Studies conducted last year show that 50% of the freelancers questioned expected their income to continue to increase, and a third of them reported an increasing demand for their work.
What does it mean for you? That 2016 is the perfect time to be a freelancer, especially a web design one, since the demand for freelancing services is steadily increasing.
If your objective in the next months is to increase your freelance income, here are several things to start with.
Start Using Pre-Built Websites
Time is important; especially if you are trying to position yourself to make more money in the same number of hours.
If you can jump-start your projects with a partially completed design, and maintain a high level of quality, you will soon find yourself communicating with satisfied clients and getting ahead of the game.
A great way to do this is to start working with professionally-designed, prebuilt websites – like this one:
This is one of the coolest, most exuberant examples.
- Since you can start a project with some of the design effort already done for you, the total time you need to devote to that project is reduced.
- An editable layout, such as the one shown, is much easier for a client to relate to than is a wireframe of a mockup.
- UX principles have already been incorporated into pre-built websites – an even greater time saver.
- With over 210 of these customizable pre-built websites to choose from when you select Be Theme, you can save yet more time. If your client is looking for something different, it’s easy to do some customizing, or make a switch.
Three more examples:
Be VPN
Clean, clear, and professional
Be Car
Smooth effects
Be Minimal
Elegance
Consider Ways to Acquire Passive Income
If you are able to earn some passive income, it will free up time that you can devote to other pursuits, and it can also give you the luxury of being a bit pickier about the freelancing assignments you take on.
- Although it takes some effort up front, creating an affiliate site to sell others’ products can be a good passive income generator.
- Closer to home, you can sell your own designs: icons, vectors, or mockups, for example. A one-page website may be all you need to do so.
- Other ways include sharing your knowledge and design experience in a book or an eBook.
- If you’re good at photography, assembling a selection of quality photos on a specific topic, or several topics, can be a source of passive income.
- There is always a market for innovative t-shirts, coffee mugs, and the like. You might consider creating your own online store – starting with a pre-built website like the one below.
Be Store
It’s Important to Minimize Your Risks
Trying “this or that” is seldom a good approach. The risk of failure is usually too high. You will have a better shot at success by treating your freelancing activity as a business, and looking at what you need to do from that perspective.
One of the first things you learn in business school is that time is money. Look at your work habits and routines from various angles, ferret out your less efficient processes and procedures, and eliminate any that are complete time-wasters.
There are risks associated with trying to work harder to make more money. Working smarter makes much more sense and carries less risk. Working with pre-built websites is an excellent example of working smarter – some of the important work has already been done for you. It’s a matter of customizing or tweaking as opposed to researching and creating.
Long-term assignments are nice. They offer a sense of security. But over-reliance on a long-term assignment carries its own risks. Be nimble, and be prepared to take on something new.
Refining your methods, and using productivity-enhancing tools to their full advantage, will take you far, but the best way of all to lower your risks is to acquire a business mindset.
Increase Your Day-to-Day Productivity
Finding better tools and methods to work with is a great way to increase your productivity. Pushing yourself, and working harder, is one of the worst ways. One of the keys to productivity is discipline. A lack of discipline is one reason why many freelancers fail to earn a decent income, or seem to have reached an earnings plateau.
Working at home, and on your own schedule, sounds good, but not everyone is disciplined enough to succeed in doing so.
- Set a routine. Once you see it is working, stick to it. If need be, improve upon it.
- Avoid multitasking. Once looked upon as a desirable talent, multitasking can be a productivity killer.
- Learn how to best organize your work. Read up on the subject, since learning how to stay organized can take time. Try the “touch things only once” approach. It takes some getting used to, but it’s effective.
- Do what you can to avoid working at times, or in situations, when you really shouldn’t be.
- Keep your work space clean, uncluttered, and comfortable. Invest in a good chair, a computer table (height), and proper lighting.
2016 is a good year for freelancers
2016 is a good time to increase your freelancing income. There are plenty of assignments that pay well, if you are willing to take the time to look for them. Low-paying work is easier to find, and the competition is not as stiff, but if you follow some of the recommendations put forth here, and treat your freelancing activities as a business, you will do well.
The tools you use are also important. Make it a point to checkout Be Theme, and its selection of over 210 pre-built websites. View them and the videos to see how using this multi-purpose WordPress theme, and its time-saving and productivity-enhancing features, can lead to more work and higher earnings.
Business mindset, discipline, organization, and the right tools for the job – it all counts.
