The Filipino star

December 7, 2021 | 8h00

MANILA, Philippines – As a lot of work has gone virtual recently, many professionals have seen the benefits of a freelance career. They can choose the jobs and how much work they are willing to take on, dictate their own working hours, set their own rates, and stay safe and healthy while doing business primarily from their homes.

If, like others, you are also considering self-employment, AXA Philippines, one of the country’s leading insurers, shares these important tips to help you succeed:

1. Cherish relationships

It’s an advantage if you have friends, former clients and coworkers who are already familiar with your work. Maintain these links, so when you make it known that you are available for work opportunities, they will consider hiring you because they can trust you to do the work they need.

2. Have a wallet

As a freelance writer, you must be able to present a body of work to potential clients. Not only will this establish you as a reliable freelance writer, it will also give clients a sense of how you work. If you’re a writer, for example, have an easily accessible online portfolio that includes writing, technical writing, and / or social media content.

This way, they can easily review your writing style and what they can expect from you. Having a portfolio is also a good way to see if you and the company are a good match since they have seen your previous work.

3. Configure your own financial processes.

Before pursuing a freelance career, make sure you are prepared for it. You need to have an organized financial process so that you can track income from various customers, operating expenses, and miscellaneous expenses. Check with your local government for registration requirements for freelancers in order to legitimize your small business.

If your business is still small, it will be easy for you to do your own bookkeeping and calculate your taxes, but as your business grows you may need to seek the help of an accountant to help you prepare financial statements for tax purposes.

4. Create your own benefits.

One of the downsides of self-employment is that you usually don’t get benefits like paid vacation, bonuses, and health insurance. But the advantage of working for yourself is that you can configure and dictate the terms of your “employment” benefits. At first, you may not be able to do this because you need to focus on building your customer base. But as your freelance work progresses, it’s a good idea to set aside vacation days and set milestones to give yourself a ‘bonus’.

One advantage that you should give yourself like any regular employee is health insurance. Having health insurance is important because you need to have coverage to protect not only your well-being but also your hard-earned savings in the event of an unforeseen health emergency.

One of the best options you can consider is AXA Health Care Access, a comprehensive and affordable health care plan that provides coverage for people aged 15 days to 75 years old for up to 5 million pesos.

Its benefits include hospital care, outpatient care, 24/7 teleconsultation, emergency care, preventive care, a Longevity Health Fund that can be used for future medical needs from the age of 76. and life and accident insurance.

In addition, with AXA Health Care Access, you can add your family members as dependents so that they can enjoy the same health protection as you.

5. You must hurry!

To be successful as a self-employed person, it’s also important to stay motivated and work hard. Because your freelance earnings are unpredictable and clients can come and go, you need to be prepared to sell yourself and find clients in any way you can, whether that be by making professional “cold calls” or by sending emails with your portfolio and contact details to your potential customers.

Self-employment can be intimidating at first, but I hope these tips from AXA Philippines can help you achieve a stable freelance career.

To find out more about AXA Health Care Access, visit https://www.axa.com.ph/health-protection/health-care-access.