For many freelancers, the COVID-19 pandemic has not had many negative effects. In fact, freelancers in certain industries like web design, SEO and content creation may have even benefitted from the current pandemic due to the vast number of businesses quickly moving their services online in order to ensure that they could continue to survive during the national lockdown. However, freelancers who conducted business face-to-face or provided a service that is classed as non-essential that cannot be done from home did not fare as well. If you are a freelancer and have been affected by COVID-19, the good news is that there are several things that you can do to adapt your work to the current situation.
Protect yourself
First and foremost, protecting yourself should be your first priority – particularly if you are a freelancer working in an industry that requires you to get up close and personal with members of the public like the beauty industry. Investing in personal protective equipment such as the Virustatic Shield from VIRACTIV will enable you to reduce your risk of both catching or passing on the deadly virus. VIRACTIV’s facemask works by blocking, capturing and disabling up to 99% of viruses including COVID-19. If you spend a lot of time working with the public, investing in reusable face coverings can get expensive, making the VIRACTIV shield an ideal choice since it is washable and reusable, offering up to fifty times more wear compared to a standard reusable mask. The mask with the redshield is the ideal choice for wearing on a daily basis since it is comfortable, lightweight and breathable. You can check out the masks for sale at https://viractiv.com/.
Work from home
If the type of work that you do allows you to, it’s best to work from home wherever you can. This could mean making some changes to the way that you communicate with your clients – for example, you could switch to Zoom meetings rather than meeting up in person in order to reduce contact with others. If you typically work from shared workspaces, an office or even coffee shops and libraries, it’s probably time to consider avoiding working in any public places and staying at home at least for the time being.
Set up a home workstation
If you are able to work from home but, like many freelancers, find it difficult to focus, it’s a good idea to consider setting up a home workstation or office for yourself to help you get into the zone. If you have a spare bedroom or a room elsewhere in your home that does not get used very often, it’s worth spending some time moving out any clutter and investing in a desk and chair to set up a workspace for yourself. This will make it easier for you to adapt to working from home if you are not used to doing so and help you stay away from any distractions in the home that might get in the way of getting things done.
Consider changing what you offer
Depending on the type of freelance work that you do, you might have found that there has been a decrease in demand – or that you will struggle to continue working in the event of a local or national lockdown due to what you do. The good news is that while the service that you provide right now as a freelancer might be under threat due to the pandemic, a little bit of adaptability can help you come up with an idea that is going to be in high demand and will allow you to continue working safely and making money regardless of what happens.
For example, if you work in the beauty industry and are worried about what might happen if salons are forced to close again or clients are unable to visit your home for treatments, you could consider adapting your business model and starting a beauty blog or beauty tutorials on YouTube. The good news is that today there is room for almost every industry online, so do some research and determine what you could do to change the work you do to make it a little more COVID-19-proof.
Be aware of grants and funding
It’s always good to have a safety net and during these uncertain times, business owners and freelancers have been some of the most hard-hit by the coronavirus in terms of uncertainty surrounding their livelihood. Thankfully, there are several specifically designed grants and funding opportunities available to those who are suffering from a loss of income during COVID-19. It’s always worth taking some time to ensure that you are aware of the support options that are available to you in the event that you need them. Hopefully, you will not need to resort to applying for support, but it helps to know what you can get.
Use the time wisely
Even if your work has lulled for a while due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are plenty of things that you can do to use this time wisely and invest in making some positive changes that could help your business start to thrive again in the future. If you have a website for your freelance services, for example, this could be a great opportunity to give it a little bit of an overhaul if you haven’t had the time to do so before. Consider if there are any new services that you might be able to offer as a freelancer that may be more attractive to business owners that need something different in order to help them survive during the COVID-19 pandemic. Take the extra time to produce more relevant content to post online, reach out to online networks and engage with your followers and clients on social media. If you’re worried about a loss of income in the future, now is a good time to research the options available for insurance that will cover you in the event of a significant reduction in your earnings.
Improve your skill set
Whatever kind of freelance work you do, you can always benefit from boosting your skillset. Whether you want to improve the skills that you already have and offer an even better service or want to learn something new so that you can offer more to your clients, now’s a great time to improve your skillset thanks to online learning sites like Udemy, where you can sign up to learn almost anything from the comfort of your own home. Whether you’ve always wanted to learn how to build Shopify websites, want to improve your social media management and marketing skills, or want to try your hand at graphic design, consider the skills that are in very high demand right now and find opportunities to learn more about them so that you can add these to your portfolio. This could result in you changing the direction of your freelance career to ensure success and opportunities even during a pandemic.
Freelancers tend to be flexible people that are good at adapting themselves to the situation around them – but COVID-19 has been difficult for some to adapt to. However the pandemic has affected your freelance career, keep these tips in mind to make it easier for you to adapt your work and continue to thrive.
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