{"id":1948,"date":"2017-01-30T16:10:12","date_gmt":"2017-01-30T16:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.setmore.com\/blog\/?p=1948"},"modified":"2022-03-11T15:52:22","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T10:22:22","slug":"turn-freelance-work-consulting-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.setmore.com\/blog\/turn-freelance-work-consulting-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Turn Your Freelance Work into a Consulting Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

Freelancing is a great way to make a living, and turning it into a business is often the end goal. However, getting from point A to point B can seem daunting and, some days, even impossible.<\/p>\n

While the transition doesn\u2019t necessarily happen overnight, it\u2019s something every freelancer can work toward with each new project, contact and networking event. As someone who\u2019s on the cusp of this transition, I wanted to share my tips for taking your freelance work to the next level and becoming a business owner.<\/p>\n

Shoot to\u00a0build higher-tier opportunities<\/h2>\n

After writing for sites like Shape.com and Reader\u2019s Digest, I\u2019ve found it\u2019s much easier to get more high-paying, \u201cbraggy\u201d writing gigs with other large publishers. However, getting those \u201cgateway opportunities\u201d is where many freelancers come to a screeching halt. Why? Pitching top-level editors or business owners is intimidating and it doesn\u2019t help that our number one fear is failure, according to the 2016 survey Fighting Fear: The 7 Billion Dollar Price Tag<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n

This fear is so powerful that a whopping 13.4 percent of respondents reported losing a job because of their fear, while 6.1 percent gave up a promotion. In freelance terms that equates to avoiding big jobs because you\u2019re scared you can\u2019t do it, or worse, you\u2019ll be rejected.<\/p>\n

To turn your freelance work into a business, you have to let go of this fear because working with well-known publishers, photographers and businesses (depending on the work you do) is critical. Next time a great opportunity comes your way, run it by someone you trust\u2014if you\u2019re truly uncertain because you\u2019re afraid, they\u2019ll remind you about all the reasons you should take it.<\/p>\n

Create new opportunities for yourself<\/h2>\n

One of the best ways to grow your freelance work into a business is to expand your skill set, allowing you to take on different projects and potentially bring in passive income as well.<\/p>\n

I recently wrote about how to become a more valuable freelancer<\/a> and one of the ways is to learn complementary skills. For example, learning how to take high-quality photos can be a valuable skill for freelance writers. Instead of searching around for free stock photos, you can take and use your own.<\/p>\n

If an editor notices and asks, you can tell them it\u2019s something you learned to improve your work, which makes you look great. Not to mention, when pitching bigger gigs, you can include this as part of the service and charge more because of it.<\/p>\n

In this case, if you really like the photos, you can start a website and sell digital and print images, or upload to stock photo sites and make passive income from downloads.<\/p>\n

Start getting picky<\/h2>\n

Bigger jobs require more of your time, resources and brainpower, which means you don\u2019t have as much to give to smaller, low-paying or \u201clower-tier\u201d gigs. I know what you\u2019re thinking: I can\u2019t just turn down money. <\/i>As a freelancer, I get it\u2014it\u2019s hard to turn down a job, even if you aren\u2019t being compensated as much as you should, whether in money or \u201cbrag credits.\u201d<\/p>\n

With fewer small projects on your plate, however, you can give big projects your all. If you\u2019re too focused on meeting other deadlines, you may not end with a product you\u2019re proud of. This could lead to losing that connection for opportunities in the future, and maintaining these contacts and opportunities is key for turning your freelance work into a business.<\/p>\n

Maintain strong relationships<\/h2>\n

Relationship building is one of the most important parts of building your freelance work into a business\u2014this is how you\u2019ll get referral work, or even turn an unstructured relationship into a regular gig. Here are a few tips for maintaining these strong relationships:<\/p>\n