When I decided to leave the newspaper industry I thought I could just use my skills to freelance in my spare time around my new marketing role with a children’s charity. In my mind it all seemed so simple but in reality I didn’t have a clue where to start.

Nowadays, I tell anyone and everyone about PeoplePerHour.com and I want share my journey. Read my story and tips to starting your Freelance Career today.

             If you’ve got a talent then you’re already half way there. Identifying what you’re good at is sometimes the biggest battle. It can be tough overcoming modesty to realise that you are great at something. My tip: don’t be shy.

There’s no shame in talking about your talents as long as you can provide evidence that it’s true. Make sure you have some good examples that you can share and testimonials always help too.

Word of mouth is important – you’re more likely to trust a recommendation from someone you know, admire or trust.

             This was a major stumbling block for me. I first started to look into freelancing in 2008 and I didn’t know websites such as PeoplePerHour existed. Without websites like this how could I compare my rates to other freelancers? I researched and found other freelancers and emailed them for advice. It can be competitive as a freelancer and so many are reluctant to share their tips for fear of having their clients poached. Despite this I was offered some good advice about approaching editors.

If you’re starting out now, my tip would be sign up to PeoplePerHour and research freelancers with similar skills to you by looking at the existing hourlie ads. This will give you some idea of what your competition is offering. Don’t just look at the price also look at what they will deliver for that price and how long they would take to complete the project.

PeoplePerHour also have some great blogs and videos giving you the best advice on producing a fab hourlie ad.

My tip: don’t undersell yourself. I did but I soon realised I was putting more effort in than what I was gaining. It’s easy to want to undercut the competition but at the end of the day the client will pay for quality if you deliver quality.

Be willing to adapt

Your talent might be relevant and may even be popular right now but always keep in the back of your mind – what will the future look like? I started my freelance career writing articles and features for newspapers and websites. As citizen journalism became the norm my freelancing was taking a nose dive. But what could I do? The only option was to adapt if I wanted my freelancing to survive.

Instead of writing articles it was SEO copy, product descriptions and blogs. Make sure your talent is future proof by staying up-to-date with your industry.

                 Another easy pitfall to make – saying yes to more projects that you can handle. When somebody first buys your hourlie it’s a great feeling. Somebody has recognised your talents and wants to work with you. I only freelance in my spare time. I’m currently working for a housing charity and work long hours as a website project manager. There are times when I cannot take on freelance projects but PeoplePerHour make life easy by allowing you to pause your hourlie ads at any time. My tip: only take on one project at a time at the beginning. When you’re confidence grows and you understand how long each piece of work will take you can start to increase this.

Since joining PeoplePerHour I have gained freelance confidence, became friends with clients outside of the website and earned a little extra to help with everyday life. I couldn’t imagine my life without PeoplePerHour and that’s why wherever I go I tell people about their wonderful services.