The nice thing about freelancing is that virtually anyone could do it! Are you a regular employee with a knack for creative writing? A bilingual family-guy looking for another source of income for your family? Or maybe just a person fresh out of college with a translation degree and don’t know where to start? Freelancing’s always a nice option to start with.

Just imagine; you get to work from the comfort of your own home, in clothes you’re comfortable in with a mug-full of your favorite drink sitting on your bedside. However, as awesome as it may sound to work however and wherever you want, freelancing has its own challenges and responsibilities. Not knowing who paid for what, suddenly realizing the four different deadlines you have today and the scattered documents on your desktop isn’t something you, as a freelancer, would anticipate.

Well then how do successful freelancers rock at what they do?

1. They Have a Business Plan

Being a freelancer also means that you’re starting your own business. You’ll have to market yourself, get yourself out there and sell your product well so that people could buy it. As a freelancer, you are a service provider. You are selling your translation, editorial or writing services to the general public, so make sure that you know what you want, know what you’re doing and know how you’ll do it. Write your aims, goals and understand the people you’re targeting. Are you offering medical translation services? Then maybe you should start marketing yourself to certain health care providers. Do you only proofread literary works? Then show yourself to different publishing firms in your area.

2. They’re Good At What They Do

Of course, you’re not really selling your services right if you have no idea what kind of skills you’ll be needing to get the specific job done. You can’t say that you provide legal translation services when you don’t have a single idea on what an ‘appeal’ means in Arabic.

3. They Don’t Shy Away From Social Media

You can’t keep living under a rock your whole freelancer-life. Successful freelancers go out of their way to make themselves noticeable in the market. Trust me, it’s time worth investing in. Simply make a Facebook Page or Instagram, or better yet, start a blog on WordPress and show of your writing skills!

4. They Know When To Say ‘No’

Sometimes you have too many deadlines on a specific day or maybe the job the client is offering isn’t in your field of interest. But guess what? You don’t have to feel obligated to say ‘yes’ to every single job opportunity that comes your way. There will be times where you’ll have to compromise; wouldn’t you rather give your 100% to your three other clients than your 70% for all five of your clients?

5. They Find a Balance

Don’t forget you have a social-life too! Great freelancers also know when to take a break and relax. Freelancing can get pretty stressful when you have so many deadlines to meet and paperwork to finish. Remember, giving yourself a certain time during the day to just put your mind at ease, hang out with your loved ones or just chill on the sofa for a while can be very therapeutic.