Get started as a freelancer

Freelancing. What is that? If you have a marketable talent, skill or service, freelancing can be exciting and rewarding. This can range from landscaping to house-sitting, dog walking to transcription work. Freelancing has its challenges - specifically, finding clients and ebbs and flows in income. However, with a strong game plan, freelancers can give themselves a great chance at success whilst enjoying the benefits of being their own boss: more free time and, with hard work and a little luck, more control of their income. Freelancing is a great option for people who need to work from home, are looking to buff up their resume or need to augment existing income. In order to increase your chances of getting the best out of being a freelancer, here are a few tools to help you succeed:

Attitude Motivation and self-discipline are key to making the freelance life work, so create specific, measurable goals which can be ticked off as they are achieved. Accomplishment helps maintain motivation. 
Office setup Freelancers need a backup system to protect their work - external hard drives or using a Cloud, while tools such as Google Docs and Dropbox are ideal for sharing documents and working on collaborative projects. In terms of billing, smartphone apps can be used to log receipts for expenses claims, while accounting software is ideal for keeping on top of invoices. 
Stay realistic and flexible Freelancers need to consider what skills they can offer and shouldn't be afraid to  develop new skills to take advantage of shifts in the marketplace, or grow their business with new offerings. 
Client relationships Cultivate client relationships by being professional, prompt and accountable.