The Turning Point for Freelancers

So, you found your passion in life, educated yourself about it, accumulated a handful of clients, and are now pursuing it as a career after having set yourself up as a freelancer!

But eventually comes the turning point faced by many starting freelancers, sometimes early on, other times creeping up slowly, about whether they can grow into a successful business or will they revert to a traditional job for financial stability. 
So, freelancers will be asking themselves… can I make this work? Will I continue to find customers? Is this more a hobby rather than a career?

So, what to do…

If you have reached the turning point, contemplating this decision of whether to commit your freelance gig into a fully-fledged business, you are at the difficult junction with essentially only 1 of 2 choices… commit or concede.

Commit

It could simply be a brief dry spell, or possibly a drawn-out one you must endure, but if you can muster up the perseverance to see it through, and it is financially viable, then you should emerge into a rewarding and successful business, doing what you love every day. 

You may not be the best in your trade (yet), but remain focussed and play towards your skillset, there are customers with varying needs and budgets so target appropriately, but don’t be afraid to explore larger opportunities with bigger clients too, you never know which could be your big break. 

If you are having difficulty finding customers, create customer generating opportunities for yourself by expanding your skillset into similar markets, the same way a wedding photographer during the off-season seeks corporate events instead.

Take advantage of the extensive communication tools at your disposal, from social media to your website, just make sure you are out there, exposing your service.  

Concede

As exciting and empowering as it is to be your own boss, if you are constantly doubting yourself, reluctant to act, or not as passionate as you once were, you will become stagnant and struggle to survive. Eventually, you will be forced to call it a day and seek out a 9 to 5 job to earn a stable and comfortable income, downgrading your freelance career into a hobby or secondary job.

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Top tips…

Sometimes less is more… if an overload of clients becomes a struggle to manage, your service quality could deteriorate across the field, affecting long-term relationships, in this situation you can afford to be choosy about which projects you accept. 

Ensure your legal contracts are professionally vetted. The last thing you need when trying to grow your business is late or non-payments, make sure you are protected.

Do not depreciate your value. Competition is healthy and you must remain competitive in a thriving market, but avoid underselling yourself. Sometimes it is more important to let your service speak for itself, as mentioned earlier, exercise your ability to choose your projects, should not lose respect to difficult clients by undervaluing yourself.

Conclusion

So, to all the freelancers out there, if you have the passion and the skills required, the sky is the limit. There will be many speedbumps along the way, but with the right mindset and resources, you can overcome any obstacles in your path. 

For those of you still on the fence, Feedni is targeting service providers, with a keen focus on bridging the connection between providers and targeted customers in the market. Through the Feedni platform, service providers will be able to showcase their trades and expertise, through modern and innovative technology, connecting the entire service market, with an all-in-one solution.

If you are, or were recently facing the same turning point, which option did you choose? It would be great to hear your direction and share your advice with others in the same position.

An article by Gautam Gajjar.

Dubai’s Service Market, Spoiled for Choice or Still Room for More?

With Dubai’s surge in freelancers and SME’s, the city is booming with service-orientated companies, offering a plethora of service’s ranging from coaching, photography, even pet-grooming. So, is Dubai’s service market already maxed out, or are there still opportunities for new entrants into the market?

Spoiled for choice…

Whether you have a simple food craving, or suddenly remember you need to send flowers for your anniversary, you can be assured that somebody can accommodate your needs if you have the persistence to browse through, what sometimes feels like endless service providers for the same product, this is where things become a mini-adventure.

Now, options are great, providing the ability to compare, haggle, or even try alternatives, but does Dubai have too many choices? 

It is safe to say, Dubai’s demand for service providers is immense, catering for a melting-pot of diverse cultures and trying to satisfy countless preferences. Whilst some enlist services for their household chores such as maids, others will outsource their dry-cleaning, these two services alone, combined with the volume of demand, justifies the endless companies in Dubai offering these services. 

With so many providers in the market, competition intensifies, playing directly into the hands of the consumers, benefiting from favourable prices and alternative options. However, competition can also be the downfall of service providers, sometimes to the extent of closing down, this is naturally followed by new players entering the market, and this cycle goes on.

Love it or hate it, there are a lot of service options available, but is that really a bad thing? It gives us the reassurance that we are never short of choices at our disposal to meet our requirements… now we just need a way to filter them more efficiently. 

Room for more…

As mentioned, Dubai is home to such diversity, with constantly shifting demands, this month’s sought-after services may not be the same as the next, so there will always be a window of opportunity for new entrants into the market. 

The service market, just as any other, constantly evolves, with technological and innovative advances, making services more efficient, cheaper, environmentally friendly, or simply improves the user experience.

The great thing about Dubai is the inclusion of influences from around the world and the forward-think stance to bring fresh and exciting new services to the city, continuously launching new additions to the service market, you never know what’s around the corner.

Somewhere in-between

So, to put it simply, yes, we are spoiled for choice in Dubai, but it is absolutely justifiable. With so many individual needs, there can never be a generic service catering for all, everybody exercises their demand for a tailored service, and if there is a profit to be had, then service providers are sure to accommodate that need.

Feedni has heard your frustrations over browsing endlessly through service providers, we have understood your dilemma, and we have taken action to simplify your service needs. We are already underway in developing the next-generation service market platform, we will overcome existing obstacles and take the sting out of lengthy provider lists, offering only the best providers, with full transparency through genuine customer reviews, and an innovative CRM to manage your services. 

Not long to wait now, in the meantime, you can browse our market insight articles and follow us on Instagram @feedni_app for updates and news on our upcoming platform. 

An article by Gautam Gajjar.