How to make $200K+ a year as a freelancer

If you’ve been here for a while, you probably know that I’ve been freelancing for quite some time now. I’m enjoying the experience, and the freedom and work-life balance it gives me. However, some people might still believe that being a freelancer is much riskier than working a stable 9-to-5 job. Well, those people would be surprised to learn you can make good money without being an employee! 💸 And today I will share my tips about that with you.

According to a 2021 survey by Upwork, a popular freelancing platform, 60% of freelancers actually earn more than they did while holding corporate jobs. I personally feel like it all depends on you, but to put it shortly - the sky’s the limit. If you have the skills and experience you can offer your clients, if you’re ready to work hard, you can make as much as $200K a year.

Here are a few things you could do to increase your value as a contractor:

🤓 Be ready to show off your work

Your clients want to know what they’re paying for before you start collaborating. So make sure your resume is always up-to-date and you have a portfolio to showcase your expertise: prepare a short (but on-point!) description of your services, gather the best samples of relevant work and, when possible, a few one-or-two sentence testimonials from your previous clients. Collecting some case studies might also be a good idea so that you’re always ready to talk about your previous work - some clients may want to know how you did what you did, or how did you overcome the challenges. At this point, you might also consider investing in a personal website to have it all stored in one place.

💫 Change your mindset.

You’re a business owner now! Even if it’s just a one-person business. Stop thinking and acting like an employee. Your relationship with your client is different from the one you had with your boss. Sure, you want to sell your services, but there’s a reason your potential client has chosen you. That doesn’t mean you’re allowed to be irresponsible or disrespectful! Just remember that you are equal now, so you don’t have to ask for permission to take the time off or something similar. When negotiating the contracts, think of what works best for you - don’t forget that you’re positioning yourself as an expert in your field.

☕ Level up your networking skills.

Networking is essential when you work as a freelancer. Join professional groups, attend industry events, or enroll in a relevant course (it’ll help you boost your skills AND meet like-minded professionals!). One of the easiest things you could do is reach out to your friends or former co-workers - you never know what opportunity could come your way through them, and it’s always better to have someone familiar doing a little introduction on your behalf. 

👉​ If you’d like to know more about how to make good money as a freelancer, check out my recent YouTube video where I talk exactly about that!

One last thing… It might be scary to take the leap and shift to freelance work, but if you feel like you’d be happier and more fulfilled doing it - trust me, it’s worth it. Stay tuned for the next newsletter, as I’d love to share with you my story of becoming a freelancer!

Thank you for reading, and I wish you all a wonderful weekend,

Eva.