If you have a skill, talent, or hobby that you want to take from an amateur level to a professional level, what an amazing time to do so.
This is the age of the freelancer and the creator. The self-employed and the independent.
Now couldn’t be a better time to work for yourself and to enjoy doing it. It is a profitable and enjoyable way to work and there are more resources out there than ever before to help you on your way.
If you are looking for a place to start on this journey, you’ve landed in the exact right place today. In this short blog, we are going to share with you some tips and tricks on how to begin the transition from amateur to professional in the outlet of your choice.
Without further ado…
Create a professional online presence
The number one thing people will see when they are looking to employ your services is your online presence, including your website, social media accounts, and profile on any relevant platforms.
If you are looking to be professional and take on paying clients, you will need to up your game in this area. A professional and cohesive online presence is the only one that results in income and regular work.
If you are tech-savvy, you can do most of this yourself and if you aren’t, you can employ another freelancer for a pretty reasonable price.
All you need is to look approachable but professional, list your services and contact details clearly, and be able to showcase your talents and portfolio.
Once you have this down to a fine art, you will find clients coming to you before you have to come to them.
Master your portfolio
On that note, you will need to make sure that you have a top tier portfolio if you want to make a career out of your skill or hobby.
If you don’t have any paying clients yet, that is still ok. You can use what you already have and give it a quick polish to showcase the skills that you can offer potential clients.
If it is something like blogs, for example, you can create non-commissioned blogs to show off your skills even though you haven’t been paid by clients to do them yet.
It is all about showing what you can do as well as telling what you can do.
The proof is in the pudding and clients will only bite if they can see the proof for themselves.
Network
It might be the buzzword you hate to see on advice and tips lists, but it is there for a reason.
If you want to upscale to a professional level, you will need to network with other professionals, potential clients, and people in the community.
Above all else, word of mouth is the number one source of referral for most fields of work and it is always good to have some extra endorsement online.
It can’t hurt to be spoken of highly, right?
