Yes. The answer is yes, you can make money freelancing online.

There are a lot of scams and pyramid schemes out there, however, and it’s no wonder people get confused about how to go about actually finding a way to get paid for work they do online.

Step 1: Figure out what your skills are.

 

What do you already know how to do? What skills to you already possess?

 

If you have problems coming up with answers to these questions, don’t despair. Start by asking friends, family member and co-workers or ex-coworkers. What do you have on your resume? Are those skills transferable to other professions? (Hint: the answer is almost always YES.)

 

Step 2: Find online platforms where your potential clients are looking for people with your skill set.

Here are some examples:

 

Upwork.com (Previously Odesk)

This is a freelancer’s free-for-all – people offer everything from business plan writing to search engine optimization work to translation to transcription to grant writing to data entry.

 

Fiverr.com

What skill do you have that you could deliver quickly and might be worth $5 to someone? Can you quickly remove the background from a picture in photoshop? Can you edit a single-page document for grammatical errors?

 

Etsy.com

Do you make tangible, creative objects, like furniture, jewelry, or candles? This is where you sell them.

 

Step 3: Talk about your skills with CONFIDENCE.

 

When you create a profile on any of these platforms – or any others, for that matter – be sure to write about your skills with confidence. You would be surprised how many people I have helped rewrite resumes or websites that have actually written things like, “You don’t have to hire me – I’m sure there are many other people out there who could help you, too.” That won’t work. If you want someone to hire you, you have to be able to tell them why you’re worth hiring. What can YOU give them that no one else can? (You can read more about promoting yourself here.)

 

Related to that, you would be surprised how many people are blown away by a freelancer who communicates what they’re going to do – and then does it. I  am SURE that the majority of my clients have come to me and stayed with me not just because of my skill level, but because I’m willing to tell them how long something will take, let them know if I’m going to be late with delivering it, and ask for clarification when I have questions. The more you communicate, the better you do.

 

One more thing: once you start looking around on those freelancing websites, you will see that some of your fellow freelancers are offering their goods or services for far below your prices. Primarily this is because they live in countries with a lower cost of living. Don’t be discouraged! There are clients out there who only want to pay $4 an hour for someone to do the work. They are very simply not your clients if that’s not what you’re charging. There are plenty of others who are willing to pay more for what you’re offering, especially if you’re able to communicate what they’re getting for that amount and you can deliver on it.

(If this step seems especially difficult to you, you may need to think about giving yourself permission to succeed.)

 

Step 4: Don’t give up!

On all of these websites, clients and customers have a chance to rate you after you’ve delivered your service. When you’re first starting out, consider starting with a lower rate or taking really small jobs to get some stellar reviews under your belt, even if they aren’t doing exactly what you hope to be doing on the site in the long run. Those reviews matter – having ANY review matters. Start simple and work your way up, and eventually people will be coming to find you on the site instead of you having to apply for jobs yourself.

 

What freelancing sites have you heard about or tried?