by Joe Wallace

Here we go–a series of posts that breaks it all down by the numbers–how to start a freelancing career in 1,000,000 easy steps.

Freelancing is a journey that never ends–unless you give up and find something else to do with your time. I have so many people asking me on a weekly basis that I figured it’s high time to start dispensing some helpful information from the ground up. So if you’re reading this, lucky soon-to-be-freelancer, congratulations–this is the first step in a very long and profitable journey.

Away we go.

Let’s start with the simplest of simple basics. In order to begin freelancing you need a basic set of tools to do the work. I don’t mean SKILLS, we’ll assume you have some rudimentary understanding of how to write (Subject, object, verb, noun, etc.). Like any money making venture, you need gear and resources to get your work rolling. A carpenter has her saws, hammers, screwdrivers and drills. A doctor has surgical knives, an operating table, etc.

A freelancer needs the following:

A computer equipped with Word. No, Word is NOT required, but this is the software that 99.999% of the editors in my experience will use to read your work. OR they will use something that is Word-compatible. You can use any program you like as long as you can save your documents in a Microsoft Word “Compatibility Mode” formatted document.If you don’t know what compatibility mode is, you will soon learn–we’ll cover that in a different post.

A RELIABLE Internet connection. Don’t be held hostage to the sporadic hours of that free Internet connection if you can help it. You’re going to need to be able to research, write and submit at any time day or night.

A reliable phone connection. Freelancers should be available to do their business at any time they can grab five minutes to coordinate, negotiate, interview or be interviewed. It’s a mistake in the long term to rely on those pay-as-you-go cell phones, borrowed phone lines or other temporary solutions. You’re building a business and if you need to develop a steady income to afford a cell phone line or home phone, try to keep your time spent on borrowed phone time as minimal as possible–get your own professional gear!

Once you have these three tools, you can truly launch your career. You’ll be able to get on line and in touch with editors, fellow freelancers and your sources at will. Some may think this first entry in our ongoing series is far too basic, but it’s my mission in life to outline the freelance journey in excessive detail–some people genuinely don’t realize they NEED their own phone and Internet connection in order to get started.

It’s easy to assume you can use that free wi-fi connection at the local library or the phone at Mom’s place to do some freelance business in the early days–until you get a tight deadline for a paying gig you really want and find yourself in dire need of a set of long-distance phone calls and online research just at the wrong time. Hence the very basic start to our series. Continue reading How To Start Freelancing (Part One of 1,000,000) →