A freelancer is a professional who has no long-term contract and works on specific assignments. A freelancer is not part of a company, but collaborates with it on a given assignment. In France, there are over 900,000 freelance workers. Becoming self-employed presents a few risks, such as the absence of regular income or long-term guarantees. But there's no doubt that you've made the right choice, because it's an exciting and far-from-ordinary status!
Step 1: specialize and develop your skills
The self-employed person must be able to fully manage the quality of his or her services and their final delivery. There's no manager to oversee your work, so it's up to you to choose what your priorities are and how you organize your days. It's important to specialize in a field and acquire skills that are in demand on the job market to be competitive in your freelance mission. It can be useful to take training courses to continue learning and improve your credibility with potential clients.
Step 2: Choose your status and fee structure
Freelancers must choose their status, which may be "portage salarial", "auto-entrepreneur" or "sole proprietorship". This decision depends on factors such as the number of hours worked and expected growth. As far as pricing is concerned, it's possible to offer low prices to attract the first customers, but this can be detrimental to the image of quality you want to convey. You can also opt for high rates from the outset if you feel that your skills and services are qualitative and deserve appropriate remuneration.
Step 3: Negotiating with customers and finding contracts
It's important to learn how to communicate well with your customers and negotiate your contracts. To find assignments, you have two main options: 1. Attract customers to you: use platforms dedicated to freelancers and develop your presence on social networks. 2. Approach customers: target companies you'd like to work with, and launch personalized email campaigns highlighting your skills. Whichever method you choose, make sure you inspire confidence and demonstrate professionalism in all your interactions with potential customers.
Step 4: Manage your schedule and projects
Once you've signed contracts, it's essential to know how to manage your time and projects effectively. Take care to establish a precise and realistic schedule for each assignment, taking into account the deadlines set by your customers. Make sure you communicate with your customers throughout the duration of the contract, to keep them informed of the progress of your work and resolve any problems that may arise.
What are the most sought-after skills?
The most sought-after skills in the freelancing world depend on the industry, but some are in high demand:
- Web development and mobile applications,
- Graphic design and UX/UI design,
- Copywriting and content creation,
- Digital marketing and SEO,
- Project management and support for digital transformation.
And yes, becoming self-employed requires rigorous organization, the ability to specialize and adapt to market needs.
