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There are many different sources of work out there. In this video we're going to take a look at where to find these sources and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
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[How to Freelance - with Pasan Premaratne - Finding Your First Project]
0:00
[Pasan Premaratne] One of the hard parts of starting out in a freelance career is finding that initial project.
0:05
You need projects to show your skill set and gain experience, but people won't hand over their projects
0:10
unless you have the necessary experience already.
0:16
So how do you go about getting it?
0:19
A great place to start is with your family, friends, and personal contacts.
0:22
A lot of freelancers new to the field get their first clients through people they already know.
0:26
Since there's already an established trust factor, these people are more likely to work with a new or inexperienced designer or developer.
0:32
The key to carrying this out successfully is to treat your friend or family member just as you would a client.
0:39
Now this can be very difficult, but it's necessary if you want to protect both your relationship and your project.
0:46
It's quite hard to say no to a friend—demanding as they may unknowingly be—
0:52
or ask a family member to may more if they ask for additional features.
0:57
But you have to establish the same limits you would with a client.
1:01
If the project doesn't work out and you find it hard to work with one another, you don't want to ruin that personal relationship.
1:05
Set up simple contracts right from the start and be clear about your intentions, goals, and workflow.
1:11
If you want to charge, let them know right from the beginning.
1:18
Communication is very important as a freelancer, and this is a great place to confront your fears over these uncomfortable issues.
1:21
If you can ask a friend or family member to pay you on time, you shouldn't have any problems telling your clients that.
1:28
Next if you're involved with any organizations, whether it's a professional or recreational organization,
1:35
these can be great sources of work as well.
1:40
Most organizations have services they would like to implement, but don't have the resources to dedicate to the problem.
1:43
Check around to see if you can provide any solutions for their problems.
1:49
Like working with family or friends, you have this established trust factor, so it's easier to get work without much experience.
1:53
Again, you will have to weigh your relationship, as well as your desired compensation on the project with the situation at hand.
2:00
In addition to organizations you're involved in, there are plenty of other local organizations
2:08
that might be interested in your services if you reach out to them.
2:12
Get in touch with as many as possible to find an interesting project you'd like to work on
2:16
that will bring in adequate experience and a fair bit compensation.
2:20
Now you don't even need to have a physical, local network to get your first project started.
2:24
Social media can be a powerful tool in this aspect.
2:29
If you're on any network, you can reach out to your contacts, mention what you are doing, and that you are looking for work.
2:33
But what if you still can't find work in your network? You have reached out to lots of people and no one got back to you.
2:40
Don't worry, you still have options. You can start by building on your personal projects.
2:46
The idea here isn't to find a client, but to build up the necessary experience that allows you to get those first few clients.
2:51
Maybe you have an idea of a problem you want to solve.
2:59
You can go about building that to learn the necessary skill set to take a project from start to finish.
3:02
Personal projects won't bring in any income in the short term, but they will definitely highlight your skills
3:08
and allow you to prove your experience to any potential client.
3:13
This is also your chance to experiment with any new skills you've learned, make mistakes, and get projects under your belt.
3:17
Now outside of your personal network, you can also check out some of the more common sources.
3:25
There are many different websites where you can search for freelance work.
3:30
Check out the list I've provided for a bunch of websites where you can get started.
3:33
And don't try and spend a lot of time on these websites, though.
3:37
With so much competition out there and you just trying to get your feet wet, you'll be tempted to do things like charge really low
3:40
or even do work for free.
3:47
Your personal connections are always a much better place to get started in my opinion.
3:48
Now whatever you do, though, remember that with your first project the goal isn't making a ton of money.
3:53
That will come in due time.
3:59
Focus on the knowledge that you can gain from the experience of working with your first client.
4:01
Make sure you don't overwork yourself.
4:06
Take on a project that you can comfortably do.
4:08
Remember you will be making an impression on someone and this is just the start of your career,
4:10
so you want to do your job to the best of your abilities.
4:15
Trying to jump in too quickly can lead to bad client experiences and could possibly hurt your chances
4:18
of getting more work down the road.
4:23
So take it easy. The experience is way more important than the money you will gain.
4:25
Once you have those starter projects in your portfolio, then you can focus on money.
4:30
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