Becoming a freelance architect requires more responsibility and work than what you’re used to in a standard architecture studio, without having any shoulder to lean on. Despite that, you’ll become more efficient, enjoy more autonomy, and flourish in your own business without suffering the wrath of bureaucracy. If you’re wondering how freelance architects make it look so simple, we will say that you can do the same once you start this journey. But for that, you’ll have to follow this set of tips written below.
10 Valuable Tips For Freelance Architects
Below are 10 tips for freelancers in the architectural business that may prove useful.
Get Yourself Prepared
Freelance architects usually have to work on their own, without having any supervision or a helping hand to deal with regular crises. They may not secure clients and have trouble understanding, negotiating, and fulfilling their demands. They also may not manage their clients or have healthy conversations due to improper work-life balance.
Freelancers have to manage problems efficiently like these without deterring professional service. Some invaluable tips for freelancers would be to stay candid, confident, responsible, and proficient. However bad the situation might be, you need to communicate with the clients with a positive mindset.
So, gear up for the grind and get prepared to face such challenges frequently!
Brush Up Your Skills as Freelance architects
While architecture is not limited to one specific niche, people working under a company or firm may find it difficult to manage their jobs and indulge in their passion at the same time. This is where freelance architects can take the upper hand because they are free to follow their passion, enhance them, and offer their services based on it.
It could be drawing, crafting, designing, rendering, photography, writing, researching, mentoring, model development, or software skills. Just choose what you adore the most, enhance that particular skill, and excel in it.
Be Uniquely Creative
Creativity and uniqueness go hand in hand in the architectural business. Freelance architects have the leverage of incorporating their creativity while catering to the needs of their clients. It not only sets them apart from the rest but also helps them in attaining professional growth and popularity.
You can choose any niche among residential design, urban planning, landscaping, interior design, sustainability, or conservation, specialize in it, and attract clients. But if you introduce your creativity, you’ll gain even more recognition.
Fix Your Rates
The value of your service is based on the time you devoted to your demography, demand, understanding of market value, and similar other factors.
Although freelance architects are free to set the prices for their service, the clients may not always agree to it without negotiating. Just be careful while fixing prices as higher rates will shoo your clients away and inadequate rates will diminish the value of your work.
Develop a Portfolio
A portfolio helps showcase the creativity, experience, hard work, knowledge, and skills of freelance architects.
So, develop a detailed and well-organized portfolio that wows your future clients and allows them to understand your mode of working. Just go ahead, choose a few eye-catching templates, and organize your projects by including elaborate sketches, writeups, and photographs.
Exhibit Your Works
What’s the use of creating a portfolio if you don’t flaunt it on some high-end platforms?
Besides establishing a website, brandishing your work on freelance platforms like Upwork, Houzz, Fiverr, WeWork, PeoplePerHour, Behance, Freelancer, etc can boost your visibility in multiple circles. Since these platforms connect freelance architects to multiple industry experts across the world, sharing your portfolio here will help you gain potential clients/projects.
Expand Your Network
Apart from showcasing a well-prepared portfolio on freelancing platforms, you need to exhibit your skills either through social media or by word of mouth. Conventional publicity propagates mainly through friends, family, or acquaintances. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. are beneficial for freelance architects to showcase their intricate works and expand their professional network by connecting with potential clients.
Construct a Trustworthy Relationship
Freelance architects can gain recurring clients by producing quality work and having transparency in their services.
While social media and freelancing platforms come in handy, you must also be able to grow your network by providing quality work in a timely manner. After all, a satisfied client is more likely to recommend you to their acquaintances. In addition to that, you can maintain trustworthy relationships with former clients by reaching out to them via email, newsletters, messages, etc.
Be Ambitious
Even after having additional work experience and impressive portfolios, sometimes freelancers fall behind due to enormous competition in their field. And architecture is no different.
Yet, this factor will not stop you if you are ambitious enough to upgrade the working standards and exhibit those to let the clients choose you over anybody else. You can even participate in various design competitions, large-scale exhibitions, workshops, and exhibitions to increase your chances of getting selected.
Don’t Give Up
Freelance architects must never give up too easily as success doesn’t come overnight.
You must not be afraid to try new things to solve newfound problems and increase your potential. For that, you can develop a reading habit, work on your communication skills, or upgrade your soft skills by keeping up with the latest technology.
In A Nutshell
The dynamic nature of freelancing has changed the concept of ’employment’ in the recent few years. Small businesses can now effectively compete against large enterprises and offer their services at a nominal rate.
For this reason, many architectural technologists choose to become freelance architects rather than work at an amateur level position for years. Moreover, being a freelance architect has a lot of benefits.
Do you wish to stay resilient like all other successful freelance architects out there? Just keep these tips for freelancers in mind and see how your dynamism can work wonders!
View more articles at https://thearchspace.com/category/articles/
By Sreyoshi Dhali
While finding her solace in silence and everything mundane, Shreyosi prefers to untangle the chaos inside her head and makes an effort to paint scenarios with words that keep her awake at night.
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