Have you decided to take the plunge and become a freelancer? It’s a great idea: freelancing should continue to grow in the coming years and companies are increasingly calling on this type of service provider. But becoming a freelancer is not something you can improvise: it is essential to prepare your career transition well, whether you are currently a student or an employee. How to become a freelancer? How to start in the best conditions and find clients? Discover concrete advice on how to become a freelancer and everything you need to know to land your first assignments.
Becoming independent step 1: define your service offer
When you become a freelancer, the first step is to determine the expertise that you will sell. This expertise depends on your skills of course, but also on the needs and the demand on the market.
Moreover, when you start freelancing, you tend to want to have a wide range of activities to have the most opportunities. But companies that hire freelancers are not looking for generalists: they want specialists with specialized skills.
So, if as an employee you had a title of “Communications Officer”, when you become a freelancer, you might be tempted to define yourself as “Communications Consultant”. But this name is much too vague and leaves doubt about your skills: writing? media relations? social networks?
Becoming a freelancer step 2: choosing a legal status
Becoming a freelancer also means having to deal with administrative issues, starting with the choice of a legal status. The easiest way to declare yourself as a freelancer when you are starting out is to create a micro-enterprise (ex auto-entrepreneur status). With this simplified system, your accounting obligations are reduced to a minimum. You will not have to collect and declare VAT (up to a certain threshold). And above all, the social contributions are reduced compared to other statutes. We have dedicated an article to how to start a micro-business.
In some cases, and after a certain time as a freelancer, it can be interesting to create a company. Some freelancers work as EURL or SASU. Contrary to the micro-enterprise, a company allows you to deduct your expenses from your turnover or to recover the VAT on your purchases (but you also have to collect it). A company also offers a better social protection.
Some large companies prefer to work with freelancers in a company to minimize the legal risks. Indeed, if you work as a micro-enterprise for a single client exclusively, the relationship can be considered as disguised wage employment.
But the micro-enterprise is a perfect status to start as a freelancer, and you can always change your status when you want!
Becoming self-employed step 3: setting your rates
Another preliminary step before starting to work as a freelancer is to define your rate, i.e. the price at which you will sell your services. In freelancing, we talk about average daily rate or ADR, that is to say the price of a day’s work (usually 8 hours). Depending on the profession, the ADR varies between 250 € and 850 € (for the rarest and most sought-after expertise).
To determine your MYR, start by looking at how much freelancers are selling for with your skills and experience, for example by browsing the freelance platform Malt. This will give you an idea of what your MRR might be.
Another method to set your GPA: think about your desired income and make a calculation based on the number of days worked. As a freelancer, we often tend to overestimate the number of days worked in the year. Indeed, you have to dedicate time each week to administrative work (estimates, invoices, contracts, etc.) as well as to prospecting (canvassing or answering solicitations). And then, you don’t work all the time: you have to take days off to rest and recharge your batteries. It is estimated that a freelancer works 210 days a year on average, and that only 160 days are pure production billable to his clients.
Become a freelancer step 4: work on your online visibility
Are you clear on what you sell, your legal status and your pricing? It’s time to let the world know 😉
When you’re a freelancer and you want to get your name out there, there are two main channels to work on: LinkedIn and freelance platforms. LinkedIn is THE professional social network par excellence, and it’s full of opportunities. Let people know you’ve become a freelancer by changing your profile title and current position. Work on your “About” section, with a punchy text that presents your services and assets. Don’t hesitate to publish a post to inform your contacts of your new activity. Finding freelance assignments is often done through your network!
Once you have updated your LinkedIn profile, turn to THE main source of assignments: freelance platforms. These platforms work on the same principle as Airbnb, except that the connection is made between freelancers who sell their services and companies that are looking for skills.
Become a freelancer step 5: find your first clients
You’ve reached the fateful moment: getting your very first freelance assignment! This step is not the easiest, but once you’ve passed it, everything will be much easier. When you are a new freelancer and you don’t have any reviews on platforms, clients can be reluctant. It’s like when you rent a place on Airbnb: a place without reviews or ratings is rarely your first choice, right?
So, how do you put all the chances on your side and land that first assignment that will serve as a stepping stone?
Let’s take Fiverr as an example. Each of your offers must propose a concrete service in adequacy with your target and display a precise description and a price. It is important to take care of your image through the vocabulary and the visual contents (photos, videos) chosen.
A prospect must quickly understand who you are, your skills, what you offer (portfolio), your approach to the problem and why he should trust you rather than another provider on the platform.