Everything you have learned – in school, on the job, during that afternoon course you used to take, on your own – everything adds up to your skills.

And you probably have skills that others do not have because they do not have your unique perspective or singular approach to getting work done.  You can combine the information, abilities and knowledge you have to create a service that others are looking to buy.

And you can do it without being tied to a single employer, schedule or pay scale.

That’s called freelancing.

Freelancing has always been around as an opportunity for people to offer their skills to the highest bidder. The most successful freelancers are those who can build a reputation for delivering value on each and every project they deliver for individual buyers.

And with the Internet, online freelancers have the opportunity to deliver products and services to a worldwide audience of buyers.

If you can identify your transferable skills for online delivery, you can have a career as an online freelancer.

Yes, you can earn an income as an online freelancer.

You have to be able to deliver your services over the Internet. That means delivering digital products, consulting, coding, marketing, or even administrative work which can be outsourced to freelancers, anywhere in the world.

Your own how you charge for services – by project, by the hour, by content – and you deliver on your own schedule.

But you have to be responsible, reliable and communicate well.

And you must consistently complete projects that satisfy your buyers requirements, and lead to excellent reviews.

If that sounds good to you?  Read on for the details…

While starting an online business is an extraordinary opportunity for you to establish a foundation for your own professional satisfaction, financial security, and lifestyle freedom, to get started you have to select an online platform that fits your interests, skills and budget.

Starting as an online freelancer allows you to earn income on a per project basis, build a reputation for delivering quality, and maintain your skills.

As freelancer, you are creating for someone else’s business. Either you are creating for an idea they have, or you are asked to come up with a new idea that they will use. Either way, it’s their business, not yours. So as a freelancer, you have to be able to quickly understand the business needs, and quickly move on when the work is done.

An online freelance project may take you less than an hour or could run for several months. You may receive a lot of feedback from the buyer, or none at all.  Sometimes the short project can turn into a full-time job offer. You decide how much or how little you want to take on.

With a well-written profile and examples of your work, you can begin to attract business without advertising or promotions.  And you can keep growing as long as there are buyers who are looking for what you have to offer.

If your online platform of choice is freelancing, you need to be prepared for the opportunity and challenges.

In this article, I explain the real story behind becoming a freelancer to make money online.

Freelancing Requires Real Online Skills

To earn an online income through freelancing, you must be able to deliver completed products or services over the Internet. And you must actually be able to do the work.

There are several freelancer sites that allow you to post a profile and examples of your work. In exchange for a percentage of your fee, they give you access to thousands of buyers who are looking for skilled help.

Who Should Start as an Online Freelancer?

Probably you.

You might be surprised by the range of products or services that can be offered online. If you are prepared to put time aside to work on projects whenever they’re available, and put other work aside to finish on deadline, you can be working as a freelancer.

Pick a Skill

What types of products or services can be delivered online?  Take your pick.

All forms of graphic design, illustrations from book covers to advertisements; computer coding and programming; social media management; editing; consulting; coaching, mentoring, data analysis, videos, podcasts, games, music, writing, research…it’s a long list of opportunity.

Although having knowledge and experience in the work you want to deliver is a plus, you can also just be starting out.  But be honest with buyers. Create examples of the work you can do so buyers can make a fair assessment of your capabilities.

If you are not sure where you believe you can add value, go to a freelancer site like Fiverr, look at the listings, especially titles and example work, and see where your knowledge and experience fits.

Select Your Platform

Online freelancer platforms like Fiverr, Upwork or Freelancer, all offer the opportunity to sign-up for free, post your skills, and begin to find work.  The value of these sites is that they are magnets for buyers who are looking for specific skills. You give up a portion of your project revenue for access to their buyer’s market and the other functionality they provide on the platform.

Comparing Platforms

Every platform allows you to set up a profile and communicate in the app with potential buyers.  They also take a percentage of your price – 10% to 20% depending on the scale.

You might cringe at that fee, and it’s not universally accepted, but just remember it’s a cost of doing business. The platforms are giving you a place to find buyers from all over the world who may be interested in your services, as well as security protections, communication tools, training and community.

The fee does often feel like a burden, but like everything it’s a trade-off.

D-I-Y

As a freelancer, you can also set up your own virtual shingle. You can create a landing page or website that displays your skills, and use social media to drive people to your services.

If you have a specific niche, you can also be an influencer in your field, and leverage your posts and other content to encourage people to hire you for work.

Create Your Profile and Examples

You win business by having an excellent profile and examples of your work that a buyer can use to make a decision.

When a buyer is randomly searching through profiles to find someone to work for them, you want to stand out.

Take the time to write a profile that clearly states your background, the work you are able to deliver, and why you are the best choice for a potential buyer.

And create examples of your work for buyers to view. The more information you can offer, the better your chance at being selected.

Start Cheap

On a freelancer website, you will be trying to grow your reputation by receiving 5-star reviews. Once you have a lot of great reviews, the work will come easier.

So start by offering your work at the lower end of the price scale. Some people are only looking for inexpensive assistance and will hire someone to do normally expensive work on the cheap.

Starting out, you may feel cheated if you spend two hours on a project and only get paid $10 (minus the 20% fee), but if you do 5 projects at that price and get 5 5-star reviews, you can raise your prices to attract the buyers who are looking for well-reviewed freelancers.

You can also offer different types of work at different prices. You can keep a $10 basic package to attract interested buyers, but upsell them to more expensive offerings after they make contact with you.

Building a sustainable freelance income takes time, effort, and a lot of patience.

At first, you might find yourself struggling to land clients. Without a solid portfolio or established reputation, convincing clients to take a chance on you can be challenging. This is why many freelancers offer lower rates or even work for free to build up their portfolio.

While this can help you gain experience and testimonials, it’s important to recognize that it might take a while before you can start charging what you’re truly worth.

Like Waiting in the Farmer’s Market

Being an online freelancer is like being a vendor at the Farmers’ Market. You stand behind your table waiting for the buyers to come to you.

Once you have created your profile and defined the work you can do, you are now waiting for interested buyers to find you. This may take days or weeks depending on the information in your profile.

If you offer unique services or have a really eye-catching profile or examples of your work, you may find the buyers coming to you faster than you thought possible. But you do have to be patient.

When you think about freelancing, the first thing that comes to mind is likely the freedom it offers. No more commutes, no more office politics, and no more rigid schedules. As a freelancer, you have the flexibility to choose your projects, set your rates, and work from wherever you want. Whether you’re sitting on a beach in Bali or in your cozy home office, the choice is yours.

But while the freedom and flexibility of freelancing are undoubtedly appealing, they are only one side of the coin. To succeed as a freelancer, you need to balance these perks with the realities of running your own business.

Or Hustling for Attention

Once you’ve landed your first few clients, the next challenge is consistency. Unlike a traditional job where you receive a regular paycheck, freelancing income can be unpredictable. One month, you might have more work than you can handle, while the next month, your inbox could be eerily quiet.

So you can also take a proactive approach to finding clients and projects. This means constantly marketing yourself, networking, and staying active on freelance platforms.

If you really want to make your online freelance income to replace your regular paycheck, it’s not enough to sit back and wait for clients to come to you—you need to go out and find them.

You can use social media, reach out to physical world buyers, attend networking events, send cold e-mails, become an influencer in your skill area, or ask friends or colleagues for referrals.

Whether waiting online at the market or hustling in public spaces, building a steady stream of clients takes time and effort, but if you can transform some of those new clients into regular buyers, you’ll start to see more consistency in your income.

Completing Projects

When the buyer comes to you, make sure you ask as many questions as you need to get the project completed the way the buyer expects.  Some buyers do not know exactly what they need and could be relying on you to provide them with tips and guidance.  

When setting up your service, set the parameters. Will you allow revisions? Do you want to speak to the buyer first to clarify questions? What format do they want to have delivered? What is the turnaround time for the work requested?

Look at how other freelancers have set-up their offers and select the best examples that fit your skills.

And always deliver on time. Sometimes things happen, but in the freelancer world, you want to be known as someone who delivers quality work, on time.

If you have to deliver late, tell your buyer and provide a new time frame.

But remember, without the structure of a traditional job, it can be easy to overwork yourself or, conversely, to fall into the trap of procrastination. Successful freelancers know the importance of setting boundaries and sticking to a schedule. This might mean setting specific work hours and taking regular breaks.

Communicate

The best way to work successfully with buyers is to communicate. Before, during and after the project, keep asking clarifying questions as necessary. 

Let them know about any expected delays.

Over deliver if appropriate. If you created test examples for your work that may be helpful to them, go ahead and deliver those also. You don’t have to do more than defined in the requirements you agreed to, but a little extra goes a long way to building your reputation for excellence.

Ask for Reviews

The freelancer platforms generally encourage buyers to leave a review, and you can do the same. Be polite and respectful about the ask.

For example: “I’m thrilled you are happy with my work and I hope you would consider leaving me a positive review.”

Remember in a world of random selection, reviews are the name of the game.

Making Money as an Online Freelancer

Earning income online as a freelancer is direct and simple. You do the work, you get paid.

If you are on one of the freelancer platforms, the money is collected at the beginning, and held for a period of time – usually two weeks – after the work is done. Disputes are managed through the application, and there are plenty of rules and ethical practices to support you.

If you are on your own, you can still collect the money upfront, but there is no ‘middleman’ to arbitrate disputes or deal with refunds. When working on your own, make sure you build up a good rapport with your clients, be transparent about your prices and policies, and deliver excellent work on time.

In the digital world, you actually have a record of all your conversations and deliveries, and even your production for the project. This is when you’re happy that everything can be traced. Keep up-to-date quality records and avoid conflicts by documenting everything you do.

The Reward: A Lifestyle of Your Own Design

Despite the challenges, the rewards of freelancing are undeniable. As an online freelancer, you have the power to design a lifestyle that works for you. Whether you’re a night owl who prefers to work late into the evening or a parent who wants to be home with your kids during the day, freelancing allows you to create a work-life balance that suits your needs.

With time, experience, and persistence, online freelancing can become a lucrative and fulfilling career. Some freelancers find themselves earning more than they did in traditional jobs, with the added benefit of flexibility and independence.

Is Online Freelancing Right for You?

But freelancing is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It’s a legitimate career path that requires finding buyers, understanding their requirements, delivering quality work on time, and repeating the same often enough to replace your current income.

So are you prepared to handle the uncertainty of inconsistent income?

Are you disciplined enough to manage your own schedule and workload?

Do you have the patience to build a reputation and client base from scratch?

If you can answer “yes” to these questions, then online freelancing may be your platform for earning money online.

You just have to get started.