How to Start Freelancing with No Experience

You can start freelancing with no experience. That’s how a lot of people started. You can also build a portfolio, get new clients and make money even as a new freelancer but you have to be very strategic, if you’re planning to compete.

For example, since you do not have any experience, you’re going to start with easy skills, build a portfolio from next to nothing and then get very good at convincing clients to give you your first job, regardless. It’s how it works.

But what’s different these days is that there’s now a lot of competition out there. And there are even more qualified freelancers these days than they used to be. So, as a beginner, if you want to get jobs, you’ll have to go above and beyond to get yourself out there.

In this guide, I’ll be unpacking the steps you can use to start freelancing without experience, get the jobs and start making money online.

Know what Freelancing is About

Freelancing is a kind of employment that allows professionals to provide services or work to different companies at different times, without being permanently employed by one.

As independent contractors, a freelancer gets to work on different projects, set their rates, work schedules and oftentimes, they work remotely.

What makes freelancing stand out is that:

• It is flexible: One of the reasons a lot of Nigerians and people elsewhere have opted for freelancing is because it is easy to start, flexible and can also serve as a side hustle where you can do by the side while keeping a permanent job or school.
• You can work with different companies: As a freelancer, you do not have to work with one company or client at a time. You can work with as many clients and as many projects at once. You can also work based on schedules and locations that supports your goals.
• You are responsible for how much you Earn: However, as freelancer, you’ll also be responsible for getting your clients, creating your own rates and building system that ensures you have the jobs coming in consistently.

These things are very crucial to keep in mind for someone that wants to start freelancing without experience as it gives you an idea about what you’re about to get into.

Identify Easy to Start Skills that Work for You

Freelancing is built around marketable skills that are high in demand but since you’re going to start freelancing without experience, your goal will be focused on identifying key skills that are not just high in demand but easy to start.

As someone that started with zero freelancing experience, this is one of the secret strategies that handed me my first paying client.

Identify the key marketable skills you have that are also easy to use as a beginner. Sometimes these skills can be any of the following:

• Content Writing and Editing. You can start with writing website content, blog posts, scripts and even editing books while building up your skills. These skills might sound low tier but they are high in demand in most niches. And you can scale or even specialize into technical, SEO writing, Copywriting etc., depending on what works for you.
• Social Media Marketing. This is also a low entry skill for freelancers who are just beginners. With a few videos or lectures for a few weeks, you can brush up your social media management skills or even learn new ones while growing on the job. Eventually, you can also scale this to managing social media pages for specific brands, industries etc.
• Graphics Design. Is another easy entry skill for beginners in freelancing. I consider it one of my top favorites as you can start creating content for social media platforms using simple tools like Canva etc. You can also eventually grow to start using more advanced tools or even pivot to video editing which is also very well in demand.

There are also a number of other skills like virtual assistance, digital executive assistance, SEO specialist, Digital Marketing etc. being a freelancer gives you a lot of choices and as a beginner, you can start with whichever skill you deem fit.

Before you choose any specific skill, you have to evaluate your expertise with that skill to know if you can start on the spot or spend time learning more to improve. You also have to consider the market demand and existing competition to understand the suitability.

Brush up your Freelancing Skills

There are things I would have done differently if I were to start freelancing today. And there are also a lot of things I would have done all over again.

But as someone that’s about to start freelancing with no experience, I want you to:

• Know what sets you apart. It is very difficult to differentiate yourself in a sea of freelancers from all over the world but when you understand how your skills set you apart or a specific angle you excel at better than your competitors, it becomes easier to pitch your difference around that unique value. For example, instead of writing content, what sets you apart could be a focus on writing SEO content for ecommerce websites.
• Learn More About How Freelancing Works. If I were starting all over today, I would study the freelancing market a lot more, gather data on trends, take steps to know what the industry wants and how to position myself to provide that in a way that’s much better than others.
• Improve your Freelancing Skills. Even if your goal is to start freelancing with no experience, you need the right skills that gets you to deliver on expected outcomes for clients. As a complete beginner, even if you already have the skills, it might be important to brush up those skills and learn how to put them to use professionally, in the freelancing world, just exactly as your client would expect you to.

While freelancing might be flexible and easy to start for beginners, it also needs a level of professionalism that has to be learned at some point.

Design your Portfolio

In a market that has a large supply of freelancers and almost a very good AI alternatives in some cases, you need a solid portfolio to compete or convince clients to hire you. There are no two ways about it.

Back then when I started freelancing, building a portfolio was hard. Its even harder these days. I started with offering pro-bono services to some specific clients which helped I building my portfolio and also getting testimonials and referrals. You can also use this strategy as it still works.

• Start with Flexible Rates. Start with a lower entry price at the onset and then scale your rates as you continue to learn and grow. This gives you the chance to grab a few paying customers, get jobs for your portfolio and reviews for social media proof.
• Try out personal projects. As someone that plans to start freelancing without experience, your personal projects can be very effective in giving you the needed experience. Start one, create it and share the experience with your audience. You can cite this as a part of your portfolio.
• Create Sample Work. In addition to personal projects, you can also create sample works that reflects your skills while also building up your capacity. For example, if you’re a content writer, you can take on specific content types, style or niche focus at intervals, create and share the experience.

If you’re able to do this effectively, you’d successfully start freelancing without experience and go ahead to build a solid brand in no distant time.

Your portfolio can be hosted on your website and other free platforms. I personally recommend having a website for your portfolio as it can be very useful in many ways.

Choose the Right Platform

The right freelance platform is one of the key things that can stand between your goals to start a freelancing with no experience. Choose the right platform and it gets easier for you start earning as a beginner but with the wrong platform, you can hustle for a long time.

There are a number of freelancing platforms in Nigeria that you could conveniently choose from. These includes using platforms like;

• Your website. This is one of my top tier recommended platform for freelancing. Getting your own website forces you to create a brand and also put in place extra measures that might get you to find leads and new customers directly. It also allows you the chance to build something more long term, gives you complete control in running your freelancing business but it can take a while to get new clients if you’re focused on using only organic SEO.
• Fiverr. This is one of the freelancing platforms popular in Nigeria and most other developing countries. They have a robust system that takes care of freelancers and clients, a payment mechanism that integrates with local payment option and a bit of a fair playing field for beginners. But they also have their rules which can be stringent and the platform is quite competitive.
• Upwork. This has been one of my favorites. Although I couldn’t score a single client while using it at first, with the right optimizations, I was able to build a page that could easily rank on the platform and the search engines for my preferred search keywords. It is also very popular locally. And you can give it a shot.
• LinkedIn. This is more like a social media platform but it is a robust tool for freelancers and consultants seeking for remote roles. With the right branding, marketing and optimizations, you can get job recommendations and direct offer reach out on LinkedIn. It’s one of the top tier platforms that helped my freelancing career in no small measure.

There are also other key freelancing platforms like freelancer.com, Guru, Flexjob etc. While choosing a platform to start freelancing, consider platforms that meets your needs in terms of services you’re offering, has a manageable audience and is fully integrated with your local payment system and other factors.

Build Freelancing Systems

I didn’t build systems when I started freelancing so must of what I achieved where mixed with a lot of avoidable mistakes. You don’t have to start this way.

As a beginner, when you start freelancing with no experience, build systems. Building a repeatable system is very crucial. It reduces costly mistakes and the chances of failing.

As much as possible, consider building the following systems:

• Project Management and Organization. Put in place systems that helps you to manage client work, track deadlines, manage feedbacks and deliverables. Understand how long it takes to deliver on a specific project and set timelines that are feasible before you kickstart. There are a number of tools you can use for project management as a freelancer like Trello, Asana etc. These tools ensure your projects are handled and delivered as expected.
• Client Communication & Scheduling. Communication is very important in freelancing. You want to maintain professional communication, simplify scheduling for meetings and keep clients abreast of your progress with their projects. Communicate fees, rates and timelines and get on a common ground with clients before you take on projects. Tools like Slack, Zoom, Loom etc. can be very handy in freelance scheduling. Decide on what works for you or evolve your systems to meet client needs.
• Financials and Invoicing: Getting your financials can be quite difficult at the on start but even if you’re starting freelancing today, be sure you are clear on your financials. Set clear boundaries, rates and payment arrangements. There are tools you can use to handle invoicing and payment like Zoho, Grey, Payoneer etc. Use what works for you based on your own needs but be sure what you choose is compatible with your geographical location.
• Legal and Contract Management. Legals and contract management are non-negotiables for freelancers. Before you embark on any project, cross all the T’s and dot the I’s on all important documents related to your work, before signing them. Have your contracts, Non-Disclosure Agreements, Intellectual Property Rights protocols, Terms and Conditions etc. read and approved by your team and your client’s before you proceed with any project.

Getting all of these may be difficult to put in place at the onset but you can study to know what’s working for other established freelancers in the industry, use the successful templates to build yours while evolving it at intervals to suit your needs.

Promote Your Skills

You can’t hide in a rock and expect to build a successful career in freelancing. You have to get yourself and your brand in front of your target audience, if you want to make sales.

There are very many options to promote your skills after you’re able to start freelancing with no experience but these are my top recommended options:

• Get a Brand. Build a brand and sell yourself. This is one of the most fool proof ways to differentiate yourself from other freelancers. This means you’ll have to get a brand name, build your own platform, initiate brand marketing and positioning in a way that is appealing to your target audience.
• Create Content. Content is the centerpiece of digital marketing. To build a freelancing business successfully, you’ll have to use strategic content marketing as part of your super powers. This will be very helpful in creating your digital footprint, building inbound traffic and leads to your platform.
• Engage in Storytelling. Storytelling has been one of the most remarkable strategies that helped our brand especially on social media. You want to leverage storytelling to build trust, credibility and thought leadership with your target audience. These are some of the indispensable branding features that will solidify your influence in the long term.
• Optimize for Visibility. You must understand that digital marketing is the engine house of your growth as a freelance contractor but digital marketing is beyond creating and sharing content. Beyond creating content, take further steps to optimize your content for visibility on the search engines and other platforms, including the social media.
• Use Paid Chanels. While organic growth can be very important and absolutely helpful for new freelancers without a budget, if you can by all means, use paid advertising to boost your digital presence. For smaller budgets, you can start with social media marketing which is less expensive but if you have a good budge, you can combine that with search engine advertising, including other options.

Regardless of your preferred option, it is very important to promote your business. Both directly an indirectly, get your brand across to potential clients by promoting it either organically or using paid ads.

Final Words

Starting freelancing as beginner can seem daunting especially without requisite experience but using the strategies you just learned here will give you heads start, setting you apart from the majority of beginners

While you get on your freelancing journey, be ready to learn. Commit to studying the industry to know the trends, understanding your clients needs, building up your skills and learning from your mistakes. Doing this will set you apart for growth.

But beyond that, get into communities with like minds to build rapport. Get on trainings and mentorship with our experts here. Build necessary skills that will be helpful as you your freelancing career. This is very important.

Finally, remember that the most successful freelancers today once started somewhere. And you can start right where you are right now.

Now, t’s over to you. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced when it comes to starting a career in freelancing? Drop your comments below.