Switch To Freelancing: Why Consider It?

Seen this image recently?

Then it is a no-brainer to think that right now is the time to switch to dollar-based income, the recent inflation in dollar value has outpaced any level of increments or promotions over the last 5 years. So it is my request to anyone who has a career based around skills that can be easily transitioned to a remote job or freelancing, should really consider this article.

If you are a:

• Developer
• Designer
• Content Writer
• Copywriter
• Virtual Assistant
• Project Manager

There are many opportunities for you to fight against the mindset of having a ‘safe’ local job. Job Security is a myth now, having more savings is the only way to thrive in this economy long term (yes I will write an article on savings soon, no promises).

Now I am no economist, but common sense says that dollars into the country is a really good thing, and as a freelancer or working remotely and directly with foreign clients is an excellent way to boost the balance sheet.

One might say that ‘hey, you don’t pay income tax on freelancing!’ but to them, I will say that I don’t think the small number of people who are skilled enough to transition to freelancing outweighs the local income tax corruption issues — this will turn into yet another article perhaps.

Lastly, there is a strong argument against taxing freelancers who are trying to boost the economy by bringing in US Dollars and will usually be spending more than people earning locally and hence paying more in form of indirect taxes.

That is beside the point however, the point of this article is to help you get started with solopreneurship slash freelancing slash working remotely slash cutting free of the matrix I suppose.

Freelancing is not for everyone, but it can be

I would love it if everyone could do it, but honestly, everyone has different priorities in life, that being said, what everyone wants to do is usually not the most optimal thing to do, so get started when you can.

The first step, the hardest step, is to create profiles, a lot of profiles. Here are the top freelancing platforms I want you to consider, now depending on what you do — some are better than others, but I am still ranking them in order of easiest to find long-term success with:

1. https://www.upwork.com/
2. https://www.fiverr.com/
3. https://www.peopleperhour.com/

I would suggest if you are starting out, have a profile on each of the platforms, my profile is here.

Feel free to take inspiration — BUT always write your own words.

All of these platforms have very helpful guides and communities to get started with, I highly suggest you go through them and get fully onboarded:

Freelancing is a start, not the end

This is where having a portfolio comes in, once enough work is done, you have enough to make it worth working on your portfolio.

Thousands of tools exist to help you create your own website or microsite, or if they are too expensive for you, start improving your LinkedIn profile.

The website you are on right now is meant to serve as my portfolio, along with my LinkedIn profile — anyone can do it.

Here are the things you need to focus on when working on your portfolio:

1. What do you offer
2. What problems are you trying to solve
3. Any reviews or testimonials
4. Any works you can represent
5. A quick and easy way to get in touch with you

I am a strong believer in platform loyalty, I made a decent living on Upwork, so any work I get through it will ALWAYS stay on it — but having a portfolio on the side that can very well link to your Upwork (like mine does) is a perfect thing to add on to your freelancing prowess.

Look at Wix and Squarespace for your website — if you are a bit more tech-savvy; go for a WordPress site — you will thank me later.

For microsites, my current favorite is bio.link — very easy to set up a site like https://saqibtahirpk.bio.link/

You will never think of going back to a job

Got some gigs, got a portfolio done, have a website perhaps?

Now you will never have to think of working a 9 to 5 again, possibly — but you do need to take the steps below to solidify your solopreneurship.

1) Have a way to get paid

Be loyal to the platforms you are on, pay them their cut, BUT if you do get reached out directly, have a way to work independently, this is where the following comes in:

Did you know that SadaPay recently released a feature (SadaBiz) where if you are a freelancer, you can request direct payments from clients?

To enable this you will need a business account, but once done the process is quite simple, here is a helpful link: https://sadapay.pk/biz/

2) Have a way to let clients schedule

Just create a free Calendly account, have a link populated wherever you post or have your portfolio, let people know you are available to talk, when needed

3) Work on services and offerings

As a business (almost) you need to have products and services ready to sell when the clients do come in. No matter what your industry is, there are things to sell, focus on what needs to be solved, build your services around it — market them on your portfolio

If Freelancing is that easy? Why isn’t everyone doing it

Because it is not easy, words on a paper or screen like this article sound easy, but a lot of effort goes into making it work. I strongly believe that freelancing is a mindset, a mindset most people take in the wrong way.

People doing 9 to 5 don’t consider freelancing because they think it is not a secure way of making income, while thousands get laid off every 6 months worldwide.

People doing freelancing, get burnt out quite fast because they don’t have a roadmap to stick to and keep improving along with.

Lastly, people do not value the right propositions, yes income is a good value to have in mind, but sustainability should always be the goal, you must make passion and profit work for each other at the end of the day.