With so many people finding it difficult to obtain gainful employment, the art of freelancing has become a bigger phenomenon. It is estimated that over 30% of all Americans are now doing some form of freelance work to help either make ends meet or as full-time employment, which often means earning little to nothing in terms of insurance and vested benefits. Still, many people find the concept of freelancing to be ideal and prefer it to traditional work. Regardless of the reasoning behind considering freelancing as a viable path to financial freedom, there are five easy steps you can follow to help broaden your horizons and increase your earning potential.

Pick A Niche

Many freelancers find themselves in the industry because they possess a multitude of talents. While this can be great for finding those initial leads and establishing steady revenue, focusing on one particular niche or area of work can ultimately increase your clout and earning power. Having online portals such as a website, social media outlets and blogs are vital; if you are pinging your blog with relevant content about your line of work and demonstrating your credentials on a particular subject, you are much more likely to attract relevant business than when covering multiple niches in a broader fashion.

Be Organized

When handling so many different assignments and projects at once, it is pretty easy to get distracted and unorganized. By creating block schedules and calculating the estimated amount of time it will take to complete each project, you can stay on track and never miss a deadline. It’s also very important to keep track of payments, invoices and prior work in case any information is required later. Since freelancers mostly work with no direct supervision, keeping an eye on yourself is the only way to ensure that the task at hand is completed.

Stay Connected

While freelancing can be a very lucrative career with a seemingly never-ending amount of available work, sooner or later the time will come when you will value personal connections with other freelancers. With the internet at our disposal, real-life demands for creative content and networking events held quite often, there is no excuse to not be interacting and making connections with fellow freelancers, industry leaders and potential clients. In some cases, pinging your blog or social media hub when thoroughly connected may not only result in added work for you, but perhaps also help with a large workload and tight deadlines.

Secure Your Services

Many freelancers make the mistake of operating without specific terms or contracts in place. Depending on the working relationship, many feel comfortable operating outside of these confines. If you are just beginning with a new client or are being tasked with large projects, having contracts that outline time-lines for completion and pricing will protect you. You do not want to be taken advantage of – especially when you have invested lots of time and energy into the completion of a project – so contracts are vital in ensuring that your client is legally required to pay for your services.