3 Ways To Scale Your Freelance Business To Keep Growing
When I hear the word “scaling” in the freelance world, I think of growing business through automation, adding people, or adding more products/services. As you scale, it can be important to remember why you are freelancing in the first place. Consider:
If you’re looking to grow your freelancing into an agency, then you want to take steps that put you on the path to that.
If you’re looking to grow your freelancing so that you can spend more time at home with your family, then you want to take steps to do that.
If you’re looking to grow your freelancing in a way that puts you in a position to get bought out, then you want to take steps to do that.
These are just 3 typical goals business owners have, but the question about scaling your freelance business in each case is very different. Even as a young freelancer, I find myself trapped in the mindset of “staying in my lane”. I know what I do well and I serve my clients with those skills to the best of my ability.
When it comes to scale, ask yourself what branding battlefields are you going to pursue? Well, there’s a lot that you can aim to target:
You want to target a more specific niche than your competition
You aim to battle them in quality
You aim to target your audience on a different platform than your competition
Below are the top ways you should consider scaling your freelance business.
1. Find A Niche
This might sound cliche, but it’s important to know who our target customer is and who EXACTLY we serve. It might result in a super-defined niche (working with one vertical like dentists, or dog groomers) or you may be more of a general practitioner where you offer web or print design services to a more general market.
Many believe the “riches are in the niches”. The more we can be laser-focused on who our perfect client is, we can understand them and the problems they have, and how to provide better, more effective solutions for them.
If you put in the work and become an expert in a profitable niche, the sky’s the limit for where your freelancing business can go. People looking for specific products often turn to smaller stores or specialists where they can ask for expert advice, which works to your advantage.
Similarly, consumers are willing to pay insane amounts for limited edition or unique products. To offer high-value services, you must tailor them to match client needs. Focus on the services/products clients are most interested in and make sure the price reflects that.
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2. Develop Products and Services Which Generate Recurring Income
Do you have services that you could manage for your clients long-term? I’ve been in web development for a long time, since the late 90s, (eons ago!) but I remember starting in web development and talking with clients; it was like I was speaking a foreign language to them. There were so many things that my clients didn’t understand: web hosting, security certificates, etc.
To help them, I was able to create a couple of services to take off their plates, including domain name registration and web hosting. Since I have a reseller relationship with hosting companies, I was able to upsell and cross-sell some long-term management services to my clients. The great thing is that I create invoices on a monthly or annual basis and set them to automatically go out.
This recurring income provides stability for freelancers and a much-needed service/product for our clients. Win, win!
3. Set Clear Sales Goals and Create A Playground For Fast Growth
Once you’ve decided on a niche and optimized your services, you need to set goals for yourself and your future employees. Both financial and sales goals are important when scaling your freelance business, so you need to answer the following questions before you take anyone else on board:
How many clients can you accommodate at once?
Is fast-paced growth sustainable for your freelance business?
How much additional support will you need to handle the extra workload?
Can you support a full-time employee even during slower months?
Networking and delegating are two of the most important facets of scaling a freelance business. As freelancers, connecting people to your service or finding other freelancers that may be able to assist in a commission on a contract basis are vital components of the freelance industry.
Finding reliable and timely help or linking to clients who already have jobs waiting can be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. Scaling a freelance business is an essential part of working in a freelance capacity. It requires an honest appraisal of how efficient your business model is and how best you can increase your revenue without increasing your expenses.
Related:
How A Freelancer Business Coach Can Help Jumpstart Your Business
5 Winning Strategies From Real Freelancers On How To Use LinkedIn To Pitch Freelancing Services
Meet The Writer!
Hi! I’m Christian James. I am a freelance writer, copywriter, and editor, with a data-driven and analytical mindset. I have experience writing on a wide range of topics in diverse fields. I have a B.Tech. in Computer science from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and Currently pursuing an Online Certificate in Data Science: Inference Modeling from Harvard University School of Professional and Lifelong learning. As a freelancer, I offer services such as blog writing, copywriting, web content writing, speechwriting, article writing SEO writing, creative writing, and editing. Feel free to explore my medium blog or connect with me on LinkedIn.
