Launching Your Freelancing Business

The third course in the Building Your Freelancing Career specialization will help learners get their business plan ready to be public-facing and start finding work. The course will cover topics such as how to set boundaries with projects, how to build a public-facing portfolio and materials, and how to present one's work. CalArtians who do not see a "Sponsored by CalArts" notice when enrolling are encouraged to access this course and the specialization by joining through the Coursera for CalArts program linked in the course/specialization FAQ.

• Course Overview
• This course will cover the major aspects of launching your business. You'll learn how to tell the world about what you do and why they should do business with you as a freelancer. In this first section, you'll review the course overview and student expectations. You'll also meet some special members of our community of freelancers who will give you practical insights.
• Your brand promise
• In this section, you will learn and think about how will you present your freelancing business to the world? What will you offer that is unique and different? What will your communication approach be?
• The Customer Journey
• How does a stranger become a customer? We'll walk through the stages of the customer journey so that you can understand the gradual process of nurturing a lead and get better at closing deals. Much of this learning comes from talking to potential customers!
• Automate everything
• Businesses that do well tend to create systems and repeatable processes to maintain high quality and lower costs. In this section, you'll identify opportunities to create a more streamlined business.
• You can always get better as a freelancer
• As you handle more and more customers, you'll want to keep improving. Find ways to streamline the delivery of your services and manage your reputation so that you can attract and handle more customers.