You may think of yourself as a freelancer, consultant, side-hustler, solopreneur, or even small business. In practically every case, if you have a mindset of consistent improvement, you’ll have a better shot at experiencing business growth at higher rates.
Why? Because trends, needs, technology, and attitudes change. You need to stay relevant to keep and attract clients. Laurel resting isn’t a luxury a freelancer can afford. Fortunately, there are a lot of resources available.
Read a book or trade publication. There are so many terrific books on organizational skills, goal setting, motivation, networking, and sales. Professions from landscape designers to nail techs have trade publications with articles that can help you know the latest tools and techniques.
Attend webinars and trade events. Attending a webinar with a leading expert in your field or in a skill you’d like to improve is a good investment of your time. Actively listening and participating by asking questions will help you learn more and may even help you make valuable connections that open business opportunities for you.
Take Online Courses. Anyone using technology will quickly find their skills are obsolete if they don’t stay on top of the latest tools. Marketing and business consultants, graphic and web designers, and others in these kinds of fields must be on or ahead of trends to be seen as experts in their fields.
Get Certified. There are organizations for pretty much every profession that provide education and certification. The National Association of Professional Organizers has a certification for photo organizers. The International Sports Sciences Association will certify you as a personal trainer. The International Coach Federation has a sophisticated life coach certification path. Certifications signal that you are a trained and skilled professional. They also demand higher hourly rates.
Always Available Resources. There are also quick resources like Ted Talks, YouTube videos, blogs, and social media groups to quickly glean knowledge or get a question answered. Whatever you choose – one or a variety – you’ll continue to improve as a freelancer and grow as a person.
