Jump In Podcast: How to Become a Freelancer

Upwork is a freelance platform with millions of freelancers and it’s free to join. You are completing your profile, searching for work, and pitching your service. Their Talent Badges are your way to build your reputation on the platform and charge more for your services.

In this episode, you will...

One of the questions I get asked most in relation to my freelance business is “When do you outsource work?”

For many, outsourcing freelance work is a way of staying motivated. They find that the daunting tasks are the things that halt progress and by hiring freelancers to take care of these tasks, they can get back to their core business. When you decide to outsource your workload there are a number of things to consider in order to ensure that you carry out the right steps when it comes to hiring freelancers.

In this episode, you will...

• get the tips and tricks when it's the best time to outsource your freelance work
• understand the step-by-step process of how to outsource your work
• know what to look for when hiring and firing freelancers 

Insights:

• ''It often seems intuitive that if you could outsource everything, you'd be able to cut the costs, raise profits, and double your revenue. But is it so?''
• ''The freelancer you hire may not have the same sense of what quality is that you do, and willing to sacrifice quality for lower cost, whereas you are unwilling to compromise.''
• ''Outsourcing can expand your earning potential, but it will also require more of your time.''

Tips:

• Learn to evaluate freelancers.
• Think about how long the project will take.
• Estimate how much work the project will require.
• Get more insightful tips by listening to this podcast episode 
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Freelance workers are considered self-employed and even a business of one needs insurance.

There are a few types of business insurance for freelancers: general liability, professional liability, business interruption, and cyber security insurance. Let’s take it one by one so you can understand which one you might need, depending on your business needs.

In this episode, you will…

• Understand the differences between all types of freelancer insurance
• Find out why you should get professional liability insurance for freelancers
• Know how to choose the right freelancer insurance depending on your needs
• Get some recommendations on the best insurance companies for small businesses

Insights:

• ''Let’s say your client sent you a work laptop and you spilled your tea on your client’s laptop. What happens next?''
• ''Professional liability insurance is an important part of your business or freelance career. Whether you're a full-time employee or work independently, you'll need this type of coverage to protect yourself against lawsuits that can result in costly payouts.''
• ''According to Kaspersky Labs, the average cost of a small business data breach is $86,500? If you are storing client sensitive data such as credit card number, you might want to look at cyber security insurance''

LinkedIn Marketplace is rolling the feature for the gig workers and everyone is excited!

With over 722 million members and 310 million monthly active users, for every freelancer, this means that finding new projects will become easier and more practical.

In this episode, you will…

• Find out what LinkedIn Marketplace is and its goals
• Understand how you can use LinkedIn Marketplace as a freelancer
• Learn how to optimize your profile for LinkedIn Marketplace

Insights:

• ''It comes at a cost, of course. LinkedIn is thinking of taking a cut of the transactions that take place on Marketplace. The payment will be supported via a digital wallet offered by Microsoft.''
• ''While LinkedIn Marketplace comes with a great solution for every freelancer, this doesn’t mean it will not be competitive.''

Tips

• Do not stop marketing yourself on other freelance platforms or via cold calls/ emails and networking
• Optimize your LinkedIn profile for the LinkedIn Marketplace feature: create a portfolio, gather great reviews and refine your skills section.
• LinkedIn Marketplace has over 10 categories and subcategories to choose from so make sure you go through all of them before you put up your services.
• Optimize your service description with keywords.