Many people this past year have shifted their focus to starting freelancing. They are realizing all the downsides to working a 9-5 job and how working for someone else does not align with them. To be able to leave your 9-5 you need to build the foundation to leave and have a predictable stream of income. Here are the three steps to set yourself up and have the most success when you go into business on your own.

1. Develop Your Skill-Set
2. Get Proof Of Concept
3. Have An Emergency Fund
   

1) Develop Your Skill-Set

The first step to leaving your 9-5 job is to start developing your skill-set. You will need to find a skill that suits your personality type best that is also in demand. If you already have skills and you want to go into business for yourself, start to develop your skills more.

Many people miss this crucial part. When people want to leave their nine to five they mentally check out before they quit. Instead of doing that you should be doing the opposite, you should go all-in on that job. This is how you can start to develop your skill-set or further develop it. Other ways you can craft your skill is through:

• Reading Niche Related Books 

• Taking An Online Course

• Joining a Community Group

• Seeking Out a Mentor

The more you can take advantage of learning opportunities, the more advanced your freelance skill-set will become. There are many ways to develop your skills by consuming content related to your niche.

Read niche related books or helpful articles. There’s an article all about how books can improve your life and career.

Medium quotes “Successful people see books as a gateway to knowledge. As a result, they tend to read books that are going to help them grow their minds and improve their lives. This is important because, the truth is, if you're not learning anything of value, how do you expect your life to change?”

Medium also states “Unfortunately, you can’t remain at the same level of knowledge you have right now and expect to elevate your life. Working 9–5 at a job you hate, for example, and then coming home and reading Harry Potter isn’t going to help you grow. Instead, you need to find books that are going to help you grow in the areas of your life that you want to improve in. For instance, do you want to be financially independent? Then read books like “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George Clason or “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi.” 

I love this advice because you can’t move the needle in your life if you are not consuming the knowledge you need. To achieve your most desired goals and be financially independent, it requires taking action. Books are a powerful insight and direct guide to the things you want to learn. So I encourage you to go pick up a book that can help advance you in your freelance career. 

“Those who read seven or more books per year are more than 122 percent more likely to be millionaires as opposed to those who never read or only read one to three books.”

(-Socio-Economist Randall Bell)

Take online courses. Freelance online courses are a great way to learn and develop your skills. To be a successful freelancer, it takes commitment to constant self-development in order to achieve your full potential. Investing your money and time in yourself is always encouraged if you want to have a long-term successful career. It no longer takes a college education to understand a topic or learn a skill that can make you a substantial yearly income.

If you are interested in taking a course related to freelancing, I created an extremely affordable one that teaches you how to build a profitable freelance business by providing skills to freelance clients on Upwork. Watch the first lesson for free here. 

Join a community group to develop your skills. Interacting with others that are in the same niche can be an easy way for you to network and learn new things about your specific skill. Online communities are a great place to share both your wins as well as challenges to get feedback from like-minded people.

I'm part of a freelance group called guavabean + Profitable Freelancer Community Group. This is a professional & positive place for freelancers to connect and share support around our shared mission. This growing freelance community offers support, work from home tips, job opportunities, networking opportunities, inspiration, free monthly workshops, and more! Click to join here.

Seek out a mentor if you’re unsure which skill to dive into that best suits your personality. A mentor also can provide helpful tips about which skills to work on and how to go about acquiring them. Plus, you’re bound to learn something new by someone who has more experience in what you want to do. Whatever it is you use to advance your learning will help build those skills. You can even start to look for other positions that you can do as a side hustle. This is how you're going to be able to start to trade your value for money instead of trading your time for money.

As a freelancer or consultant, you are no longer tied to making an hourly amount like you were in your 9-5. When you work for yourself, you can earn how much you want. Being in control of your earnings and working for yourself is what makes freelancing a more stable and secure career path. Start to focus on developing an in-demand skill on the side as the first step to leaving your nine to five. I talk more about developing your skill-set and how to work from home as a freelancer here.

The second step to leaving your nine to five is to get hands-on with delivering your services. The best way to start a freelance business while working another job is to get ‘proof of concept.’ This is once you've established your skill. Proof of concept in business is where you go out into the marketplace and prove if something is going to work.

How you can get proof of concept as a freelancer is by actually selling your services that you're offering in the real-world marketplace. Proof of concept is a way to legitimize that people actually want the services you're selling. So before you put your 2 weeks in at your 9-5, you need to make sure that your service or product is not a one-time thing. Ensure that the demand for your service or skill will be around for a while and isn't based on a recent trend. When you have proven to yourself that you can earn money online as a freelancer the proof will put you in a more powerful position in life. In case any unexpected expense comes up, you now know you can go online and land another paying client because your service or product is in-demand. 

Once you’ve come up with your goals and committed to start your freelance business on the side, start to network. You can do this outside of your nine to five hours and on nights and weekends. The people who are dedicated are the ones that can and will build freedom in their life.

The next step is getting your name out there. Offer your services to people who might need your help, or who might know other people who need your services. After you start getting proof of concept, you want to also develop case studies to attract new clients. Case studies allow you to showcase specific projects you’ve done in the past and highlight your areas of success. Once you get real-world data, testimonials, and solid reviews is when your freelancing journey is truly ready to begin and take off.

Whether you're going into business as a freelancer or a consultant, it does not matter what trajectory you go on. What matters is that you have an emergency fund as a back-up. Those who don't have this find themselves in that repeated cycle of never being able to escape the 9-5 grind. Sometimes people try to go out on their own and it doesn't work and then they find themselves back in another 9-5 job because they didn't plan ahead. Saving an emergency fund up is crucial if you want to leave your current job comfortably and permanently.

If you want to start freelancing the right way, building a predictable income is the foundation for any profitable business. To do this, it's advised to build up an emergency fund of six months or even a year worth of your monthly expenses. This is what's going to help you build that cushion. If an emergency happens and your income declines, having your cushion is going to be crucial. When you’re working for yourself, you no longer have that ‘Friday’ pay-check coming in from your 9-5. It’s up to you to make that income and to have your emergency fund for whatever unexpected thing comes up in your life.

If you skip this step and don't build up that savings cushion, you are risking all your hard work and time you invested in your pursuit. When you make the jump to freelancing, you do not want to go back to the 9-5 world. So make sure you have a savings cushion beneath you so you never have to look back.

In Conclusion

Freelancing is one of the most exciting and sensible side hustles you can start on the side of your 9-5. With dedication and consistency, it can build a more secure future for you and your family. Before leaving your 9-5, make sure to follow these three steps which will help you establish a rock-solid foundation.

Then, develop your skills and get your proof of concept. Lastly, save up an emergency fund cushion. Once you've done those three steps, you will be in the best position to have the most success when you start working for yourself. It all begins by you deciding you're going to do it and then taking action so that you can create the life you want. If you want to see more on this topic, I recently made a new video on how to leave your 9-5 to start freelancing. Click to watch here.  

- Paul Mendes

 Founder of Profitable Freelancer