Freelancing is the hottest trend to become financially buoyant in Nigeria. It’s not because it affords you liberation from Nigeria’s dwindling economy. It’s an opportunity to earn big without leaving the four corners of your house.
The global demand for freelancers is high, and the COVID-19 pandemic opened everyone’s eyes to the beauty of independent online work. This article aims to teach you all you need to know about the freelance business in Nigeria plus the benefits inherent in this career path.
Table of Contents
Who is a Freelancer?
A freelancer is an independent contractor or individual who works for an employee or agency on a contract basis.
It is a self-employment model in which the individual offers his/her services to an employee without him being committed to a long-term contract. A freelancer can chase his career without making any long-term commitment to any employer.
Why you should consider working as a freelancer in Nigeria
It is a great blessing to be alive in the 21st century. The world is already a global village, and everyone can explore the world by leveraging the internet. The global market is borderless, and everyone, including Nigerians, can sell their skills and services.
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Local and international contracts
Freelancing helps you connect to both local and international online jobs. You can achieve this either by joining popular freelancer platform in Nigeria. Or the global ones. You can also set up a professional portfolio website for yourself and start reaching out to prospects.
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Higher-income
Most Nigerian freelancers earn far more than their peers who do conventional office work. The opportunity to bid for international jobs already tells it all. Couples with the exchange rate in the current Nigerian economy. An average Nigerian earns as much as $250 per month.
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Become your boss
Working as a freelancer provides you the opportunity to become your boss. You can decide on the kinds of projects you want to do, the price, and the convenient deadline. You also get to choose who to work with, as millions of people need your services.
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Increase in opportunities
Freelancing offers you thousands of new jobs every day. Here, you can bid for jobs you are qualified for and willing to do. In most popular freelancing sites, every person is given equal opportunity to apply for their preferred jobs.
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Extra experience
Working as a freelancer exposes you to several new ventures. You get to work with people from different places and explore manifolds of jobs. This opportunity is rare in a conventional office setting.
Tips to Become a Successful Freelancer in Nigeria
There is more to just becoming a freelancer. You need to know how to become successful in it, especially as a Nigerian. The following tips will help you.
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Consider whether freelancing is for you.
Like every career path, freelancing comes with its pros and cons. I.e., you must be prepared to follow up on this path. Working as a freelancer makes you the boss. Consequently, it would be best to be disciplined to attain your goal.
Also, you need to ensure you maintain a healthy routine as you may need to juggle around different projects at the same time while looking for more new projects.
If you’re interested in freelance writing but don’t know where to start, join Insight’s WhatsApp community to access learning opportunities.
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Carve a niche for yourself
Freelancing is not a place for the jack of all trades and master of none. To stand out as a freelancer in Nigeria, you need to carve out a niche in your expertise.
Look for what you are good at, like content creation, web design, graphics, or social media marketing. Whatever niche you choose to work on, strive to be the best at it.
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Startup
Starting up as a freelancer can be a little challenging. Especially if you want to work on popular freelance platforms like Upwork.
However, having the right mindset and skillset will help you scale through this within a short time. As far as you are good at what you do, you are good to go.
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Get the necessary tools
The next step is to acquire the tools to become a freelancer in Nigeria. Some of these include a good laptop or a Smartphone, good internet connectivity, and electricity.
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Join a freelancing platform
Joining a freelancing platform boosts your opportunity to get jobs fast. It’s like going directly into the same room with your potential clients.
However, you can get jobs through social media channels like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Nairaland. Joining these platforms also helps you to meet other seasoned freelancers you can learn from.
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Build your profile
You can now fill in your details by creating a substantial profile that showcases you to the world and your future clients.
Make sure you keep your profile short and attractive. State why you are the best man for the job and list your previous skills and experience.
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Set a price
Most freelancing platforms allow one to fix a price for their hourly rate or project price. This price is dependent on your skillset and experience. Remember, you don’t have to charge the same price as every other freelancer.
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Pass the tests
Many freelancing sites have proficiency tests for incoming freelancers to verify your credentials. These tests are not hard, so there’s a high chance you’ll pass.
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Find work
Getting your first job as a freelancer is not as hard as people might have made you believe. All you need is to take your time to understand the platform and work on your profile to stand out among peers.
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Bonus
When applying for these jobs, make sure that you craft a great cover letter or proposal that explains why you are the right person for that particular project or job.
You can also search for jobs from other online platforms. Some examples are Facebook and LinkedIn groups and forums such as Nairaland. You can avoid the conventional marketplaces with fees such as 5% and 20% of your earnings.
Conclusion
No need to complain about the lack of jobs when you can take freelancing jobs anywhere in Nigeria and earn a living.
It just requires you to learn a skill and offer it to people who’ll pay for it. Remember that you can keep your paid employment when you start freelancing.
Join insight’s whatsapp community for access to other online money-making ventures.
About Author
- Op-Ed are articles published by guest authors. We no longer accept guest posts. However, we are still open to adding long-term content contributors to our team of insightful writers. To write for us, please check out inisght.ng/guest-post.
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