Freelancers often struggle with business expansion. It’s a tough nut to crack, and one that you have to dedicate a lot of time to if you want to succeed. We’ve put together a few ideas for you which should help. It will take some time to make the breakthrough, but if you follow these tips, it will give you a solid base to work from.
Tick off the basics
Before you can expand, you have to have everything that you need in place. As you are working alone, there will be a diverse number of things that need doing. Build a website to display your business and advertise your services. Have an efficient accounts system in place, so you are keeping track of your finances. And, of course, have a healthy contact book full of past and present connections. If you aren’t sure you have everything covered, here’s a good guide for beginner freelancers.
Sharpen your skills
If the business is ever at a low ebb, make sure you are filling your time with important stuff. If you want to expand your offering at a later date, then you will need new skills. If you’re a freelance hardware engineer, then why not learn a new system. Take a look here www.simplilearn.com/it-hardware-and-networking/all-in-one-comptia-certification-training-bundle to see some of your choices. Alternatively, if you are a copywriter, consider going on a creative writing course, which might open up other avenues for you. The point is, new skills will open new opportunities, and if you want to expand, you will have to earn them.
Find complementary businesses
A complementary business is one that services a similar field to the one that you operate in. However, it isn’t a direct competitor. For example, a freelance designer could join forces with a content marketer to provide a full-service marketing strategy to a local business. Or, a freelance photographer could match up well with a copywriter to produce engaging and beautiful looking content. Plenty of avenues of opportunity lie down this road, so get out there and network as hard as you can.
Hire a specialist
Let’s assume that your business is having difficulty getting found. One option for you is to hire an SEO company to help you smash through to the top of the search engine rankings. Now, the obvious benefit is that your web traffic will increase. However, there is also the opportunity of getting work from the SEO company themselves. As a freelance, you should be looking for anything that you can get work from – including when you pay for a service yourself.
Don’t fear failure
Don’t let failure hold you back in any way. If you want success as a freelance, then you are going to have to cut through a lot of rejection and disappointment before you find it. Everything is a learning experience, and you learn nothing by being right all of the time. If you can be more thick-skinned about what you do it will stand you in good stead for any growth or expansion.
OK, so that’s about it. If you have anything else you would like to add to this list, then we’d be happy to hear from you.