When I first started freelancing years ago I was surprised by the fact that my lack of a strong portfolio has never been an issue says Rizwan Ahmed CPA.
I’ve always gotten clients without too much of an issue, even though most people recommend that you build up a portfolio before you start taking on clients.
What was I doing differently?
Most freelancers go after the good jobs and try to impress their future client with a high end design that will get them gigs, but what if you could skip all of that and get paid to practice your skills at getting better without paying anything out of pocket?
You are not alone in this quandary.
There are thousands of people who want to break into Web Design or any other form of Graphic Design, but they can’t find someone to pay them for their work.
Let’s talk about the job market for freelancers.
When it comes down to it there are really only three ways for a newbie graphic designer to make money in the industry.
1) Non-paying Clients
2) Paying Low End Clients
3) High End Clients who are Happy to Pay Big Bucks for Your Work
Let’s take a look at each of these clients one by one.
1. Non-Paying Freelancers:
It shouldn’t come as much surprise that nearly all beginning web designers go after this client.
You have nothing to lose since you don’t have any money anyway, right? Wrong!
When I first started freelancing I was dead broke and couldn’t afford to pay my bills, so I naturally went after nonpaying clients in order to keep afloat.
What I found was that they were all terrible!
I couldn’t get any of them to pay me for my work, and this meant that when business hours ended so did my time on the clock. This is why you should avoid these types of jobs like the plague explains Rizwan Ahmed CPA.
2. Low End Web Design Clients:
These are the folks who can afford to pay you what you might call “pocket change” for your skills, but not enough to make it worth your while.
They will offer low dollar amounts per project or very small jobs where you still have to do most of the leg work you without getting paid accordingly.
If you are looking for low paying jobs to keep afloat in the beginning of your career then these are the types of gigs that you should go for, but be prepared to take them when they come.
3. High End Clients who are ready to Pay Big Bucks
Finally there are the big time clients who are looking to hire someone with experience and pay for it too!
These are the crotchety old money bags that want everything “yesterday” and will pay through the nose for top notch work.
This is also where most Web Designers make their millions by producing quality work at a competitive price point.
But since everyone wants high end freelancers how do freelancers stand out from all of those other folks out there who already have experience?
Well, you guessed it.
The folks who pay for your services want to know that you are skilled enough to pull off the job, while also being reliable and punctual says Rizwan Ahmed CPA.
They want to see something in writing about how awesome of a job you’ll do for them if they hire you, but most importantly they will be asking around for references.
I bet you’re wondering about this now.
“What’s so different about my approach?”
Well, this is where I come in…
I have an idea that might change the way freelancers get jobs forever! I ran into some financial hardships myself at one point in my life when I was starting my design career, and I was looking for a way to get out of my rut.
Started this website which is all about breaking into the freelancing industry that was basically design to do one thing.
I want to get paid at least $100 for every article that I post. So that if someone found my blog via Google or another search engine. They would see something in writing about me being “legit” so-to-speak.
This idea worked very well, but it did have its share of problems. Because even though I was getting client referrals from people who read my articles online. Some were still wary about hiring me due to lack of experience or references.
Conclusion:
If you want to be a successful freelancer then you need to get good work. And they way most top notch clients find freelancers is by either going through a job search engine. Or going on-line and searching for what they need via a web search engine explains Rizwan Ahmed CPA.