If you decide to work freelance, it would involve -

You, the freelancer with some specific talents or skills.
Job provider, who chooses to get his job done by a freelancer.
Facilitators - online freelance job sites, freelance networks, collaborators, payment escrow services, arbitrators etc.

All of these you need to consider carefully to make your freelancer business a success, particularly so if you're just starting out or haven't paid any attention till now.

Two Things That Merit Definite Attention

1. Get Some Professional Certification

Professional certification is a mark of excellence. It shows employers, clients and associates that you are committed as a professional. Certification isn't just for IT professionals anymore. Freelancers and Home-Based business owners in all field can benefit from Microsoft and vendor-neutral certifications.

Some of the advantages of adding a professional certification to your freelance portfolio include:

* Holding a professional certification demonstrates that you are competent. It's one thing to state on your resume, website or promotional materials that you know how to use Microsoft Word, but it's quite another to state that you are a Microsoft-Certified Office Specialist in Word. The difference is just one passable exam, but to a business considering who to hire for a freelance word processing or data management project the difference is significant.

* As a freelancer (or the owner of an at-home business services business), being certified always gives you a leg up on the competition. This is particularly true if you are fairly new to the freelance market and haven't yet acquired an impressive list of satisfied clients. Holding a certification is a quick and reliable way of letting prospective clients know that you are a professional.

* Certification in a relevant field can enable you to parlay entry-level freelance jobs into more lucrative contracts. Data entry work, for instance, is typically one of the most available freelance opportunities; unfortunately, it is also usually the worst paying. Microsoft certification in Access or as a database administrator can help a data entry freelancer transition to a database design and management contract.

2. Learn The Difference : Freelancer - Independent Contractor - Temp

A freelancer is an independent contractor who earns his or her living by contracting for projects on a project by project basis. A freelancer is not an employee of anyone and so he or she must actively seek out work, negotiate the terms and conditions of the project (the contract) and complete the work to the satisfaction of the client. Once the project is complete, the freelancer seeks out and enters into another contract for another project. A freelancer becomes a micro-business when s/he obtains a business license.

Independent contractor is a legal term for a freelancer. The importance is that independent contractors are covered by different labors than regular employees. Consultant, often a euphemism for unemployed white-collar worker, is now a common label for independent contractors.

Temporary agencies hire the temporary worker and then sell the workers services to an employer. So the "temp" worker receives his paycheck from the agency. Typically, employers may offer the temporary worker a permanent job, but terms and conditions apply that usually cost the employer an additional fee. This raises your cost of hire, but it gives both you and the employer an opportunity to "try before you buy" - testing the relationship and the job fit.

Temporary workers, since they are employed by the agency, are not independent contractors.

Final Words

Not that long ago, freelancing was something people did mainly in larger metropolitan areas where work for writers, artists, and other creative types was plentiful and easily accessible. Today, however, the freelance landscape has dramatically changed. For one, you can live practically anywhere in the world and still be able to maintain a successful freelance career. Not to mention that the creative fields are not the only areas where freelancing is popular any more. Today, accountants, trainers, computer technicians, etc. are all able to earn a living as freelancer.