Solo Entrepreneurs Can Build A Professional Brand Image

Solo entrepreneurs face exciting challenges. Granted, you get to decide exactly what you do. But, when you are your own boss, you are also responsible for your brand image. In other words, you don’t get the advantage of working at a known and respected company. You can’t convince people to trust you by telling them that you’re Jane from Company X. There’s no logo to hide behind. You have to become your own logo and your own brand name.

And that is tricky! A lot of clients are cautious about working with freelancers and solo entrepreneurs because they are worried you may not provide the same high-quality results as a “real” business. If you’re going to win them over, you need to build a professional brand image.

Create An Online Portfolio

The first mistake that many solo entrepreneurs do is to approach any client with a resume of their skills. By doing so, you put yourself in the shoes of someone who applies for a job. In reality, you need to showcase your skills and previous work like any other business, using an online portfolio.

Creating a portfolio that highlights your strengths and your achievements while displaying samples of what you’ve done for other clients or in other jobs is crucial to your selling pitch. No potential client wants to read through your professional background. In most projects, you won’t need to prove that you’ve got the skills and degrees they want. Your portfolio should do the talking for you.

Get An Office Address

Are you working from home? Chances are that you are! But your clients don’t need to know where you live. That’s precisely why you need to rely on virtual offices services to display a professional-looking address. What does a virtual address do? Essentially, it acts as a mailbox that captures your business mail and provides safe access to consult your documents online. It’s a nice finishing touch to launch your independent business.

Don’t Let Freelancing Sites Set Your Rates

Finding a freelancer is easy. With the abundance of sites such as PeoplePerHour and Fiverr, small businesses can get the work done at a bargain price. But you shouldn’t try to compete with those services. As a professional expert, you need to price your services adequately. Offering your skills at freelancing platform rates is only going to make you look unprofessional.

Be Seen & Heard

You may not be able to invest a ton of money in your marketing campaign, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be noticed. You can create a podcast and publish it for virtually free on iTunes, for instance. If you are not comfortable using a microphone, how about writing down your thoughts and sharing your articles on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is not only a great networking platform for professionals, but it also allows users to publish articles. Another great tip is to create a content agenda with solid SEO settings for your blog. All of this without spending any money on your marketing efforts!

Being a solo entrepreneur is both a gift and a curse. As a professional, you are free of managerial ties, and you can build your career as you see fit. But, because you don’t work at a company, you need to establish your profile in a professional and trustworthy manner that will appeal to your clients.