Growth As A Freelancer

The business world is obsessed by growth. How can we scale this? How can we grow, add more staff, increase our customers and make more money? Sure growing your business is pretty important and we all need money to survive but there are other ways to coin growth.

When I first started freelancing I was scoffed at a couple of times when choosing my own name vs a business name.

‘How will you scale with your own name?’

‘You’re limiting yourself by using your own name’.

These are both very valid comments but perhaps short sighted as to what growth may look like as a freelancer. Both of the above statements suggest that the only way to grow as a freelancer is to add more clients and increase the amount of work you take on.

Growth is typically coined in two ways:

• More clients
• Higher earnings

Both are indeed growth however growing your business can be measured in any way you want it to be measured. Growth for me is completely different to how someone else may perceive it.

As freelancers we are in a unique position where we can decide how we shape our business – the clients we take on, when we work and what we want to achieve professionally. Not every freelancer wants to grow beyond being an independent and hire staff and outsource work. For some (including myself) that’s the opposite of what I want to do as an independent consultant.

How a freelancer can grow:

Time growth:
They say time is the world’s most valuable commodity. Everybody is trying to hack time to create more. Last year I read a number of articles around waking at 5am to get more done. In 2017 it’s 4am!

One of my growth metrics as a freelancer is affording more time to do things I enjoy.

Spending time with my wife & daughter, working on my educational websites, listening to podcasts, crafting content or getting outside are just some of the things I want to spend my time doing. In 2017 I have already reduced my freelancing days by 20% and I plan to reduce this further by the end of 2017. This doesn’t mean I’m turning away clients or earning less. Quite the opposite. I am refining my offering, finding clients where I can make the most impact and spending my time doing things which help me grow socially, as a father and professionally.

Freelancer value:
How can I grow to become more valuable to my customers and in turn charge more for my work?

Growth doesn’t have to be adding more volume via more clients and outsourcing the work. I continue to refine my offering and take on clients where I feel I can add the most value. In turn I can charge more by adding value to their business.

I specialise in PPC Management and improving clients from an organic search perspective. If someone wants a full digital service I will turn them away. One of the ways I want to grow as a freelancer is increasing my stock and not adding more clients. Becoming valuable at what I do and being able to price myself competitively in the market.

Client size/type:
As a freelancer I believe my ideal client is a small to medium business. A company which is established but wants to improve online and grow their traffic and in turn leads/sales. Sure I’ve worked with startups, however small to medium businesses are more likely to have finances in place to hire a specialist in a given area.

Going into my second year as a freelancer I have a strategy to attract larger clients looking for specialism as opposed to generic marketing skills.

Niche down:
Growth can allow you to niche down and become a specialist in a chosen area. I never fully book myself out as I leave myself open for the ‘ideal client’. You know that client who ticks every box. Pays on time, is in an industry you are interested in, and somewhere there is the ability to add real value and finally, a business who are just a pleasure to work with.

One of my professional growth goals as a freelancer for 2017 is to niche down into more of a digital consultant as opposed to hands on optimisation. I want to produce the strategy and see this come to fruition.

This is a considerable growth target and one which makes up my priority list for 2017.

Professional/Business Development:
Perhaps one of the most overlooked areas of growth as a freelancer is how you grow professionally and how you develop your business. The world of technology is changing rapidly and as an independant consultant you need to stay on the cusp of emerging technology; particularly within the field.

I allocate time weekly to consume online media. Blogs, podcasts, video. You name it, I try and consume it. Not only does this provide perspective but it also helps me learn new skills and gain knowledge. Sat at home on your own with no team members to bounce off means you need to lean on online material to gain additional knowledge.

Secondly, business development.  A large proportion of freelancers have a blog but so many are rarely updated. Not only does this look poor but it shows you are not spending time developing your business. I try and spend at least 3 hours a week on writing or making enhancements to my website and in turn my business.

Improving and refining my business is professional growth; something I endeavour to achieve this year.

Side Projects:
I’ve made no secret throughout my writing that I run an educational business 50/50 time split with my freelancing. I see side projects as an absolute necessity for any budding freelancer.

A freelancer can and SHOULD be utilising their skills to create an alternative income stream outside of freelancing. Being a freelancer tends to come down to billable hours; hours of which you need to be sat at a desk creating great work! If you are sick, on annual leave or have a family emergency you are not getting paid for the time you are away from your desk.

Have a side project which has the ability to make money when you are not. When I’m not freelancing or if an engagement ends with a client then I have another monetary stream which covers my day to day needs.

One of my growth goals as a freelancer is to afford more time for side projects/business idea. I believe they work side by side. A freelancing lifestyle affords you the time and flexibility to be able to do cool projects a full time role would restrict you from doing.

How do you plan to grow as a freelancer this year? What does growth look like for you?