Do you have any long-term plans as a freelancer? What measures should you take to sustain your focus on a long-term career?

As a freelancer, you must have a long-term career plan to avoid burnout or boredom, as freelancing is a pretty tough profession. To be successful as a freelancer, you must have long-term career planning in hand.

Knowing how to plan your long-term career is essential in a world full of freelancers. Freelance career planning can be very distinct from other forms of career planning. It necessitates a completely new strategy as well as a great deal of patience.

The freelancing phases?

You start freelancing, you create your portfolio, you acquire a client, you earn more than you ever did, and then you get another client, and so on....

When people first start freelancing, it is very usual for them to lose sight of their ambitions and future. They are just concerned about acquiring new clients or landing a gig! without feeling pressured for a career path.

But what if you don't have any ambition or goals? Is there no future? What comes next?

How to develop your Long-term Freelance Career:

In this blog, I've compiled a list of useful milestones that will inspire and assist you in developing your own long-term career plan.

Let’s dive in –

Set Attainable, Realistic Goals

Goals are a pretty effective way to focus your attention on what matters most. So why not create achievable and realistic goals? We have a habit of setting far too lofty goals and then being disheartened when they are not met.

We've all experienced the bad consequences of establishing impossible-to-attain objectives at some point in our lives. When you set your sights too high, you tend to sabotage yourself. Setting realistic and attainable goals, on the other hand, can help you stay more motivated and focused.

Think on paper, write down all of your goals, and then categorize them into long-term and short-term goals.

This will assist you in understanding the sequence of goals that must be addressed first.

• Long-term goals

Consider a long-term goal that you wish to accomplish within 5 or 10 years. Take a piece of paper and jot it down. Contemplate whether or not it is attainable. If it's worthwhile to put in the time and effort. Set a goal for yourself which will help you live a prosperous and tranquil life in the future. 

• Short-term goals

Make a list of the daily goals you aim to achieve in little pieces. Consider whether these goals are bringing you closer to your "long term goals" while you set them. Consider whether these little goals are advantageous to your personal and professional development. Then make a list of your goals and begin working on them on a daily basis.

Avoid taking up too many Freelance Gigs

The freelance market is brimming with opportunities, which can be both a boon and a bane for the freelancer. At times, a freelancer may find themselves with more work than they can handle. They may even get overconfident and accept more gigs than they are capable of completing.

This is the point at which the freelancer must be cautious and perform better than ever. What happens if you accept too many freelance jobs offers?

1. If a freelancer is overburdened with work, they may be unable to provide the high level of quality that their clients expect.

2. Overwork can cause stress and unbalance in your freelancing career.

3. If you do not deliver satisfactory results, you may receive bad feedback.

4. And you're not certain if the gig is worth your time.

To avoid all of this and exceed expectations, you should focus on one gig, produce results for one client, and deliver high-quality work. If you complete one gig at a time, you will achieve —

1. Amazing experience with positive feedback

2. A chance to develop a strong portfolio

3. Recognition and referrals

4. Good client relationships

When you collaborate with a Client, Build a Good Relationship with Them

Thousands of clients are looking for a skilled, reliable freelancers. When working with certain clients, make sure your overall impression is positive, professional, and courteous. Also, strive to outperform and deliver the finest results possible.

When you come across a high-potential client, you might as well be required to go an extra mile. The extra work you put in will win their trust, which can be advantageous to you. A positive relationship with your clients can result in many projects or referrals, which will naturally bring you more opportunities.

So, how can you keep in touch with previous and current clients?

1. You can stay in touch with them via social media (such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, for instance).

2. Give them something of value – share insightful articles or resources relevant to their business.

3. Send them an email every now and again.

Establish your own Micro-Business or an Agency

As you advance as a professional freelancer, you may receive offers from a variety of new clients, and you are unsure which to accept. This is where the idea of launching a profitable micro-business or an agency kicks in.

If your agency runs successfully in the long run, you can grow from a freelancer to a regular business. This move will help you multiply your income, enhance your leadership qualities, and most importantly, you can build a lucrative full-fledged business.

Get an Assistant or Co-Founder

You should be aware that working alone in a business might be intimidating and solitary. You may well have heard stories about lone entrepreneurs who struggled to keep focused on their goals.

At the end of the day, having an assistant or co-founder who remembers you and assists you in completing chores can be a great way to keep on your feet.

Begin Upskilling & Teaching

There's an old expression that goes, "When you help others grow, you grow twice as fast." It's a basic concept with a lot of truth to it. This simply implies that you should begin mentoring others, especially those who are curious and want to rise to the challenge and grow.

Your success can never be stolen by others, but you may share your personal story and help someone create their own. You can contribute to someone else's achievement and get more satisfaction then earning a million dollars.

Strive to build your Personal Brand

You've probably heard the expression: people spend their time on social media, and they're all about social media, therefore if you're not present there, you or your service basically don't exist.

This is indeed true. It doesn't matter how good you are at what you do; if you aren't visible or acknowledged, you won't be able to take your company or career to greater heights.

So, engage on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and others to establish your own brand.

Invest in your Long-term Goals

Invest your time, money, and effort in long-term objectives. Freelancing can be a lucrative business, but it can also be daunting. If you want to achieve your long-term goals, you must invest in yourself –

1. Strengthen your skills.

2. Focus on developing your personal brand.

3. Keep up to date with emerging business tactics.

4. Consider purchasing laptop and any necessary software.

5. Focus on expanding your skill set.

6. Participate in intellectual webinars and conferences.

7. Keep setting new goals that will push you closer to your long-term goals.

Focus on expanding, which will gradually increase the chances of long-term success. Continue to refine your skills and grow as an individual, and one day you'll wake up in the position you've always wanted to be. Work hard, accomplish your goals, and gratify your soul!

Learn to Productize your Service

Whatever your profession or skills are, they have the potential to grow immensely. Learn how to productize your services and leverage technology and the internet to promote and scale your business.

There is no simple path or shortcut to success; you must devote your entire time to learning and creating. Invest in yourself, set goals, and work hard to accomplish them. Find your flaws and correct them.

There is no limit to learning and improving, and you will eventually be better than your prior self. You'll outperform and earn more than you ever have before.

FAQs

Is Freelancing good for long-term?

Freelancing, like any other business, has its merits and downsides. Most people start freelancing to make some additional money and then move on to something else, but some people do it full time. Freelancing, in my opinion, is useful in the long run for people who don't give up easily, but it won't be fruitful for people who aren't entirely committed to it.

What are some good freelancing sites?

To get started with freelancing there are many websites where you can find various kinds of gigs and clients. However, there is a lot that goes into it to be successful and make sure you are earning the money you deserve.

These are some of most used freelance platforms you can try –

• Upwork
• Freelancer
• Fiverr
• PeoplePerHour
• Guru
• Gig4U
• Toptal