How to Become a Successful Full-Time Freelancer in 2025

Freelancing today is not just a passing trend or a convenient side hustle — it is a major force reshaping the global workforce. According to World Bank data, 46.7% of all workers globally are self-employed, and some of them work as full-time freelancers. What was once seen as a backup plan or additional financial income has now become a legitimate full-time job for many.

Let’s break down some key elements that can help you become a successful full-time freelancer without losing your mind.

Build a strong foundation before going solo

When playing poker, going "all-in" is a decision that should only be made when you are 99% confident in your winning hand. This is also true when considering working as a full-time freelancer. Starting your own business (which is exactly what you do when you become self-employed) is a serious endeavor, and taking it lightly can lead to huge disappointment. Here’s how you can avoid it in 3 steps:

1. Start freelancing on the side to test the waters

Before signing your resignation letter and diving into the world of freelancing, it's a good idea to try it out while keeping a full-time job and see if it's the right choice for you. It isn’t an uncommon practice: 39% of people in the UK admit to having a side hustle, and similar statistics are found in the US. 

This approach is low risk and allows you to find and manage your first freelance clients, build a portfolio, and identify a niche that best suits your skills and pays well. After you gain some experience, it will be much easier to transition to full-time freelancing than starting from scratch without any backup. A survey found that 14% of respondents declared that one of the biggest challenges when starting a freelance side hustle was not knowing where to begin. It can be challenging, but don't worry. Here are some resources that can help you find your first paying clients:

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• PeoplePerHour
• Freelancer

I am not a fan of freelance marketplaces because of the competitive nature and low pay. However, if you need it to get started, absolutely use it. This should be just a first step in your freelance career. People know they can get away with paying next to nothing on sites like this. You’ll never grow your freelance business into something that beats most 9-5 jobs when you’re only using sites like these. I encourage you to see them as a part time solution until you can find other ways to gain clients.

{{Ami Green}}

What is the solution for building a full-time freelance career if you decide that it's the right path for you after a trial period? Amy highlights two things: cold pitching and social media marketing. The problem with cold pitching, she says, is that it's mostly a numbers game. Amy suggests that if you want to succeed with cold pitching, you should target businesses that you are passionate about and demonstrate your genuine interest in them.

Social media was my main source of clients when I first started. I put a lot of work into my content, proving my writing skills and expertise through educational content. My website looks like a real website, not a GoDaddy template. My voice is clear and I make it super obvious who I am, what I do, and who I serve. If you’re a freelancer, you are a business owner. Everything you tell your clients to do, you should be doing too. Once you start seeing yourself as a business owner and your freelancer persona as a brand, you start treating it as such.

{{Ami Green}}

Before you start freelancing or open your own business, it's a good idea to check your employment contract to see if there are any restrictions on working outside of your current job. According to the Economic Policy Institute, at least 27.8% of workers in the US are bound to sign a noncompete agreement that may prohibit them from taking any freelance work. In order to avoid conflict of interest, read your contract carefully or consult a legal expert to make sure you’re not doing anything that could be considered unethical or illegal. 

2. Create a portfolio that reflects your value

A portfolio is your passport in the freelance market. Potential employers consider your resume and cover letter when deciding whether to hire you, and potential clients rely on your portfolio when selecting a candidate for their freelance projects. Dedicate a few hours each day to building your portfolio and adding projects that are relevant to the type of work you would like to do. You can start by adding the gigs of your first paid client or creating mock projects to use as examples.

Your online portfolio is everything in this space. Before you panic, though, you should know that doesn’t mean you have to have worked with hundreds of big clients. In terms of using an online portfolio to attract higher-paying clients, it’s all about careful selection. If you’re looking to write for luxury beauty
products, there’s little point in writing a spec piece for a zoo. Pick your brands to fall into the niche you’re in. Your portfolio gives off a vibe, whether you want it to or not, so make sure you’re telling the right story with the work you include.

{{Ami Green}}

3. Have an emergency fund

One of the biggest concerns of making money as a freelancer is financial uncertainty. Self-employed income can vary from month to month, causing a lot of stress. This stress, of course, does not help productivity, and trying to find a client or any kind of work just to cover basic needs does not add to the freedom of freelancing. That’s why having an emergency fund before going full-time is essential. Ideally, it should cover at least three months' worth of your essential expenses, as the emergency fund is typically used for unexpected costs.

‍Define pricing for your services‍

When it comes to freelance success, there are two important factors to consider: a clearly defined list of services you offer and a pricing structure that not only reflects your worth but also covers your expenses. Setting your rates can be a tricky task, especially at the beginning. Overpricing can lead to a lack of clients, while underpricing (which is common among beginners) can lead to multiple clients but also cause serious confidence issues, overwork, and burnout. Therefore, it's important to find the right balance.

You can use an online freelance rate calculator to establish your minimum rates. For example, if you have home payments of $2,000 per month, utility bills of $600 and health insurance or other necessary expenses of $800, then your minimum required income would be $3,400 per month. Take approximately eleven holidays and ten personal or sick days off from your annual work hours, and your minimum hourly rate will be calculated. 

Freelancers typically charge by the hour, by project, or on a retainer basis. You can choose a model that suits your needs best, or you can try out different models until you find the one that works for your business. Learn more about smart strategies for setting the right prices in our comprehensive guide.

Set up and run your business properly

Transitioning to full-time freelancing means that you are no longer simply offering services to clients; you own a business. Now you're the one responsible for everything: from doing the work itself to finding clients and handling legal matters. It might sound intimidating, but with the right attitude and planning, it can be a smooth and rewarding process. 

1. Register your business 

First and foremost, make it official. While freelancing on the side may be a bit more informal, full-time freelancing requires establishing a legitimate business. The process may vary slightly from country to country, but generally, to get started, you need to choose your business structure (sole proprietorship, limited liability company, or corporation), register your business name, obtain a license if necessary, and open a business bank account. It takes around 6-8 weeks to register as a self-employed person in the UK and around 1-4 weeks to start a business in the United States. Registering a business will provide you with legal protection, credibility with new clients, and even some tax benefits — you can, for example, deduct some of your business expenses. Here’s how you can do it in the UK, Canada, and the US, if you’re self-employed. 

The biggest mistake is not treating freelancing as a business. For me, freelancers and business owners are interchangeable. You need to approach what you do as if you were running a business and building a brand. To do this, you need to be active in virtual networking groups, post regularly on social media, create a website (if financially possible), and run an educational blog that addresses your audience's needs.

{{Ami Green}}

2. Track your finances and taxes

Once your business is open, it's important to take the financial aspect of your work very seriously. You'll need to track both your income and expenses, keep your personal and business finances separate, and plan for and set aside taxes. We've created a complete 4-step guide to budgeting tips that covers all these topics.  

3. Create a structured work schedule

It’s no secret that freelancers often struggle with time management, and for a full-time freelancer, it’s one of the key elements of success. You now work on your own schedule, but since we don't have time turners or time machines, it's essential to have a structured routine in order to make your work more efficient. Here are some essential tips:

• Create blocks of time for different types of work: client meetings, project deadlines, and administrative tasks. You can use Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook to schedule and prioritize them.

• Set boundaries on when you work and when you’re out of reach. It's important to strike a balance between work and personal life and maintain healthy relationships with your clients.
  
  
• Use special tools to stay organized and focus on delivering your best work. Toggl or Clockify will help you to track time and evaluate your productivity. Trello and Asana are two of the best project management tools available for setting deadlines and breaking down large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. Google Drive and Dropbox can be used to store and share documents and project source files with clients. And HoneyBook or Bonsai are there to help you create professional proposals and invoices. 

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Of course, you’re free to choose the hours that you work; that’s why it’s called freelancing. However, statistics show that 28% of freelancers work around 40 hours per week, which is the standard full-time workweek, so it's important to remember that becoming self-employed doesn't necessarily mean you'll be working fewer hours. But by setting up your business effectively from the beginning, you can definitely optimize time and lay the foundation for long-term success.

Starting a successful freelance business in 2025 is about being smart, strategic, and consistent. Don’t fall for the idea blindly: check the risks, prepare yourself by finding first clients and creating an emergency fund, price your services accordingly, and take time to set up your business and business operations. Luck takes hard work. Wishing you the best of it!