3 Things Freelancers Add to Your Business (That You Might Not Think About)

Feature image: Alex Portera, Freelance Copywriter, in El Transito, Nicaragua.

Alex Portera wanted freedom, creativity, and control over his work life. “After spending 3.5 years in the corporate world, I knew I needed a different environment to thrive.” So, in 2016, he started his own freelance business writing sales copy that helps clients grab a reader’s attention and convert them to customers.

“I love the unlimited possibility of freelancing. The challenges of creating your own business. The excitement of constantly working on new projects. The neverending need to improve,” he said. “I also have a passion project that takes up a significant amount of my time, and I love having the flexibility to work on it when I need to.”

Freelancers, like Portera, are passionate, driven, and have a skill set that extends much farther than their service offering.

1. Freelancers are business owners, too

Portera has found success in freelancing and can attribute that to providing a professional service and treating it as exactly what it is—his own business. “I’m finding clients. I’m delivering work. I’m doing taxes. I’m making my clients money. I’m investing my own profits back into developing my skills. That’s a business if I’ve ever seen one.”

The skills it takes to run a successful freelance business are the same skills it takes to run any successful business. This means freelancers can look at your business through the eyes of someone familiar with how businesses should be run, and can bring that knowledge and passion to your project.

2. Client and freelancer engagements are unique–in a good way

“My favorite thing about working with clients on Upwork is that everything about an engagement is clear upfront. Clients are clear on what they want, freelancers are clear on what they will deliver, and both parties are on the same page about pricing right away. It’s also cool to have immediate access to such a wide pool of awesome clients.”

The relationships built between clients and freelancers are unique and extremely valuable. “My favorite project became much more than just a project. A short two-hour gig, turned into a six-month engagement. The client was a startup that is also based in NYC, and [because of the proximity] I would spend one day a week at their office. I consider my clients friends at this point.”

The most interesting thing he’s ever worked on? “I once wrote a 1-minute video script that explained the entire history of humanity. It was a lot to fit into 60 seconds!”

3. Freelancers know client care is about the big picture

Alex goes above and beyond to ensure his clients have a great experience. “I think one of the things that works well for me is always thinking about my clients business outside of the job I’ve been hired for. I always want to know how what I’m doing fits into the larger picture. In that way, I can help my clients get exactly what they need, which is not always the same as what they ask for. By making suggestions beyond the scope of the project, I help my clients in ways they never expected. This positions me as much more than a copywriter.”

“When you work with a freelancer, you can find the person with the perfect skill set for your needs. You never need to force-fit a skill set. The precision, expertise, and flexibility this provides is unbelievably useful. And if you find the right freelancer, it will feel like they’ve been part of your team since Day One.“

Ready to engage a freelancer like Portera to take your business to the next level? Check out Upwork’s Hiring Guides to get the information you need to get started.

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