What are Freelancers? Advantages and disadvantages.

What is a freelancer?

A freelancer is person who works independently, that is, they are their own boss. You can offer your services to several clients or employers, who hire you for a specific period of time. It autonomously manages its own time and volume of work, therefore, it invests its time and effort according to its needs.

It could be said that anyone with skills, knowledge, or talent can work as a freelancer, depending on the area of work they are in. Those jobs most likely to be held by freelancers are, for example, programmers, graphic designers, translators, photographers, salespeople, copywriters, or private teachers, among others.

Its not compulsory to have a specific training, because, for example, someone who knows mathematics can work giving private classes without having to have university studies. Or even a personal trainer does not have to have formal studies.

How to be?

The beginnings are always usually hard, and in the case of becoming a freelancer, it would not be less. And, despite the fact that the list of things you must take into account to become one is long, it is not impossible to complete.

First of all, it is important to look for a good brand name, as well as to create a good visual identity. Of course, you must be clear about what service you are going to offer, and what your type of client will be.

Next, it is necessary to set the price of your services, studying the product you offer, and the type of audience you want to buy it.

Once at this point, it is very useful to create a website and a good portfolio with which to reach your customers. It’s crucial to know how to deal with people in this world, since a good deal will be one of the keys to customer loyalty .

A good tip when starting your career as a freelancer is to charge at least a percentage of your services in advance, in order to have an investment for your subsequent services. Perhaps at first, you do not have very high profits, but the important thing is to get a good portfolio of clients that serve to cover your fixed expenses and not have losses.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantage

One of the main advantages may be the fact of not having schedules, you are the one who decides when and how much time you will dedicate to a project.

Nor should you invest money in your clothing, since you can work in pajamas if you can perform your services from home. So if you are not a fan of wearing a suit and tie, this will be a great benefit for you.

In relation to salary, there is no fixed salary, but you will get paid per hour worked, so you will have motivation to stay late. In addition, you will not have a limit on your income, you can earn much more money than working for others, however, this will depend on the quality of your work and your dedication.

Having several active projects can help you develop new skills and be more effective in the event of unforeseen events.

Finally, if you work from home, you will be able to spend more time with your loved ones. This point is very important, given that many people dedicate so many hours to their work that they can hardly enjoy their children or their partner.

Disadvantages

The uncertainty can become one of the biggest disadvantages if you're a freelancer because you do not know what will be your next project, you must be constantly in search of work, and this can worsen your health problems .

By not having a fixed calendar, you will be able to take the days off you need, however, you must bear in mind that you will not have paid vacations .

Not having a fixed salary can also be a problem, since no one assures you that you can make ends meet.

If you are a person of routines, having a flexible schedule can become an inconvenience.

In addition, the volume of expenses that a freelancer has very high. The Social Security fee, the workers (in case your company grows and you require help), the maintenance of your website, advertising, as well as fixed expenses such as water, electricity, gas, from the place where you work , as well as insurance that will depend on the type of activity you carry out, and finally, the fixed expenses to maintain your gender.

Platforms to find work

Fiverr

Fiverr is considered one of the best platform to make money online. It is a platform in which freelancers offer their services. It is about selling in the most attractive way possible, usually, there are graphic designer jobs, translation , programming, etc.

In other similar platforms, services are offered at low prices, however, in the specific case of Fiverr, the prices are even lower than in the average of sites. It is interesting that as you gain experience and reputation, you can increase your salary. In addition, it offers the possibility of advertising in several languages simultaneously.

Flexjobs

This platform charges a fee for the service, that is, you must pay an amount of money to access the job offers, personalized portfolio option, notifications via email of any problem, ect.

It is not focused solely on the freelance world, since it also offers part-time, full-time, or flexible hours.

Guru

It is one of the oldest pages, founded 11 years ago, has a large number of users, and thousands of job offers. It gives you the option of creating a user for free, however, there are certain transactions that require paying a certain amount of money.

It is especially focused on services related to software development, but it also has design, sales, or marketing offers, among others.

Upwork

On this platform, you can find offers from freelancers who are dedicated to mobile apps, customer service, writing, etc.

As in the previous case, creating a profile is free, but the service charges a commission of 10% of each payment received. In turn, there is the Premium Profile option that offers extra functions.