Last week we shared why we encourage students to start freelancing while they are still in class. If you missed it, you can read that blog post here.
Freelancing is great because you get to use the skills you are building while still in school. This will help you get your foot in the door, make money, network and set yourself up for success after graduation.
In this week’s blog post, we share with you why freelancing is so great in terms of the things you need. Turns out, you don’t need a whole lot to get started!
Here is what you need to keep in mind…
#1 Freelancing isn’t right for everyone
#2 You will be responsible for yourself – there’s no one else around to manage you
#3 You will need self-discipline – you have to set your own hours and stick to them
#4 You need to learn how to negotiate
#5 You have to stay ahead of the game and know what’s trending
#6 You shouldn’t quit your day job until you can afford to
Still with us?
Let’s move on!
We’ll give you a few ideas on what you need to get started in your own freelance business as a makeup artist or designer. It’s important to treat freelancing like a real job! You are getting paid to provide a skill or service, and you ARE your own business. One of the most valuable things we teach students is to not be shy about using past projects and gigs you’ve worked on as your ‘resumé’. Future clients want to see what you have worked on and what your expertise is. Use previous work to your advantage, and be proud of it.
Create your brand
You need to choose your speciality. You must know where you want to be before you can take the first steps. What style do you love? What do you want to continue doing? Do you love to follow trends or not? Who do you want to help?
Then think about YOU. What is it you do that makes you special? What do you bring to the job? Sell yourself first and your services second. What makes you YOU? Your brand is your identity and it should communicate what you and your work are about.
Set up the back-end stuff
Design a logo, build your website for your e-portfolio, and set up social media accounts. People need to be able to find you! You should also build a printed portfolio, gather testimonials from happy clients and have business cards ready wherever you go.
You may want to start thinking about how clients are going to sign your contract, how you will invoice them, how they will pay you, and you will want to set up your back-end bookkeeping.
Find clients
You have to get comfortable pitching! Freelancing is a numbers game: the more prospective clients you contact, the more likely you are going to find clients. Additionally, you can try applying on job boards, getting listed in industry guides, working as a subcontractor, go to networking events and get referrals whenever you can. AMUA encourages students to use social media and to blog regularly. For example, you could post and blog about new products you have found or tried, or share behind the scenes success stories.
Tying it all together
Invest in your business. Schedule in time for pitching, social media and updating your website, as well as time for your bookkeeping, invoicing and responding to potential client inquiries. Make it easy for yourself by setting aside designated time each week to work ON your business. In the beginning you will work ON your business more than you work IN your business.
Besides investing in your business, invest in yourself as well. This could mean continuing your education by attending a school, workshops or other educational events to build your skill and expertise. That can even be part of networking as well!
We’re all about making it easy! We teach students how to set up their business, from creating a website to marketing themselves and how to pitch for projects and gigs. Of course freelancing isn’t for everyone, but whatever you decide your career path is going to be, we are here for you every step of the way.