What is a freelancer? Learn now and see how to start your career!

Freelancing is a type of work that has been in high demand lately, but do you really know what a freelancer is?

What is a Freelancer?

Let's start with the origin, the word freelancer is an English term that refers to a liberal professional.

In other words, professionals who provide services to companies or individuals for a certain period of time.

Therefore, freelancing is nothing more than extra work for those who already have a job and just want to make some extra money.

Or, for those who have chosen to work independently and are looking for new challenges.

Although it is an old term, this type of work only began to become evident and popular in recent decades.

And it is characterized as a professional who works on his own, that is, the freelancer provides services autonomously to both individuals and legal entities.

But after all, what does a freelancer do?

The freelancer, as a self-employed professional, has the possibility of working in several areas.

Therefore, you can be a designer, writer, photographer, musician, journalist, programmer, painter, among other possibilities.

However, there are some characteristics that you, as a freelancer, need to have or at least develop over time.

Because you need to remember that being your own boss and a good professional requires a relentless search for knowledge and development.

What are the characteristics of a Freelancer?

Be Organized

Let's start with one of the most important characteristics, not only for the freelancer, but in your life in general.

Organization is important and should not be seen as just “a tidy place”, but rather to help you be more focused.

Self-employment, especially from home, can bring a certain level of comfort and this cannot become a problem in relation to your professionalism.

That's why it's important that you specify times for work, leisure and household chores and have a space reserved for your work.

And create a routine, especially if your work option requires working from home, learn to distinguish between home and work activities.

Sense of challenge

In fact, if there is one thing that a freelance professional needs to have, it is a sense of challenge.

Because when you have a steady job, demands are simply presented and you will fulfill them according to your schedule and role.

However, when we talk about being your own boss, the scenario changes a little, as you are the one who will need to define everything.

That's why it's ideal for you to set goals, as they will help you not lose productivity and maintain control of all your work.

Therefore, you need to think about two very important things:

How much time you will make available for work;
How much would you like to receive at the end of the month?

Based on this principle, analyze how much will need to be produced in the month (day or week, this will depend on your demand and planning) to reach the value stipulated as a goal.

Therefore, as a good freelancer, don't forget to challenge yourself every day to achieve your goals.

Have good communication and networking

Having good communication makes all the difference for freelance professionals, you are the personal marketing of your work.

And having good communication will make it easier when it comes to attracting customers, negotiating prices and creating content according to what your customer wants.

A freelancer with good communication makes all the difference, from the beginning to the end of the service.

Likewise, keeping in touch with professionals in the field also helps a lot when it comes to promoting your work.

Therefore, good communication must also be accompanied by good networking.

Have financial control

When you are a CLT employee, financial control is much easier than when you are a freelancer.

That's why it's very important that you have control over your expenses.

Therefore, evaluate the best way to control your finances.

Nowadays, there are several applications that can help you with this task of having a “financial sector”.

Be Versatile

Let's start from the principle that the Freelancer is a company, so you are the one who needs to take care of all the sectors of that company.

Therefore, versatility will lead you to learn new things and face new challenges.

So, the freelancer needs to understand all the stages from sales, finance, legal, and so on.

Have a desire to learn

And finally, by combining all the characteristics mentioned above, we arrive at knowledge.

To become a good professional, it is important to always seek to be in constant development, and this is no different for freelancers.

On the contrary, it is one of the most important characteristics.

Therefore, if you want to be a good freelancer, learn new things, seek knowledge and develop your skills.

What is the difference between a Freelancer and an Entrepreneur?

An entrepreneur like the MEI, for example, is a way to regularize self-employment.

Therefore, if you now want to dedicate yourself solely to this type of work, MEI is a great option for keeping your tax obligations up to date.

This way, you will register and open a CNPJ (National Registry of Legal Entities). This formalization will entail the need to pay taxes that guarantee certain rights to the professional.

Therefore, the difference between a freelancer and an entrepreneur is that MEI, for example, is a tax category and freelancer is a type of work.

However, if you are really looking to pursue a freelance career, be sure to regularize your situation. It is simple and can be done online through Entrepreneur Portal.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a freelancer?

Advantages:

More flexibility and autonomy, you set your own schedule, choose the clothes you want to wear, have the autonomy to decide how and when you want to take vacations and work from wherever you want.

And in some cases, depending on your area of expertise and demand, you can earn even more as a freelancer.

Disadvantages:

However, not everything is rosy, freelancers are not entitled to a series of labor benefits that they have when they are CLT, such as, for example, thirteenth salary, paid time off and FGTS.

The lack of stability is also a negative point for freelancers, as it is a job paid on demand, and may undergo some variations from month to month.

Therefore, financial control becomes important to avoid difficulties.

Where to find freelance jobs?

Check out some professions that are on the rise in the freelancer market:

Editor;
Proofreader;
Agenda planner;
Graphic designer;
Social Media;
Translator;
Architect;
Counter;
Journalist;
Video editor;
Developer and programmer;
Professor, among others.

There are some websites that can help you when registering your portfolio and presentation to find a good Freelancer.

Some of them are exclusive to freelance work like, Freelancers, Workana and the well-known Linkedin.

So now that you’ve learned everything about being a freelancer, enjoy all the professional advantages it offers!

Given that April 26, 2023

Career