Scaling your freelance business might sound overwhelming for new freelancers and small business owners. However, you stand to enjoy plenty of benefits if you decide to make that move! After all, who wouldn’t want their business to grow?
If you want to scale your freelance business in 2020, here are some tips to keep in mind.
Find anchor clients
The first thing you should do if you want to scale your freelance business is to find anchor clients. Anchor clients are those who consistently need work done, and thus will require your services regularly. This will help you create a rock-solid foundation to scale up your business.
An example of freelancers who have anchor clients are transcriptionists who need to transcribe more than six client interviews in a month. Another example is an accountant who needs to give quarterly tax updates to several clients.
Anchor clients give you the stability you need to scale a business. Plus, we all know that it’s easier to work with and maintain long-term clients as opposed to having to onboard a new client for each project you undertake.
Don’t be afraid to outsource
There will come a time when you’ve already taken in as many projects as you can take. But to scale your freelance business, you must be able to free yourself of some of the workload.
This doesn’t mean that you have to give up clients. The point here is that you must learn how to delegate. By doing so, you can open room for new clients and keep on increasing your rates. The only prerequisite is for you to create more time.
For you to create more time, you should not be afraid to outsource other tasks. For example, you may hire an assistant when you start to feel that things are getting a little too overwhelming. Pay that person to do the invoicing, set up your schedule, and do basic research for you. You may also opt to hire a transcriptionist so you can have someone record key tasks such as in a client call and internal meetings.
When you grow to a certain point, you must hire other team members. Growing your team means growing your business because you can now cater to more workloads. However, you might want to note that hiring quality workers should be the priority instead of banking on quantity. Those team members must be able to do the work with minimal supervision. If you need help in deciding when, what, and how to outsource, you may check out this helpful blog.
Invest in a virtual office
One more way of scaling your freelance business is by investing in a virtual office. There are a lot of benefits that you can get by availing of a virtual office service.
First and foremost, it helps with your credibility. By having a business address placed in a good location, or somewhere that is associated with excellence in the industry, you will be able to give a good impression to your prospective clients and customers. Having a commercial address will make you seem legitimate and more reputable.
Next, it also helps with your privacy. We all know that you need to post your business address on your public website and business cards. So, it might be a bad idea to use your residential address since a lot of people will be able to see that. Some of them may have a bad motive, therefore, having a virtual office address will keep you safe.
Get the most out of LinkedIn
LinkedIn is one of the best platforms you can use to scale your business. You can use your LinkedIn account to market, build connections, and get more leads. Take note that LinkedIn is the biggest social media platform for professionals. You can get many possible clients in here if you know how to leverage your account properly.
Get the most out of your LinkedIn account by creating relevant content about who you are, what you do, and your value. Get people to engage with you and increase your visibility!
Something to ponder on
Scaling your business is not an easy thing to do. There are many things that you should consider, and you must make sure that your business is ready for growth. Just keep your eyes on the prize and keep these tips in mind to help you scale your freelance business successfully.