companies across the country using freelancing services is becoming the new norm.

Millions are taking the leap into this career path, once considered a nontraditional career option. Consider the following stats. Although they vary according to source, one thing they all make clear is that freelancing is here to stay.

• Eighty percent of large corporations say they plan to substantially increase their use of a flexible workforce, shifting from hiring full-time employees to using free agent employees.
• According to Freelancing in America, a survey conducted by Upwork and the Freelancers Union, a staggering 53 million U.S. workers, 34 percent of the workforce, are now freelancing.

What is it about freelancing thats attracting these enormous numbers of people? After all, freelancing can be scary, since it doesnt offer the security of a regular job with health benefits and a steady paycheck.

In fact, freelancing is a great alternative to a traditional job. But you have to get in the right mindset. Once you do that, the advantages can be enormous.

Stop and ask yourself the question. Dont answer vaguely with something like, I hate my job! That may be true, but making a decision based on a negative emotion is usually much less productive than deciding because of a positive one. Instead of I hate my job, how about, I want to follow my passion.

For example, if your passion is paragliding, think, How can I monetize this?

Are there paragliding classes in your area? If not, as a freelancer can you offer such classes? If there are already classes, how many outlets offer them? Could your geographic area support one more teacher offering classes? Just because theres competition does not mean that your idea is not a good one; it just means you have to do some investigating.

Practically no idea under the sun is new. That means that no matter what kind of freelance business you start, you are going to have to prepare a business plan to see if its feasible.

The bottom line: figure out why you want to freelance because thats what will motivate you to push through any angst, fears, and stumbling blocks you may encounter along the way.

Some other benefits of freelancing include the following.

With just over a third of the American workforce engaged in some form of freelancing, an argument could be made that freelancing is the new job security.

But, you may be thinking, as a freelancer, Ill only be as successful as my next gig. And the more people who are freelancing, the more competition Im facing, which doesnt lead to job security.

Excellent point.

However, consider this: As a full-time employee, youre only as secure as your current employer says you are, because all your financial eggs are in one basket. If the parent company in Europe decides the U.S.-based branch in Dallas isnt as profitable as it should be, your company could be sold, reorganized, or go out of business. Where does that leave you? Potentially without a job.

When you freelance, you rely on more than one client/customer. If one of them disappears (is sold, reorganized, or goes out of business), they dont take your whole paycheck with them because your financial eggs are always in several baskets.

Freelancing forces you to keep your skills sharp. Because you have to be constantly in tune with what competitors in your niche are doing, you have to consistently upgrade existing skills and acquire new ones.

Two valuable skills that freelancing hones to perfection are marketing and customer service. If youre not consistently marketing to get new clients in the door and providing excellent customer service to existing clients, youll soon find yourself without any clients.

In short, freelancing motivates you to keep your soft and hard skill sets sharp. Its vital to staying competitive.

Do you fight the urge to throw your alarm clock across the room each morning? Do you feel the most energized from 5 P.M . until midnight? Is morning your least favorite time of day? As a freelancer, you can work with your natural body clock, instead of fitting it into a predetermined schedule made up by someone else.