How To Be A Successful Freelancer

Freelancing opportunities are growing rapidly across industries. Find out how to make the most of this trend.

When Sahil Manekia (see details below) returned to India after a 4-year stint in the US, he was expecting to land a good job with a leading organisation. However, the data analyst who specialises in assessing the impact of non-profit ventures, drew a blank.

“I wanted to focus on non-profit projects, but the jobs on offer did not match my skill set,” says the 29-year-old Mumbai resident. Manekia now works freelance for companies to assess the impact of their corporate social responsibility initiatives.

In another part of India’s financial capital, corporate trainer Maneesh Konkar is preparing a PowerPoint presentation for a workshop later during the month. A freelancer, 43-year-old Konkar conducts workshops for the sales teams of companies. Till now, he has trained employees of FMCG companies, consumer electronics manufacturers, auto companies and even IT firms.

“They may be from different sectors but the fundamentals of effective sales are the same across industries,” he says. Freelancing, once seen as the preserve of writers and photographers, is increasingly attracting professionals from other streams. The Internet has spawned opportunities for teachers, data analysts, IT professionals and corporate trainers like Konkar.

You can grab freelancing assignments not only in your city or in India but literally in any corner of the world. According to one estimate, every third user of Freelancer.com is from India.

The US-based website helps freelancers get assignments and takes a cut when the deal is done . It’s a trend that is slowly catching on. A growing number of professionals is junking regular employment to try their hands at freelancing. They are driven by the dream to be independent and work on their own terms without the straitjacket of a 9-to-5 job. To be fair, freelancing does unshackle the individual from the tyranny of corporate hierarchy.


You are your own boss and get to draw your own schedule. However, it is not a cakewalk. “While being on your own offers you the flexibility of working in your own fashion, it is certainly not a bed of roses. One has to work very hard to establish oneself and, subsequently, get a regular income to be successful,” says Aditya Narayan Mishra, president (staffing), of head-hunting firm, Randstad India.

 
The jobs are everywhere. What you need to do is find the niche that matches your expertise. “Don’t go by just the current demand, but also assess how it will shape up in the coming years,” says Sangeeta Lala, senior vice-president, Teamlease, an HR consultancy firm. It pays to keep yourself abreast of the latest developments in your chosen field.

When the Companies Bill was passed, Manekia immediately sensed an opportunity in the clause that requires companies of a certain size to spend 2% of their threeyear average annual profit on CSR initiatives.

“An in-depth research in your field goes a long way in finding your way in the market,” he says. Similarly, Mumbai-based freelance photographer Kedar Bhat (see details below) saw an opportunity in training amateur photographers. He charges Rs 3,000 per student for a one-day workshop.

Freelancers don’t have the luxury of a big brand name to back them. It is their work that speaks for them. So, the first step is to build a portfolio of work samples and testimonials from satisfied clients.

Don’t make it too extensive; just a select representation of what you are capable of. “If you don’t have any past work experience to showcase clients, then create dummy samples. Meeting a prospective client without any work sample is not a very good idea,” says Asif Upadhye, director at an employee engagement firm, Never Grow Up.

Appearances and behaviour count

Being your own boss doesn’t mean you can do things your way all the time. Yes, you are not an employee and there is no dress code for freelancers, but it’s important that your attire and demeanour exude professionalism.

You might not be taken seriously if you go to a meeting in casual wear. Similarly, you should realise that you are a marketing manager, cost accountant, HR head and CEO all rolled into one. Be polite when you meet your clients.

Don’t lose patience if they don’t understand your pitch, or look down upon them if they cannot afford your services. Keep one golden rule in mind: the customer is always correct. Listen to him, and then customise your offering to his needs. Don’t try to customise his needs to what you have to offer. Also, never shy away from seeking advice from others who have been in the market for a while.




Finding work

Finding work is perhaps the toughest part for a freelancer. He has to knock on several doors and spend time, money and energy trying to get work. “It can be very demoralising when you don’t get a response or your proposal is rejected,” says Konkar, who approached companies directly when he started freelancing. “The first two companies I approached were auto manufacturers.

The officials thought I was too young to be a trainer. After struggling for a few months, an IT company accepted my proposal and allowed me to train its employees,” he says. Zeroing in on work has become easier in recent years, with the advent of social media and websites that play matchmaker between clients and freelancers.

“Networking has significantly improved due to the Internet and social media,” says Mishra of Randstad. There are several sources, both online and offline, that can be tapped. Though freelancing portals take a 10-15% cut from your earnings, it is worth the cost.

For a freelancer, dealing with an overseas client directly can be very problematic. Even dealing with a domestic entity is fraught with problems. Clients armtwist the freelancer, knowing that he is on his own.
Payments get delayed and work is rejected without assigning any plausible reason. You can jump past these hurdles if you go through a website that ensures timely and full payment once the project is complete. The most popular foreign freelance sites are Elance.com and Freelancer.com. Indian websites, too, are gaining popularity.
However, do conduct a background check before you deal with these websites. Ask other freelancers about their experiences and other details. Social media sites like LinkedIn and Facebook have changed the definition of networking.

With a few clicks of the mouse, you can find people who may be interested in your work as well as connect with other freelancers like yourself. While LinkedIn helps connect only with professionals, Facebook, too, can be used to find work. You can upload status messages or create a page that informs friends about your work.

Your Internet profile can also be used to upload sample work, which may attract clients. However, always ensure that your work is protected from copyright violation. “I usually upload only password-protected Excel sheets so that my work is not copied by someone else,” says Manekia, who actively uses social networking sites to connect with clients.

Financial implications

Given the freedom it offers and the money you can make, a freelancing career appears Utopian. However, there are several pitfalls you can encounter. For starters, there is no stability of income as in a regular job. As they say, you have to dig a well every day to drink water. You can never be sure about the next project. For those saddled with financial responsibilities, it can lead to a sticky situation if there is a long dry spell on the work front. The other problem is that when you start out, you cannot quote very high rates.

So it is likely that you will earn much less than that you did earlier or could have in a regular job. You will also have to give a miss to employee benefits like the Provident Fund or insurance that salaried individuals get. For freelancers with lumpy incomes, it is advisable to take a conservative estimate of your salary.



It helps keep a tighter rein on expenses and gives you a buffer in case of an emergency. In the absence of group insurance and retiral benefits, you need to buy a cover for yourself and your family, as well as save for unforeseen events. Keep in mind that some expenses, such as food, housing, education and medical needs, are nonnegotiable expenses that cannot be cut in any circumstances.


Goodbye to leisure

Apart from the money factor, freelancing takes away a lot of your free time. For clients, a freelancer is a vendor they can call 24x7. Don’t be surprised if you get calls at 8 am or 9 pm from a client. This is especially true if he is based abroad and is on a different time zone. “If you are working on a project with tight deadlines, you may have to forget your weekends,” says Maneesh Konkar. (see details below)

While freelancers do need to put in hard work, experts warn against letting work occupy too much of your life. It is a sureshot recipe for a burnout. The more hours you work at once, the less productive you get. You also need to take a break and attend to other things in life.

Where are the opportunities: There is a lot of demand for freelancers in these areas.

Besides the erratic schedules a freelancer has to deal with, he must also be able to handle trouble with clients. Many times, a client may back out at the last minute, leaving you in the lurch or he may express dissatisfaction with your work and try to cut your payment.

“Since freelancing is a one man show, you have to deal with each and every problem yourself, be it an administrative issue or a troublesome client,” says Bhat.

One way of avoiding money or copyright issues with the client is to have an agreement drafted and signed by the company that clearly spells out your rights.

“Make sure you go through each and every clause of the agreement to know what your position is. Don’t blindly accept all the terms and conditions that the company sets forth,” says Mishra.