5 Steps To Launch Your Freelance Business From Scratch ( South African Freelancer Edition)

Freelancing has become a significant movement in the labor market since the pandemic which normalized remote work not only in South Africa but globally as well. Freelancing has also allowed many South Africans, an opportunity to earn a living given the brutal unemployment stats in the country. If you want to join this growing movement in the labor market then you have come to the right place. At Collaborahub, we assist South African freelancers find their feet and grow their their business. Firstly, congratulations on taking this big step, and we know you might be confused but we here to help you.

Here are some 5 essential steps to take to launch your freelance business.

1. Pick a Skill – There are a variety of skills that can be monetized and used to launch a freelance business. Some of the most in demand skills in the country include web development, digital marketing, graphic design, paid media specialists among others. While being skilled in multiple disciplines helps you make more money. It is always advisable to learn one skill at a time before moving to the next. This brings us to the next point.
2. Get Certified– Credibility is the currency of the freelance world. Businesses and brands like to work with credible people who can perform tasks independently without someone breathing down their neck. Some, will vet you by looking at your certifications/ education. For skills like digital marketing which are always evolving, a university degree in digital marketing is not a necessity because by the time you graduate from a standard four year or three year program, your skills will be outdated.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       There are various tech education companies you can check out like Coursera and UdaCity . These two offer high quality online courses, with Coursera courses being accredited by universities such as Stanford, University of Michigan, among others.  These courses are paid but if you keep an eye out for scholarships you can do them for free. Locally and regionally, you can check out places like iHubAfrica ,  Mancosa,  Red & Yellow , and AlxAfrica for more tech-focused courses.
3. Build A Portfolio – The next step, is to build a portfolio of projects. This requires you to be strategic in order to land your ideal clients. This will mean picking a niche and mapping out your ideal client. If you are a social media manager for example, your ideal clients could be health and wellness  brands. You will reach out to small businesses like pharmacies in your area and offering your services for free, for a limited amount of time.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 You will  use these projects as a practice run to provide value,  making sure they translate into solving real world problems. For example, as a social media manager your content can drive people to a website leading to more purchases or you can include in your portfolio how engagement increased leading to higher brand awareness. All these will help you demonstrate results to future clients.        It is important to note that niching down too early can hinder your growth, you can take on generalist projects. If you are a social media manager interested in health and wellness brands, you can also try legal brands or finance brands. This will allow you to experiment and discover yourself as a freelancer and business owners as some niches have more money / are interesting than others.        
4. Sales, Marketing and Branding – After building a portfolio of relevant projects it’s time to get clients. It is important not to get too stuck in the previous step. You need to get paid and start earning a living.  The transition can be hard but we are here to help you.            Familiarize yourself with the different sales techniques such as inbound and outbound strategies. Hubspot Academy has free courses to help you with these.  You need to think yourself as a business owner, and for a business to be successful, you need sales aka landing clients.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Along with this, it’s time to market yourself on the different social media channels such a LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Set up a professional-looking profile with links to your blog, website, emails  and other channels you own. Set a professional picture as your profile picture and post industry relevant content to attract your ideal clients. For this, you will need to visit places like HubSpot Academy to learn marketing disciplines like inbound marketing and content marketing. The goal is to brand and position yourself as the ideal freelancer for your target clients.                             
5. Networking – Your network becomes your net worth as a freelancer. Most jobs/ gigs are not advertised online because of these reasons. People share these opportunities with their existing networks circulating money within the same circles. For these reasons, you need to be in the right communities. Befriend other freelancers, seek for guidance and mentorship. Remember to keep it authentic and genuine. Make it an exchange of value. You can offer a more experienced freelancers with their workload in exchange for mentorship, try not to be a parasite. For freelancers on your level of experience, these are equally important if not more important. These are people with lots of potential and you never knew where they will land in the future. Schedule coffee sessions or virtual sessions and exchange ideas on how to grow each other’s businesses.

 As with everything, there is no perfect formula to launching a freelance business. However,  if you are a beginner with no prior  experience in your chosen skillset then the 5 steps mentioned in this  blog will set you up for success by providing a solid foundation to successfully launch your freelance business. The freelance business can be a lonely path so feel free to contact us and be added to our WhatsApp group.