Freelancing in Fashion (and why your “freelance” job is probably abusive)

[@artistartist3364]

Thanks for being honest and sharing with us about benefits of fashion design freelancing. Searching of the clients is the pain point of any industry. Many industry makers intentionally exaggerate the role of different freelance platforms like Up work just in order to get you involved in some highly-paid courses, but in fact situation is quite different. I mean it's not easy to start freelancing on Up work without a proper industry background due very high market competition. There you need to pay for connections with your potential clients and the most likely he or she will choose a designer for co-operation with better experience, reviews and well-developed account. So, it's far to be the best place to start fashion design freelancing if you're a total newcomer in the industry. In your case you are not promising moutains of gold, telling the things as they are and shedding the light on many obscure themes of fashion freelancing. That's why I enjoy watching your videos. Thanks for a great job!

[@SewHeidi]

You're welcome, glad you enjoy!! Nothing in fashion (or life!) is really easy...freelancing, a job, your own brand. Of course, it all takes effort. You just have to decide where you want to put that effort! You can do it!!!!

[@artistartist3364]

@@SewHeidi Hopefully so! Thanks for encouraging response! Nevertherless I have some disagreement regarding Linkedin. On my opinion It can be a good freelancing place if to make a right approach. Unlike UpWork where you partcipate in messages battle with other 50 fashion designers. The most likely a potential customer will start chating with designer who has a better experience and better developed account. If you are a beginner at most you can catch here a small fish and then again start hunting for another one, but on Linkedin you can catch a whale and build a long-term business relationships. It initially depends on what you can do and what you can offer for your potential client. Then, if you're confident in your skills you need to follow 3 rules to get some success in Linkedin: 1st is to know where to knock to ( It's definately the right company which activity matching your skills, nitche, etc. Also, you need to check the size of the company; is it a Start Up or company in the status of liquidation; company location; company's annual revenues and does it has descending or ascending trend if such the information is accessible; to check does this company looking for outsourcing, freelancing, remote job performance as a form of co-operation or looking only for in-house employees, etc); 2nd is whom to turn to ( You need precisely contact only with decision-maker); 3rd is how to turn to (It definetely implies the well-structured message of small size and good content. Speaking about the content it must include greetings; aim of message; to show the value of the message (client should see a potential benefit for himself and, in no one event, see another advertisement wasting his time); call to action and a "polite good-bye". Those circumstances will help to proceed a dialogue. One very important thing is you need to show you are a HELPER, but not a SELLER). Personally, I had some experience of lead generation manager in the past and judging on my experience Linkedin can be a good platform for searching new clients. Even many linkedin profiles incudes description in the titles: "a freelancer at...". But, If to knock in the wrong doors and in the wrong way it can be frustrating to stay without responses, scheduled interviews and concluded contracts for a long time. It will bring you nothing, you will just waste your time and finally will loose belief in what you are doing. In case you are doing a right research of company profile and its employees in Linkedin, and also properly research of company's website it will lead you to the success. So, following 3 rules I described higher I can say for sure that freelancing in Linkedin can be REAL!!! As it's said in the right approach IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING!!! Finally, I want to tell you that I consider all your fashion freelancing sources as the places to find clients and at the same time I do believe that Linkedin can be an alternative source for fashion design freelancing. I hope if you even do not share my mind completely on this matter, but share it at least to some extent. Wishing you a good luck in your fashion design journey!!!

[@SewHeidi]

We actually have quite a few students in FAST who started without experience and have had GREAT success on UpWork ;). If you pitch yourself right (we teach this inside FAST), it's actually REALLY easy to stand out. Re: LinkedIn - there is good opportunity there for reaching out directly and pitching. What you don't find on LI are true remote freelance jobs listed - you find "permalance" jobs. Freelancing on LI can definitely be real!!! Just have to use the right approach ;)

[@artistartist3364]

@@SewHeidi I agree. Speaking about LI it's to be more a realm of "permalancing" rather than freelancing. Really a freelancing there is characterized with high instability. But as for UpWork, It's needed to say that this freelance platform has more stability, but it takes time to get a good financial results there. Previously, I received dozens of emails from you and in one of the them you put a question - might fashion design to be my "jam". Now, I can affirm yes, it is, but at the moment I'm on the stage of "how to do it", not "where to do it". When I'll be confident in my fashion design skills I mandatory will get back to you to upgrade them and to find the place where to apply them.

[@deborahwolff5651]

Heidi, Thank you very much for sharing. I would love a true remote lifestyle freelancing position where I can work at home and set my own hours. I'm in my 60's and don't want to go back to the 9-5 freelancing . That's the way to go.

[@SewHeidi]

Yesss!!! You can do it Deborah! 9-5 freelancing is kinda the worst 😬

[@deborahwolff5651]

@@SewHeidi Thank you Heidi, you are very helpful

[@harubtsarmy]

I love ur videos 💕💕💕💜

[@uritmom8999]

Hey sew can you become a fashion director without a degree? What are the other pathways

[@SewHeidi]

You can do anything! It will take time to work up to director level, but here's a great place to start: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpfOc518bNmFgbM

[@harubtsarmy]

First 😍😍😍😍🤗