Hola, Unfxcked Freelancer👋🏼!
Welcome to another week of getting unstuck, taking control, and going pro as a freelancer. In case you missed my last newsletter, see the full archive of previous issues here.
Let’s assume you decide to open a mechanic shop in a small town that currently has no mechanic shops.
In this situation, everyone who owns a car in that town would naturally come to you because you’re the only option available, right?
Let’s say people are now familiar with your work and trust you. And then more mechanic shops open up in town. Would you still have the largest customer base or not?
Take a moment to think about it, and then let’s get to the main matter…
You see, you can’t afford to be like “everybody” when it comes to freelancing.
The idea of wanting to do things the same way as those you met in the game doesn’t always work.
While others are thinking of how to make clients want their service, you should be thinking of how to make clients need you.
In this sense, it’s not just about standing out but about dominating your niche.
And to dominate, you have to be the first to discover the need and get into the market.
Look at Google, Uber, Amazon, Adobe, Ebay, and other companies that came first and are currently dominating their industries.
Their logic is simple:
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Enter an industry early
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Establish dominance, and
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Enjoy the perks that come with it.
This shows that the early bird doesn’t just get the worm; it gets the whole feast.
Becoming a need-based freelancer means identifying trends before they become the next big thing.
For instance, look at 2021 TikTok’s user growth rate. As of 2022, more businesses started getting on TikTok and even hired freelancers to create content for them. Also, think about the surge in AI tools this year. Today, several businesses want unique prompts and freelancers who can help them create prompts.
Now, the good thing about these developments is that freelancers who created a need for these services and specialized in these niches first are now ahead of the curve.
So, how do you become a need-based freelancer and be the first to get into the market?
1. Spot the Trend:
The first thing you need to do is spot the trend. What is on the rise? What’s the latest thing in town? What are people jumping at? Is it a new social media platform like Threads? Is it an AI tool like ChatGPT? By identifying the trend, you get to know what niche you want to create a need around and what market you want to get into.
2. Specialize:
This is the time to become the go-to freelancer for the needs you’ve come up with. You begin offering services in the niche and market you’ve chosen. For instance, as a writer, you can specialize in writing prompts for companies to create content with. You can also specialize in helping busy individuals or businesses grow on Threads by writing content for them.
3. Early Entry Advantage:
Now that you’ve gotten into the market first, you’ve become an expert while others are just catching on. When clients need a professional in that niche, they will likely and mostly reach out to you because you have established yourself as the freelancer everyone turns to for that specific need. You’ll be the sought-after name frequently.
Finding an upcoming trend, and specializing in it before the crowd does is the key to being the “top dog” in the freelancing industry. It’s a “first-come, best-served” type of situation Whether you’re a one-man freelancer or you run a freelance agency, being the name everyone recognizes is the goal. So, identify those trends, specialize, be the name that stands out in the beginning, and you’ll be the one everyone remembers in the end.
That’s a wrap, Unfxcked Freelancer!
Catch you on the flip side,
Temidayo – Chief Unfxcker