Someone asked me today how to do what I do for a living. I think they meant working for ten clients instead of one boss.
They currently work in the marketing department for a fast-growing company. They know they could potentially earn more doing it full time for themselves, but their question was one we all have at some point:
How do you even get started as a marketing freelancer or consultant?
To me, the answer was obvious. Start on the side.
Tap into your network and see who needs help creating a website, doing social media, or whatever it is you do best.
Someone you already know needs help with this… badly.
Start small. Be honest about your skills and experience. Charge just a little. Do the kind of work you already do, but as a freelancer.
Be sure also to save your side-hustle money. You might just need it when you make the leap.
Then, just see if you like it. You probably will. Everyone does, even if it’s hard for a while.
Oh, and don’t tell anyone you work with what you’re doing, of course. Unless your employers are fine with you moonlighting, but even then I’d keep it low key.
This isn’t legal advice, so do what you need to do.
And as I wrote about yesterday, the best thing to do if you’re even considering going out on your own is to start a blog.
Publish stuff about the work you do. Give advice on your area of expertise or simply share things you learn in your day-to-day work. Just don’t talk about your employer or anything private without their permission.
Bonus points if you write and publish something daily. Big bonus points. That’s usually reserved for the vets.
But I digress…
Eventually, you may go full time. You may work up the guts to take the leap, or fate may impose itself upon you. Either way, all you’ll need to do is turn your blog into a business website by adding a services page.
Easy peasy. You have a business. Now the real fun begins.