But it’s important to do it right and if you are ready to expand your business there are a lot of things to consider – firstly if it’s right for you as it can be a big leap from the freedom of only being responsible for yourself, to having staff potentially.
We asked our friends from Crunch, a company that works with freelancers a lot, and they gave us a few things to consider when you are planning to take your freelance career up a notch:
1. Business branding
You need to look at your branding if you want to grow, particularly if you currently operate under personal branding. It’s important that your branding is flexible and can adapt with your growing business and can retain your expertise and authority.
2. Make sure your website is ready
Many freelancers set up simple websites when they start out with personal profiles but if you are planning to expand then your website needs to be up to scratch and also able to flex and change with your business. It needs to be professional and have the option to add in new services, products and staff pages as required.
3. Assess your products and services
You need to look at the products and services which you offer and see where you can grow and where the gaps are. Check your pricing levels and packages offerings to see where you can make improvements and add in extra opportunities for your clients.
4. Talk to your customers
Talk to your customers to find out what they think of your services and if there are any services which they’d like in addition so that you can grow your business alongside your current clients. Look for services which you can offer in partnership, even if it means partnering up with another business to offer them – it’s all a way to grow your business. If you are a designer and your clients request photography then plan to partner with a photographer, for example.
5. Take on staff
If you have got to the point where your level of work exceeds your capability then you may need to take on staff. This might mean staff to help with client work, or it might mean staff to handle other aspects of the business such as an accountant, or an admin assistant, to free up your time to work on the business aspects.
6. Continuous learning and development
As your business starts to grow you will find yourself facing new challenges which will require new skills such as dealing with staff or handling larger contracts and tenders, so you will need to grow your skill base.
As a business owner continuous learning and development should be part of your remit anyway but at this particular turning point in your freelance business it becomes more important than ever to keep your skills updated regularly.
7. Increase your marketing
If your company is growing then you need to up your marketing along with it to ensure it accurately reflects your new offerings, new staff and new approach in order to attract more of the business you need.
8. Improve your expert positioning
As your business starts to grow more and more people will be turning to you for your expertise so make sure you are positioning yourself and your business as leading the way in your industry area. You can position yourself by writing authoritative thought leadership articles, white papers and by giving talks at industry events, among other activities. Being recognised as a leader in your field will go a long way to take your freelance career up a gear.
9. Boost your networking efforts
Boosting your networking efforts goes hand in hand with upping your marketing and becoming a recognised expert. By networking more on a broad scale you will be able to make more and more people aware of what you do and the new services you will be offering so will hopefully meet some new clients that way.
And by networking within your own industry you will become aware of more and more opportunities to promote your business and your expertise at relevant industry events and exhibitions.
Taking your freelance career to the next level might seem scary and going back in the world of working in a team and having colleague and bosses however, it might also be the very ambition you have been working towards.
Growing your freelance career to become your own business with employees and a broad range of services and products is an incredibly exciting time and if you follow all o of the tips outlined here it will help you carve your own path to success.
