Freelancing is a tough business, and it's important to keep yourself flexible so you can meet your income goals. Creativity site 99U suggests that the best way to do that is to treat your freelancing just like a stock portfolio.
The idea here is that a financial portfolio is a great way to balance risk and reward, and it allows you to figure out how much you should invest in projects. 99U explains:
It helps you weigh how much time and energy to "invest" in projects, and change the mix depending on the work market and your income needs. It lets you decide how work fits into your plans, not the other way around.
You want to balance your Freelance Portfolio so it meets these three goals:
Have enough clients of the right kind: not too few and not more than you can handle, who pay well and/or can advance your career in some way.
Bring in enough steady income to reduce cash flow highs and lows.
Meet your total income goals.
To do so, 99U recommends you divide your freelance work into four different levels: blue chips (the core of your work), growth investments (extra projects), one-shots and long shots, and new ventures. It's an interesting approach to freelancing, and if you find yourself feeling a bit lost on how (or if) you should be expanding your work, 99U's article shows one way to do it.
Why You Should Treat Your Freelance Portfolio Like a Stock Portfolio | 99U
Photo by Beck Tench.