How to Earn More as a Freelancer in Africa.

By Taiwo Davis

Freelancing is rapidly becoming a big thing across Africa. This pattern of working provides a variety of opportunities, for both genders, especially at a time when the entire continent is experiencing palpable changes in its economy. In fact, There’s enough room for more individuals to come on board and earn more as a freelancer. Companies are gradually choosing this new model of employment over the conventional work system. A report carried out by Payoneer shows that Africa holds 10.1% of the world’s freelancers – and could continue to grow.

Freelance roles can be found across all industries; from art and graphic design to programming, translation, writing, photography, and computer science. It’s quite interesting because the younger generations wanting to define their own career path and work hours translates to companies having difficulty in finding candidates willing to conform to traditional employment policies.

Why Freelancing? 

With a structural rise in self-employment coupled with a gradual but notable change in the economy of countries in Africa, it is only expected that the means by which value is added to work also changes. The business models of traditional companies have been disrupted by the double blow of the virtual economy and globalization, which are spreading fast throughout the continent. More so, new professions have emerged alongside the development of the web economy over the past ten years. These professions have one thing in common; it only takes a computer and an internet connection to be able to get to work. Work can be done anywhere and at any time.

This model of employment, which lessens the conventional hierarchical system, suits the current generation of youth. Being your own boss, creating your own job, and independently working from home is indeed a welcome revolution that is changing the classical organization of the workplace and is becoming increasingly attractive in Africa.

Freelancing and Africa 

The potentials of Africa are simply overwhelming in every possible way imaginable. And in fact, freelancing can be of great help in overcoming all the infrastructural and economic obstacles for young and talented people in Africa. How amazing it is to be able to have a decent job, for which you need nothing but a computer and the Internet connection.

If you’re ready to get serious about freelancing and make real money off it, here are a couple of things to help you get off to a good start.

1. Choose a Niche

As a newbie in freelancing, you might want to take any paid work you can get your hands on. And that’s fine too. But as you get deeper into your freelancing career, you’ll need to start being more deliberate and strategic about the types of work you do and the clients you take on. Now you’re thinking how does getting picky about jobs do you any good. That’s because when you specialize, you become an expert in a specific field, and experts can charge more for their specialized services. See it from a client’s perspective. Who would you rather go for; someone who is a pro at doing one thing or someone who is a jack of all trade? You’re so going to opt for the specialist. Choose to be good at one skill, put some effort into branding yourself as an expert, build a reputation with clients and you’re sure to earn more as a freelancer in good time.

2. Clearly Define Your Service Offerings

This is a major decision you need to make early on in your freelance career. Even in a niche, there are still sub-specifics. You need to be clear about what you do and what you don’t do. The more specific you are about what services you offer, the better and the more you earn as a freelancer. This does not only aid your branding but it will also allow you to control how potential clients perceive you and give you the opportunity to continue building your portfolio in the direction you want to move in. Don’t take on projects that do not take you closer to your ultimate goal of becoming the best you can be in your field. This will only distract and delay you for making real progress.

3. Define Your Ideal Client

Before you begin to go out and start seeking for clients, you’ll need to develop a clear picture of who you want to work with. This is the equivalent of a buyer persona in branding and marketing. Do you want to work with tech startups, small business owners or take on long-term contracts with large scale enterprises? Defining perfectly who your ideal clients are is vital to effectively pitch your services. To do this, you need to know what type of business has the problems you’re solving with your services. You also need to know if these businesses can afford your charges. By working with similar businesses consistently, new potential clients that you target within your niche are able to instantly relate with you. This gives them the confidence that you will be able to replicate the same results for their business, too.

4. Create an Exceptional Portfolio Site

This is undoubtedly one of the best ways to demonstrate your technical skills. If you want to be taken seriously and earn more as a freelancer, you’re going to need an amazing portfolio site of your own. This website is supposed to help your clients know who you are, showcase your expertise and highlight relevant past projects worked on. You should also have your contact information on the site so that potential clients can easily reach you. Even when you don’t have a lot of job experience, a stellar portfolio can really help to prove that you know what you claim to know. You want to spark interest and convince potential clients so much that they’ll choose you for their technical needs. That’s why a good portfolio is worth investing time into. Once you have your portfolio site set up, include a link to the site within your email signature and on your social profiles.

5. Determine Your Pricing

This is one decision you should thoughtfully make. As much as deciding how much to charge for your freelance services is a major step toward determining your perceived value, you need to be sure you’re charging enough to make a sustainable, comfortable living. The truth is, many clients will not hesitate to pay higher rates for a freelancer that gives them an awesome first impression and sells them on the ability to deliver high-quality work. Determining your pricing and adjusting it when necessary is an important decision in your career if you want to earn more as a freelancer.

As a matter of fact, if you are able to maintain a consistent delivery of value to your clients, you will really have no trouble setting and maintaining high prices for the services you offer. Building a successful freelance career, especially as an African can be a little challenging than they have it in more developed climes. It could even take time but it could be faster with a lot of diligence and consistency. And if you allow these few tips given above to guide you, you’ll definitely be a top sought-after freelancer in no time.