How to Become a Successful Freelancer in Africa

With the increase in the use of the internet and the transformation of businesses  in Africa, it is very easy to become a successful freelancer in Africa, making good money at the comfort of your home.

In Africa, there is a continuous rise in the use of Internet and this has benefitted both businesses as well as freelancers. The businesses community for instance enjoy competitive rates and instant executions, while freelancers seize available opportunities to offer their service remotely. If you want to become a successful freelancer and add a cherry on your daily livelihood, then keep reading this article.

How to Become a Successful Freelancer in Africa

The very first step towards becoming a successful freelancer in Africa is to search for the niche of services which is in high demand, then develop yourself and grow with time. Once you know what services are in demand, then you can align yourself with the ongoing trend and polish your skills which will help you to meet clients expectations.

Another important thing is communication skills, you have to work on your communication skills; understand what to write when applying for job and how to communicate effectively during working the job.

Choose the right platform

After doing the industry analysis, one should look for the best platforms where they can cash their skills. Choosing a good platform is necessary so that you’re not caught between any malpractices and also have ample amount of projects. Some of the top websites that allow the best freelancing environment are “upwork.com” and “freelancing.com“. To begin with, sign up on the above mentioned websites and verify your account as verified accounts are more likely to get hired. Post verification, the very first thing one should do is to build a portfolio of works showcasing your skills. This will help you attract more clients as it gives you an edge over the other candidates.

You can also set up your own website to promote your skills and services, this will involve you understanding the basic of Search Engine Optimization and integration your website promotion with your social media profiles.

Getting the first project

The problem that every freelancer struggles with within their initial days is getting the first project as clients usually avoid hiring the newbies. Here, your verified profile and a genuine portfolio will help you somewhat ease the process. Once you are assigned your first task, strive your best to get good ratings and feedback because this is what will decide your further course of freelancing. Hence, choose only projects that you’re absolutely sure you can deliver up to the client’s expectations. After this point, you’ll start seeing a steady growth in the arrival of projects.

Building long term relations

After the success of your first project, try to engage the client for further continuation of work. Your communication skill as well as the skill required to do the job will play an important role here. Gaining experience and confidence from the smaller projects, build your way up. Keep learning new skills so that you become eligible for more jobs and hence increasing the work flow. Always remember, old skills are replaced by new once so keep yourself up-to-date all the time.

Conclusion

One bonus point to achieve faster success in freelancing is to re-invest the capital earned in the initial phases to buy subscriptions and memberships. Although it is not necessary, if you’re serious, then it can greatly boost your journey. In the end, freelancing is all about patience. Just like a business, it takes its own time to grow. But the ones who are patient enough even make it as a successful full time career.