If it feels as if everyone you know is wholeheartedly embracing freelancing lately, it’s not your imagination. 

Whether they’re dabbling in it on the side or looking to turn it into a full-time replacement for their day job, more people than ever are embracing freelance life for its many benefits.

Freelancing lets hard-working self-starters work remotely, make their own schedules, and focus on work they’re truly passionate about. 

But there’s a fine art to successfully making a permanent switch. 

Here’s what you need to know about how to transition to freelancing before you take the plunge for good.

6. Set your rates

One of the hardest things about how to transition to freelancing for most people is the process of setting rates (and with good reason). 

Most people have been conditioned from early on to be uncomfortable talking about money or asking others to give them money in exchange for services. 

Still, it’s an essential part of any self-employed person’s life.

Consider what your time and skill set are worth to you, as well as what other freelancers in your field are charging for theirs. 

Evaluate whether it makes more sense to charge by the hour or by the project. Then set your service prices accordingly.

7. Know where freelancers look for work

Many people brand new to freelancing think that all they need to do is declare themselves open for business, and prospective clients will simply find them. 

However, while that sometimes happens to experienced freelancers who’ve built a solid reputation, newer service providers have to work a little harder to land their first assignments.

Start by building a website to showcase your services and some of your best work. 

Optimize it using best SEO practices, fill it with great content, and make it easy for people interested in your services to get in touch with you. But definitely don’t stop there.

Most full-time freelancers spend a fair amount of time actively looking for work. 

Explore some of the best freelancing platforms out there, build profiles on the ones you like, and apply for new projects often. Market your services to your existing networks, as well. 

You never know who might be looking for some extra help.

8. Build a solid portfolio

Although credentials and educational background may matter very much to your future clients, what most will really want to see is proof that you can do the job. 

That said, every serious freelancer needs a portfolio of their best work.

Chances are, if you’re thinking about going into business for yourself, you already have some experience in your field of choice. 

Add your best, most successful work to your portfolio, and keep adding to it over time. 

You may also wish to put together an up-to-date resume highlighting work experience and other achievements that may make you a particularly valuable hire.

Sometimes, showing your progress can be just as important as displaying your big wins. Taking old work and comparing it to what you can do now shows improvement, which a lot of clients honestly appreciate—even if it isn’t top-tier or particularly flashy. They get a clear sense of your growth and dedication, which might just land you the gig over someone just resting on past successes. Plus, it keeps things from feeling stagnant on your end, too.

Of course, if you’re starting from scratch, don’t sweat it. Offer to do a small project for a friend, pick up a volunteer gig, or use the power of fictional briefs to pad out your samples—no shame in that game. The goal is to get some real (or real-enough) work in your portfolio, not to wait around until inspiration or a “perfect” client comes your way.

It’s funny how portfolios quietly tell your story, even when you’re not trying to curate some perfect timeline. Glancing back at a project from, say, three years ago can remind you just how far you’ve come—the rough patches, the happy accidents, and the weird, short jobs that taught you more than you realized at the time. Clients get a sense of your journey, not just polished highlights, and sometimes they’re more interested in that than a stack of awards. It helps if you leave notes or a sentence about what you learned on challenging pieces; people actually read those little snippets and they stick in memory.

Getting feedback is another underrated move. When you show work to someone who isn’t your typical audience—maybe a fellow freelancer, or even a skeptical friend—you get a different perspective. Sure, it can sting at first if they’re brutally honest, but it can open up blind spots or push you to take a risk the next time around. Most clients can spot someone who’s been challenged and has adapted, so lean into that. It honestly beats trying to act like you’ve always known exactly what you’re doing.

9. Work on your online presence

Every business needs a solid professional online presence, even if the business in question amounts to a lone freelancer hiring out their creative talents to other small businesses. 

A website is a must, as are well-maintained profiles on your favorite freelancing websites, but you don’t want to stop there.

Update your LinkedIn profile, use it to network with peers and potential clients, and — if you haven’t already — start using the platform to post LinkedIn-friendly content. 

Supplement that with robust presences on other social media platforms that are potentially right for your brand and industry — Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, etc.

10. Embrace digital marketing

How to transition to freelancing successfully is all about building a great brand identity and making yourself seem like an irresistible asset to potential clients. 

Digital marketing is a crucial part of all that. Your social media presence is essential, especially on LinkedIn, but that’s not all. 

Make sure your marketing plan for your freelance services also includes:

• Starting a blog on your website and using it to boost your brand.
• Investing in paid advertising on Google, as well as across social media.
• Keeping an eye on the market and seize opportunities quickly.

11. Perfect your pitches

With over 57 million freelancers working in the United States alone, you’re potentially up against a lot of competition. 

Your prospective clients are going to want to know why they should hire you instead of somebody else who does equally great work. 

Great proposals and pitches are the keys to standing out in the right ways.

Be friendly and professional. Respect the client’s time and keep your pitches short. 

Personalize your response by thoroughly reading the job description, addressing key details within your pitch, and attaching work samples that show why you’re an ideal fit for the project.

In this video, check out more tips on how to transition to freelancing:

12. Prioritize time management

It takes a while to really get the ball rolling when you first start freelancing. Sooner or later, though, things will pick up. 

You’ll have many prospective clients and likely be offered more work than you can realistically take on. You’ll want to have a realistic approach to managing your time in place by then.

Maintain set business hours during which your clients know they can reach you, and then stick to them.

Be disciplined and work hard during those hours, but put your work down and return to the rest of your life after that. 

Burnout is a genuine risk for busy freelancers, so resist the urge to simply work every day and at all hours.

13. Keep building on your skills

Another critical factor to remember when it comes to how to transition to freelancing is the importance of upskilling. 

A good freelancer never stops learning and looking to become even better than they already are at what they do, so make ongoing improvement part of your plans for your professional future.

In particular, you should seek to learn skills that complement the ones you already have and make your work even more valuable. 

For example, a freelance content writer becomes even better at what they do when they learn about related fields like SEO, content marketing, and social media management.

You may also be interested in these articles:

• 7 Best SEO Tools for Freelancers in 2022
• 10 Key Questions Freelancers Should Ask Clients to Succeed
• Using a Writing Schedule to Best Manage Your Time as a Freelance Writer

At this point, you understand how to transition to freelancing from what is likely a lifetime of traditional work. 

You’re prepared for the challenges you’ll meet and excited to reap the benefits of facing them head-on. Now it’s time to see to the security of your professional future as a freelancer.

One of the more challenging things new freelancers must learn to grapple with is how to handle finances, so it pays to be extra prepared. 

Check out our comprehensive list of vital financial tips for freelancers for some excellent advice to get started with. 

You’ll learn how to plan for retirement, manage health insurance, diversify your income, and more!