By 14 min read Last Updated: May 27, 2024
What is freelancing?
Share the article!

Your guide to self-employment and how to become a freelancer

The labor market has shifted up a few gears over the past few years, and especially with Covid-19, companies - globally and locally - have had to adapt.

Remote work and the use of freelancers has gone from being an outlier category to how business is conducted today.

Being a freelancer is both a hot topic and a way for companies to get their hands on the very best talent without having to go through a heavy recruitment process.

If you have a dream of making a change in your career and are wondering "how do I become a freelancer?", the climate is now more than favorable to pursue your dream, and here we take you through how you can start as a freelancer.

And you're certainly not alone.

According to Upwork's latest freelance survey, more than one in three have volunteered as a freelancer to some extent - i.e. on a project basis or full-time in the past 12 months.

It should be noted that the figures from the survey are American, but here at home we also see a clear trend of more and more people offering themselves as freelancers.

Is it time to take your talents to the open market? we've put together a guide that takes you through the most important things you need to know to get started as a freelancer.

What is freelancing? How can you start freelancing without experience? In this guide, we go into detail and give you practical and effective tips to kickstart your freelancing career.

Start free user

Freelance with Factofly

Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own VAT number or registered company. We take care of all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.

Start free user

What is a freelancer?

What is freelance?

A freelancer is a private individual or self-employed solo business that offers their skills as services to businesses.

A freelancer is typically hired on an hourly or project basis for a limited period of time.

As a freelancer, your clients won't recruit you, but will hire you and your skills to solve a specific problem.

You will therefore work based on contracts and terms agreed with customers - and without committing to a specific employer.

The actual number of tasks or projects you get often depends on your ability to sell yourself.

Therefore, you also need to make it clear which field you see yourself entering, but we'll get into that later in the article.

Freelance assignments are often remote. This means you can work from home - or wherever it suits you.

Remote working - and often being a digital nomad- is one of the great benefits of the freelance life, because customers usually care more about what is delivered than where it is delivered.

Of course, there may be cases where you also need to be physically present, depending on customer needs and the type of work.

What does freelance mean?

Freelance means working as an independent contractor without permanent employment with a company. As a freelancer, you carry out specific tasks or projects for different companies and receive a fee instead of a salary.

Freelancers are responsible for paying taxes and managing their own working hours and tasks.

But to find the origins of freelancing, we actually have to go all the way back to the age of chivalry.

Here you could be permanently attached to an "employer" who was usually a duke of some kind.

But if you belonged to the group that needed wind in their hair and couldn't just look at the same castle every day, you took your lance and rode out into the world as a mercenary.

As a free lance, you decided who you wanted to be hired under, and so that term has morphed into today's "freelance".

Who is a typical freelancer?

A freelancer, freelance worker, solo self-employed or self-employed person is someone who is self-employed and earns their income by providing services and services to clients.

Freelancers often find assignments through third-party platforms, but most commonly for the vast majority of freelancers, assignments are found through their own network.

This network can be old workplaces, ex-colleagues or similar, as well as old customers and their networks.

In Denmark, over 7% of employed Danes are freelancers. However, this is an old statistic from 2017, and we estimate the actual figure today to be over 10%.

Some of the most popular freelance jobs available include, among others:

  • Graphic design
  • Photo/video editing
  • Copywriting and content creation
  • UI/UX design
  • Web design and development
  • WordPress development
  • Administrative support
  • Virtual assistant
  • SEO Analysis
  • Data entry
  • Editing and proofreading
  • Business analysis
  • Lead generation

The majority of these professions are also represented among Factofly's more than 7,000 users.

What does it take to become self-employed?

Freelancing is a great way to take ownership of your own career, be your own boss and earn money doing something you are passionate about.

Whether you want to be a freelancer with a VAT number or get paid effortlessly with an invoicing service like Factofly.

The list in the section above is predominantly digital, but freelance work is popping up in all corners of the labor market.

There is an increasing demand from companieswho want to have their problems solved by specialists, which means good conditions for those who flirt with freelancing.

Freelancing also allows you to go deep into a specific niche. In fact, defining your niche is one of the most important freelancing exercises to increase your earnings.

Freelance work from home

Another key benefit of freelancing is that it gives you ample freedom and flexibility to work on your own terms.

This means that freelancing allows you to work from home or wherever you want(digital nomad anyone?), set flexible working hours and choose projects that suit you.

Flexible working hours

Flexible working hours for a freelancer can be quite an upheaval.

If you're used to being in an office where face-time was preferred and your days were at least 9-5, there's a certain sense of freedom that washes over you when you're suddenly in control of your schedule.

This means that your productive time can be actively chosen. It's therefore not uncommon to see freelancers who choose to work from 9am to 1pm, have a long lunch, work out, spend time with the family until the kids are in bed, and work again in the evening.

Or take some 16-hour marathon days followed by a completely empty schedule.

Flexible working hours means you are the captain.

Start free user

Freelance with Factofly

Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own VAT number or registered company. We take care of all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.

Start free user

How to become a freelancer? 8 tips to get started

Now that you know what a glorious life awaits you as a freelancer, let's dive into the next chapter. If you're also looking for business ideas to start, you can find inspiration in our comprehensive article here.

Here are 8 practical tips to help you get back on track.

1. Define your goals

It's a good idea to make it clear from the start how you define success as a freelancer and what goals you are striving for.

For some, income is the most important thing, while for others it's being able to attend a little league game on a Tuesday afternoon.

Before you start as a freelancer, you need to be clear about your goals.

You can use the following questions to zoom in on your ambition:

  • Is freelancing a way to supplement my income or have it as my main income?
  • What is my motivation: Do I want to freelance for money, freedom or something else entirely?
  • Do I have the discipline required to be a freelancer?
  • Are there any other reasons why I want to start freelancing?

Your answers to the questions here will be your North Star.

Once you've identified your purpose, it will give you enough momentum to hit the ground running.

2. Have a savings plan in place

As a new freelancer, there's one hard truth you need to realize from the start: projects come in waves, and you'll most likely face a freelancing dry spell every now and then.

In other words, a period where no new tasks just don't come through the door.

Therefore, you'll do yourself a favor by having 3 to 6 months of savings in place before you jump into full-time freelancing.

It will both get you through the dry spells without losing sleep and give you the freedom to say no to projects that don't fit your ambition.

3. Be clear about what you want to sell

This step is one of the most crucial stages of your freelancing journey.

You need to define a competence you can offer potential customers as a service. And of course, charge for it.

Clients rarely have general problems and require general freelancers to solve them.

You will therefore create a stronger platform for yourself if you manage to define your niche.

Of course, it has to be something with high enough demand and a matching level of competence on your part.

Many people dance around the hot porridge and wait to take the plunge as a freelancer, as imposter syndrome inevitably creeps in and you start to doubt whether you're good enough.

Our best advice if you're feeling the above is to let your price reflect your level and get started.

The best way to sharpen your skills, is not to keep taking courses and tests, but to actually solve real problems with real customers.

There are some very specific benefits to delineating yourself as a freelancer and defining your niche:

  • You will often be able to charge a higher price
  • You can market yourself more easily
  • You can more easily define your field and move into the top 10%
  • You will find it easier to generate sales through word of mouth, as it is quite clear what you can and cannot do
Start free user

Freelance with Factofly

Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own VAT number or registered company. We take care of all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.

Start free user

4. Sharpen your skills

Okay, so we've just talked about how you should "just" take the leap and learn as you go.

But of course, you need to make sure you've mastered the basic skills in your field.

You'll have a hard time if you jump in head first without making an effort to understand the basics. Therefore, stay up to date, check out blogs, YouTube channels and books relevant to your field.

In addition, online courses are one of the best ways to acquire and hone a skill.

5. Find your target audience

Once you've chosen your niche and defined your freelance service, the hunt is on for someone who will actually pay you.

You need to identify the kind of customers that best fit your niche.

As a beginner, just being good at what you do doesn't automatically get you customers. It also requires you to be present in front of your potential customers.

Therefore, you need to make an active effort to show why you are the right person to help a project reach its goal.

One way to reach potential freelance clients is to:

  • Network and connect with others in your industry
  • Research potential customers in your industry
  • Engage with cold canvas - either by phone or email
  • Collaborate with other freelancers or agencies
  • Sign up on popular freelance platforms and marketplaces

Try a few different options to find out what suits you best.

Many fresh freelancers either find their first jobs through freelance platforms or through old employers.

6. Build your portfolio - even when you have no work to show

Having a vibrant portfolio that helps potential clients dream is a cornerstone for any freelancer.

Your portfolio should be clear:

  • Demonstrate your expertise
  • Show your (relevant) experience in your field that supports your expertise
  • Show who you are
  • Showcase case studies, data-driven results, work samples, testimonials and mock-ups
  • Include your contact details so potential customers can get in touch with you
  • If you don't have any work to showcase, find similar work from other freelancers that shows what you can deliver. Just make it clear that it's not your own work.

A strong portfolio can be a great asset if you don't have much work experience or recommendations to back you up.

Your portfolio should inform, interest and persuade potential customers to choose you for their job.

Before looking for new tasks, it's important to take the time to decide what to include in your portfolio and how to present it.

👋 Bonus: Some portfolio sites to try include Behance, Dribble, and Adobe Portfolio.

Start free user

Freelance with Factofly

Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own VAT number or registered company. We take care of all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.

Start free user

7. Write offers that convert

Once you've found the right platform, have your portfolio in place and have potential customers in your sights, it's time to bid on tasks and submit offers.

A professional quote is the difference between being opted in and opted out.

A well-written proposal should make a strong case for your qualifications. It should describe the company's requirements, how you can help and how you will solve the problem.

The most successful freelancers customize their offer to the specific client and project.

If you want to spice up your offer a little extra, you can, for example, make a recording where you go through your offer.

Loom is one of the easiest and most effective tools here.

Taking the extra time and effort, especially in the beginning, shows your enthusiasm, eagerness and professionalism.

8. Ensure quality deliveries - every time

As a freelancer, you should consider your clients as your business. Ensuring you complete the project exactly as the client wanted is the next phase after landing the job.

Of course, exceeding customer expectations will help you establish a unique partnership with them.

So find a way to stand out from the crowd. Creating long-term partnerships will often result in recurring projects and testimonials.

You can establish a good relationship with your customers by doing the following:

  • Complete high-quality projects that meet customer requirements
  • Ensure effective and constant communication with customers
  • Build trust with customers through consistent quality
  • Find opportunities that help you deliver more value
Start free user

Freelance with Factofly

Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own VAT number or registered company. We take care of all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.

Start free user

FAQ - Frequently asked questions about freelancing

Being a freelancer means that you sell your time and expertise on a contract basis. Most often, freelance assignments are shorter and clearly defined tasks, whereby as a freelancer you will have more than 1 client at a time.

However, there are also larger, longer-term assignments where companies also choose freelance specialists.

In its simplest form, freelancing works by helping solve specific problems for clients - usually businesses - for a fee.

A freelancer's earnings can fluctuate widely. As you are responsible for all costs, a freelancer's hourly rate should, as a rule of thumb, be 2.5 times higher than an equivalent permanent position.

However, unlike employees, there is no upper limit to how much you can earn as a freelancer, and if you are good at diversifying your income, you can make a great living from a freelance career.

Yes, as a freelancer you are considered self-employed.

By 14.3 min read Last Updated: May 27, 2024
What is freelancing?

Your guide to self-employment and how to become a freelancer

The labor market has shifted up a few gears over the past few years, and especially with Covid-19, companies - globally and locally - have had to adapt.

Remote work and the use of freelancers has gone from being an outlier category to how business is conducted today.

Being a freelancer is both a hot topic and a way for companies to get their hands on the very best talent without having to go through a heavy recruitment process.

If you have a dream of making a change in your career and are wondering "how do I become a freelancer?", the climate is now more than favorable to pursue your dream, and here we take you through how you can start as a freelancer.

And you're certainly not alone.

According to Upwork's latest freelance survey, more than one in three have volunteered as a freelancer to some extent - i.e. on a project basis or full-time in the past 12 months.

It should be noted that the figures from the survey are American, but here at home we also see a clear trend of more and more people offering themselves as freelancers.

Is it time to take your talents to the open market? we've put together a guide that takes you through the most important things you need to know to get started as a freelancer.

What is freelancing? How can you start freelancing without experience? In this guide, we go into detail and give you practical and effective tips to kickstart your freelancing career.

Start free user

Freelance with Factofly

Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own VAT number or registered company. We take care of all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.

Start free user

What is a freelancer?

What is freelance?

A freelancer is a private individual or self-employed solo business that offers their skills as services to businesses.

A freelancer is typically hired on an hourly or project basis for a limited period of time.

As a freelancer, your clients won't recruit you, but will hire you and your skills to solve a specific problem.

You will therefore work based on contracts and terms agreed with customers - and without committing to a specific employer.

The actual number of tasks or projects you get often depends on your ability to sell yourself.

Therefore, you also need to make it clear which field you see yourself entering, but we'll get into that later in the article.

Freelance assignments are often remote. This means you can work from home - or wherever it suits you.

Remote working - and often being a digital nomad- is one of the great benefits of the freelance life, because customers usually care more about what is delivered than where it is delivered.

Of course, there may be cases where you also need to be physically present, depending on customer needs and the type of work.

What does freelance mean?

Freelance means working as an independent contractor without permanent employment with a company. As a freelancer, you carry out specific tasks or projects for different companies and receive a fee instead of a salary.

Freelancers are responsible for paying taxes and managing their own working hours and tasks.

But to find the origins of freelancing, we actually have to go all the way back to the age of chivalry.

Here you could be permanently attached to an "employer" who was usually a duke of some kind.

But if you belonged to the group that needed wind in their hair and couldn't just look at the same castle every day, you took your lance and rode out into the world as a mercenary.

As a free lance, you decided who you wanted to be hired under, and so that term has morphed into today's "freelance".

Who is a typical freelancer?

A freelancer, freelance worker, solo self-employed or self-employed person is someone who is self-employed and earns their income by providing services and services to clients.

Freelancers often find assignments through third-party platforms, but most commonly for the vast majority of freelancers, assignments are found through their own network.

This network can be old workplaces, ex-colleagues or similar, as well as old customers and their networks.

In Denmark, over 7% of employed Danes are freelancers. However, this is an old statistic from 2017, and we estimate the actual figure today to be over 10%.

Some of the most popular freelance jobs available include, among others:

  • Graphic design
  • Photo/video editing
  • Copywriting and content creation
  • UI/UX design
  • Web design and development
  • WordPress development
  • Administrative support
  • Virtual assistant
  • SEO Analysis
  • Data entry
  • Editing and proofreading
  • Business analysis
  • Lead generation

The majority of these professions are also represented among Factofly's more than 7,000 users.

What does it take to become self-employed?

Freelancing is a great way to take ownership of your own career, be your own boss and earn money doing something you are passionate about.

Whether you want to be a freelancer with a VAT number or get paid effortlessly with an invoicing service like Factofly.

The list in the section above is predominantly digital, but freelance work is popping up in all corners of the labor market.

There is an increasing demand from companieswho want to have their problems solved by specialists, which means good conditions for those who flirt with freelancing.

Freelancing also allows you to go deep into a specific niche. In fact, defining your niche is one of the most important freelancing exercises to increase your earnings.

Freelance work from home

Another key benefit of freelancing is that it gives you ample freedom and flexibility to work on your own terms.

This means that freelancing allows you to work from home or wherever you want(digital nomad anyone?), set flexible working hours and choose projects that suit you.

Flexible working hours

Flexible working hours for a freelancer can be quite an upheaval.

If you're used to being in an office where face-time was preferred and your days were at least 9-5, there's a certain sense of freedom that washes over you when you're suddenly in control of your schedule.

This means that your productive time can be actively chosen. It's therefore not uncommon to see freelancers who choose to work from 9am to 1pm, have a long lunch, work out, spend time with the family until the kids are in bed, and work again in the evening.

Or take some 16-hour marathon days followed by a completely empty schedule.

Flexible working hours means you are the captain.

Start free user

Freelance with Factofly

Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own VAT number or registered company. We take care of all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.

Start free user

How to become a freelancer? 8 tips to get started

Now that you know what a glorious life awaits you as a freelancer, let's dive into the next chapter. If you're also looking for business ideas to start, you can find inspiration in our comprehensive article here.

Here are 8 practical tips to help you get back on track.

1. Define your goals

It's a good idea to make it clear from the start how you define success as a freelancer and what goals you are striving for.

For some, income is the most important thing, while for others it's being able to attend a little league game on a Tuesday afternoon.

Before you start as a freelancer, you need to be clear about your goals.

You can use the following questions to zoom in on your ambition:

  • Is freelancing a way to supplement my income or have it as my main income?
  • What is my motivation: Do I want to freelance for money, freedom or something else entirely?
  • Do I have the discipline required to be a freelancer?
  • Are there any other reasons why I want to start freelancing?

Your answers to the questions here will be your North Star.

Once you've identified your purpose, it will give you enough momentum to hit the ground running.

2. Have a savings plan in place

As a new freelancer, there's one hard truth you need to realize from the start: projects come in waves, and you'll most likely face a freelancing dry spell every now and then.

In other words, a period where no new tasks just don't come through the door.

Therefore, you'll do yourself a favor by having 3 to 6 months of savings in place before you jump into full-time freelancing.

It will both get you through the dry spells without losing sleep and give you the freedom to say no to projects that don't fit your ambition.

3. Be clear about what you want to sell

This step is one of the most crucial stages of your freelancing journey.

You need to define a competence you can offer potential customers as a service. And of course, charge for it.

Clients rarely have general problems and require general freelancers to solve them.

You will therefore create a stronger platform for yourself if you manage to define your niche.

Of course, it has to be something with high enough demand and a matching level of competence on your part.

Many people dance around the hot porridge and wait to take the plunge as a freelancer, as imposter syndrome inevitably creeps in and you start to doubt whether you're good enough.

Our best advice if you're feeling the above is to let your price reflect your level and get started.

The best way to sharpen your skills, is not to keep taking courses and tests, but to actually solve real problems with real customers.

There are some very specific benefits to delineating yourself as a freelancer and defining your niche:

  • You will often be able to charge a higher price
  • You can market yourself more easily
  • You can more easily define your field and move into the top 10%
  • You will find it easier to generate sales through word of mouth, as it is quite clear what you can and cannot do
Start free user

Freelance with Factofly

Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own VAT number or registered company. We take care of all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.

Start free user

4. Sharpen your skills

Okay, so we've just talked about how you should "just" take the leap and learn as you go.

But of course, you need to make sure you've mastered the basic skills in your field.

You'll have a hard time if you jump in head first without making an effort to understand the basics. Therefore, stay up to date, check out blogs, YouTube channels and books relevant to your field.

In addition, online courses are one of the best ways to acquire and hone a skill.

5. Find your target audience

Once you've chosen your niche and defined your freelance service, the hunt is on for someone who will actually pay you.

You need to identify the kind of customers that best fit your niche.

As a beginner, just being good at what you do doesn't automatically get you customers. It also requires you to be present in front of your potential customers.

Therefore, you need to make an active effort to show why you are the right person to help a project reach its goal.

One way to reach potential freelance clients is to:

  • Network and connect with others in your industry
  • Research potential customers in your industry
  • Engage with cold canvas - either by phone or email
  • Collaborate with other freelancers or agencies
  • Sign up on popular freelance platforms and marketplaces

Try a few different options to find out what suits you best.

Many fresh freelancers either find their first jobs through freelance platforms or through old employers.

6. Build your portfolio - even when you have no work to show

Having a vibrant portfolio that helps potential clients dream is a cornerstone for any freelancer.

Your portfolio should be clear:

  • Demonstrate your expertise
  • Show your (relevant) experience in your field that supports your expertise
  • Show who you are
  • Showcase case studies, data-driven results, work samples, testimonials and mock-ups
  • Include your contact details so potential customers can get in touch with you
  • If you don't have any work to showcase, find similar work from other freelancers that shows what you can deliver. Just make it clear that it's not your own work.

A strong portfolio can be a great asset if you don't have much work experience or recommendations to back you up.

Your portfolio should inform, interest and persuade potential customers to choose you for their job.

Before looking for new tasks, it's important to take the time to decide what to include in your portfolio and how to present it.

👋 Bonus: Some portfolio sites to try include Behance, Dribble, and Adobe Portfolio.

Start free user

Freelance with Factofly

Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own VAT number or registered company. We take care of all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.

Start free user

7. Write offers that convert

Once you've found the right platform, have your portfolio in place and have potential customers in your sights, it's time to bid on tasks and submit offers.

A professional quote is the difference between being opted in and opted out.

A well-written proposal should make a strong case for your qualifications. It should describe the company's requirements, how you can help and how you will solve the problem.

The most successful freelancers customize their offer to the specific client and project.

If you want to spice up your offer a little extra, you can, for example, make a recording where you go through your offer.

Loom is one of the easiest and most effective tools here.

Taking the extra time and effort, especially in the beginning, shows your enthusiasm, eagerness and professionalism.

8. Ensure quality deliveries - every time

As a freelancer, you should consider your clients as your business. Ensuring you complete the project exactly as the client wanted is the next phase after landing the job.

Of course, exceeding customer expectations will help you establish a unique partnership with them.

So find a way to stand out from the crowd. Creating long-term partnerships will often result in recurring projects and testimonials.

You can establish a good relationship with your customers by doing the following:

  • Complete high-quality projects that meet customer requirements
  • Ensure effective and constant communication with customers
  • Build trust with customers through consistent quality
  • Find opportunities that help you deliver more value
Start free user

Freelance with Factofly

Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own VAT number or registered company. We take care of all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.

Start free user

FAQ - Frequently asked questions about freelancing

Being a freelancer means that you sell your time and expertise on a contract basis. Most often, freelance assignments are shorter and clearly defined tasks, whereby as a freelancer you will have more than 1 client at a time.

However, there are also larger, longer-term assignments where companies also choose freelance specialists.

In its simplest form, freelancing works by helping solve specific problems for clients - usually businesses - for a fee.

A freelancer's earnings can fluctuate widely. As you are responsible for all costs, a freelancer's hourly rate should, as a rule of thumb, be 2.5 times higher than an equivalent permanent position.

However, unlike employees, there is no upper limit to how much you can earn as a freelancer, and if you are good at diversifying your income, you can make a great living from a freelance career.

Yes, as a freelancer you are considered self-employed.