Getting Started In Freelancing: Business Idea Brainstorming
Guest post from Angie Nelson
Becoming a freelancer can be an extremely rewarding and lucrative career move. As your own boss you will experience freedom not found in a traditional employee relationship. Many careers –online and off – are well-suited for a freelance opportunity. The following exercise will help you identify options that may be well-suited to you!
To become a successful freelancer, you need to first identify those services you could offer. You likely do not want to do a complete 180° career change. Instead, start with what you have and what you know.
5 Steps to Getting Started in Freelancing
1. List your skills. These are things you are good at whether you had formal training or not. Maybe you have the cleanest house on the block. Perhaps your friends are always telling you to bring your camera to their next event. Write down everything that comes to mind.
2. Write down your character traits. In this brainstorming exercise you will examine your personal attributes. Some of us are born organizers. Other people are great motivators. These are not necessarily skills, but rather strengths that can be carried over to a career.
3. Do you have a hobby? Many entrepreneurs have found a way to turn their favorite pastime into a business. On this list you will jot down activities you enjoy in your downtime. Do not think about relevancy during this step. Just write.
4. The next step is to identify those things on your list that can be turned into a business. If you are a great motivator with savvy business sense, business coaching may be the freelance option for you. If you love design and are one of those born organizers mentioned earlier, interior design may be the way to go. The purpose of this step of the exercise is to connect the activities you love with your skills and strengths.
5. Will anyone buy it? The final step in the business idea brainstorming session is the reality check. Some ideas are doable and some are not. Now is the time to start researching comparable products or services that currently available. Are they offered at a price point that will allow you to be profitable? Can you compete with what is out there in terms of price, quality or customer service? What makes your idea better than what is out there?
Do not start a freelance business simply because it is the current trend. For long-term success start a business that matches your skills, strengths and interests.
How did you decide on your freelance path?
Angie Nelson has been an online business owner since 2007 when she took her future into her own hands and found a way to escape the corporate cubicle farm. Today she balances several successful online ventures and still manages to share her passion for home business with others on her blogs The Work at Home Wife and The Best Direct Sales Companies.
