Freelancers who function as small businesses can also take advantage of the marketplace that has opened up to provide numerous opportunities through powerful platforms.

There are different places where freelancers can get work and small businesses can look for assistance from freelancers. 

1. Upwork

Upwork is a large marketplace for talented freelancers. As the workforce continues to become more independent and connected online, work that requires knowledge and expertise such as software design is moving online as well. This rapid shift to the virtual world has made it easier and faster for clients to work and connect with talent in real time.  

It enables professionals around the world to be flexible rather than being compelled to work at set places and times. Upwork helps to connect talent with businesses fast. It involves businesses finding and collaborating with freelancers with substantial earnings on an annual basis. 

2. Toptal

Toptal provides an influential network that makes it possible for businesses to connect with freelancers, including the top software designers and engineers in the world.

It works closely with clients in order to understand exactly what their team and project needs and provides customized matches with pre-screened developers and designers who can join teams on an hourly, part-time or full-time basis.  

3. SimplyHired

SimplyHired is a search engine of sorts that works by collecting jobs listings from around the web. These include niche job sites, job boards and career pages. Like major search engines such as Yahoo! and Google, SimplyHired displays the relevant jobs to people who are looking for work on the SimplyHired mobile app, site and various partner websites.  

Job openings are listed for hundreds of thousands of employers. The search engines operate in several countries and in different languages. SimplyHired is regarded as a top search website for jobs.  

4. Project4hire

Project4hire is a marketplace for freelancers and it connects freelance contractors and professionals to hiring clients all over the world. It involves clients posting their projects or jobs along with the skill set or requirements they are looking for.

Contractors or freelancers give bids or quotations for what they want to charge for the service or job. Clients are at liberty to choose the freelancers they prefer at any time and can begin working with them at this point. If you require extra cash, you can find the best personal loan interest rates here.  

5. PeoplePerHour

This is a type of business that is purpose-driven and everything that is undertaken is related to their purpose. The purpose is to enable people to start and establish their own businesses and fulfill their dream of becoming completely independent.

This website is a worthwhile consideration for SEO specialists, web developers or designers because it focuses on web projects for freelancers.  

6. 99designs

This is the largest graphic design online marketplace in the world. The goal is to make designs much more accessible for everyone.

It consists of a vibrant community that is passionate about connecting people who want to have something designed for them such as a t-shirt or logo, with skilled creatives all over the world.

Several startups and small businesses have been able to access designs that they love and designers have collectively earned millions of dollars.  

7. LinkedIn

Just like Google, LinkedIn serves as a search engine. This makes it another great website that freelancers around the world can use. Freelancers are advised to optimize their profiles in order for the search aspect of LinkedIn to be able to make it easier for people to find them. After finding freelancers’ profiles, people can find samples of work done.  

The advanced search component makes it possible for searches to be performed according to various criteria such as geographical location, company size, job title and more. Automated searches are carried out continuously with leads that are delivered to freelancers’ inboxes or prospective people to connect with.  

8. IFreelance

This is a membership website that is available for freelance professionals. From writers and programmers to photographers and artists, it provides a number of ways for freelancers to find opportunities. The main ways include directly advertising freelance services to potential employers. Freelancers can also search the project database before submitting bids for project they are interested in.  

IFreelance provides many features such as tools for personalized marketing and performance tools to help freelancers maximize on their opportunities.  

9. Guru

Guru enables freelance professions to work and connect with businesses in a safe and efficient manner. It ranks freelancers according to unbiased performance data and helps businesses find high quality freelancers for projects. With safe payment methods, payment protection is guaranteed for businesses.

Freelancers can use Guru as a way to market their abilities and skills to a worldwide audience while competing for work cost-effectively. Guru profiles provide platforms for them to customize and freelancers can make sure they are paid. 

10. Freelancer

The largest crowdsourcing and freelancing marketplace based on the total number of posted projects and users is Freelancer.

Millions of registered users post jobs in diverse areas that include manufacturing, aerospace engineering, astrophysics, copywriting, marketing, logo design and website development.  

11. Freelance Writing

A freelance community for writers provides job leads on a daily basis along with plenty of articles and informative tips.

The freelance writing job site consolidates Craigslist job posts from across the region and a range of sites to allow people to find more online writing opportunities. 

12. FlexJobs

This is a creative job service that focuses on professional job listings and flexible jobs such as freelance contracts and alternative or part-time schedules.

It has numerous categories and jobs range from full-time to part-time and executive to entry-level.  

13. College Recruiter

College Recruiter is passionate about recent grads and all students gaining access to great careers.

It works towards providing a great recruiter and candidate experience.  

14. Fiverr

Fiverr is a well-known freelancer site on the internet. With its original beginnings as a source for low cost and design work, it has evolved into a large freelancer website with several opportunities for freelancers.

It is a great source for simple and quick work at low prices.  

15. Behance

Behance is a leading platform for various creatives in different industries and is among the top resources for freelancers.

Multi-media portfolios are created by members to showcase their work. The network is visited by millions of visitors who want to find talent and see the work that has been done. 

16. Aquent

Aquent is comparable to a temp agency as it is responsible for interviewing and screening freelancers and temps. Businesses post vacancies on a short and long-term basis.  

17. Tutor.com

People can go to tutor.com if they want their employees to be trained within a certain field or get knowledge in a particular area.

Freelancers who have knowledge that they want to share can also apply and provide tutoring services. 

18. Drivingservices

Although driving services such as Uber are not conventional freelance marketplaces, they give freelancers a way to use their vehicles and earn extra income.  

19. Crowded

Workers who crave independence can find job postings for freelancers on Crowded, which makes it much easier for freelancers to look for job listings and in one place while clients can fill vacant positions faster. 

20. Peer Hustle

Jobs are shown to freelancers based on geographical location and individuals can compete for jobs with freelancers within or near their location.  

Conclusion

Freelancers are aware that their next jobs are available from various sources. While a lot of work may be expected from referrals and past clients, the reality is that is not always the case.

It is crucial for freelancers to be proactive by getting constant updates regarding the best sites for opportunities to stay ahead in their careers.  

Every day new freelancers approach the market with individual businesses and make it a success. There is no guarantee that a business idea can generate any income. But the best way to make it work, as a freelancer, is to follow a foolproof guide.

Successful freelancers agree that the following were their safety rules to launch their business.

1. Research the market

Whether you choose to embrace the freelancing life or you decide to become an entrepreneur, there is no way around it. No business can start without a thorough market research. A good pro forma analysis will really set your business apart from the handful of other startups launching around the same time as you. There are also plenty of companies providing helpful advice when you are just getting your business started. 

Indeed, without knowing your target audience, your competitors, and the market trends, it’s impossible to present an offer that will attract buyers. You might have a business idea, but without a market analysis, it’s not enough to rock a new trend.

Market research

2. Plan your business launch

A successful business launch takes time. In fact, for Tender Greens, a restaurant that serves organic, farm-fresh dishes, it took around two years between the first idea and the opening of the first restaurant in 2006. 

The delay here is pretty normal for a complex business concept. If you are offering a simple service, such as creative painting or freelance accounting services, you might be able to bring the planning time down to a couple of months.

In the end, the more time you spend planning the launch, the better you know your offering and the culture that you want to build. In other words, the better you plan, the stronger your market position will be.

3. Make it look professional

Yes, you might decide to work as a freelancer, but it doesn’t mean that your online presence should be homemade. A freelance business is designed to create an income, therefore look attractive and reputable to potential customers.

It’s important to work with a web design company to ensure that you present a functional and engaging website that can compete against similar businesses. You need to remember that some of your competitors may be small or medium-sized companies. They got professionals working on their websites, and on their brand design. You need the same level of details to survive in their market.  

4. Differentiate yourself

Whichever area you pick, the market is a crowded space. Finding the services you want to offer is one thing, but it’s not enough. Telling people why they should go with you instead of someone else is key to stand out.

What can you do that others can’t? What do you have that makes you better? The process of differentiation is difficult.

For Tender Greens, for instance, it was about showing their customers the cooking process and the organic label. The secret is that nothing is hidden. It’s a strong differentiator. What will yours be?

Pixabay image

5. Cultivate a positive presence

An online business requires an online presence, for freelancers as well as long-established companies. Without a positive online presence, there can be no path to success. If you choose to promote yourself as a brand, your online presence is the combination of all your online activities, from social media platforms to blog articles.

It’s important to use the planning time to develop your presence and share your expertise. Blog articles and teasing social media content are a great way of gathering a small audience before you’re ready to launch.

6. Don’t start without a money plan

Let’s get something clear from the start: A new business needs a budget. There are plenty of ways to come to the necessary funds and not all of them involve using your savings. From investors to loans, if you know how to convince people that your business idea is solid, you can start with a comfortable budget. But convincing is an art that is difficult to master.

A few tips to get you started here: You need to stick to the thing that you said you were going to do, and you need to focus on staying authentic. You don’t need to sell yourself; you need to be yourself and to explain how your idea works and why you believe in it. If you are applying for a loan, you’ll need to provide sufficient research about your expected profits and costs – that’s where the market research comes in handy!

7. Define your brand

As a freelancer, you can’t just introduce yourself as the guy next door. You need to create a professional brand that supports your business. Your brand is how you want customers to think about you.

The logo is an element of your brand, as it allows your audience to identify your business. And the link between your logo and your brand is your visual identity – from the kind of letterhead you pick for your invoices to any form of messaging. Before your business launch, you need to have established these elements so that you can provide from Day One strong identifiers.

8. Stick to a plan

Do you remember your market research? It’s likely that you’ll find that success will take time, as it rarely happens overnight – even when you think it does, it is generally the result of several months or years of work.

Consequently, you need to plan your business actions to create some buzz and build up a customer base. Why do you need to plan it in advance? Because however successful your business launch is, you won’t be selling en masse immediately. Therefore, it’s helpful to plan your marketing activities in advance, so that you stay focused and avoid panic-stricken decisions as a last resort.

9. Take it seriously

It’s a business. The only way it will work is if you work at it. You need to be the first person to believe in your success and to invest energy in it. The rest will follow.

10. Improve your skills

As a freelancer, you are completely exposed. When something in the project goes wrong, it reflects on your services. You can’t always avoid mistakes. But you can keep your skills updated and follow training courses to make sure that your customers are receiving the best service possible from you.

There’s no guarantee of success in the freelancing world. But in the end,  the only golden rule that can make it possible for all those who try is: Work hard and don’t give up.