4 Tips for UX/UI Designer to Start a Freelancing Career

Guiding you to succeed in freelancing: insights from my experience

Are you ready to start freelancing but worried about your lack of experience or no experience? Don’t worry - many successful entrepreneurs have started their businesses without prior knowledge. Even I started freelancing when I wasn't satisfied with my work and wanted to do something extra.

Before I started getting clients, I experienced many failures. I applied to several proposals on Freelancer [dot]com and got banned. I also tried Fiverr and saw how the designer was not respecting their work by selling their skills at low prices. I realized that these platforms were not for me.

In this newsletter, I want to share my journey and provide 4 tips based on my experiences to guide you.

Don’t Quit your Job

You might have heard this a million times or before leaving your job, save at least 3 to 6 months of salary. but it's true - However, you can adopt a smarter approach, just as I did.

In my early career, I started freelancing as a side hustle. Every day, I would spend 3-4 hours creating content and finding clients. I discovered that the key to getting more eyes on my work was to get featured on prominent design pages on Instagram. This strategy helped me attract clients. Although the landscape may have changed since then, I believe that consistently sharing your work can still lead to discovering many clients.

Find Your Niche Early

In the beginning, I struggled because I didn't know what type of clients I wanted to work with. I was simply posting my work on Behance, Dribbble, and Instagram. As a result, many clients were confused about whether I was a designer or a developer, and I found myself saying yes to everything. However, over time, I realized the importance of defining your niche as a freelancer. It helps you determine what you're best suited for and the kind of clients you want to work with. Remember, finding your niche takes time and usually happens naturally.

Standout Designer

Creating an online presence is crucial for freelancers. To be honest, nobody told me that you can make money freelancing even without a portfolio. I started posting my work on Instagram and Dribbble, which served as my portfolio, and I still managed to do great business.

However, I realized the importance of having a personal website as well. These social media platforms generate significant traffic with millions of users, giving you more chances to get work. But now, things might be changing, and having a personal website to showcase your portfolio with 2 to 3 case studies could help you attract clients.

Learn Business Skills and Build Process

To be a successful freelancer, it's not enough to have great design skills. You also need to master essential freelancing skills such as

• Writing proposals,

• Creating invoices,

• Setting up a CRM to make things smoother,

• Communicating with clients effectively

While some designers may accept low-paying clients, I choose to value myself and politely decline. As a freelancer, it's essential to prioritize self-worth.

If you'd like to know how to set a baseline price as a freelancer, feel free to comment below.

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Link Highlights

Handpicked links worth sharing

Airtable: I use Airtable as my CRM to manage clients and leads.

Waveapps: I frequently use this platform for generating invoices, and it has great features like tracking if the client has opened the invoice or not.

Hourly Billing Is Nuts: One of my favourite video about pricing as a freelancer.

Grid Layout Kit: This kit includes over 50 custom grids, perfect for designing websites, portfolios, dashboards, and apps. 50% Off Limited copies!

My Resources: I have listed all the tools and apps I use in one place. Feel free to check it out if you want to know more about my resources.