5 Ways to Grow Your Freelance Business During the Coronavirus

Coronavirus has dealt a massive blow to the world, and we’re facing critical problems here in the U.S. as our incidence rates continue to rise every day. Beyond the medical challenges, our economy is beginning to suffer and unemployment is at an all-time high.

Though this is definitely a rough time for each and every one of us, there are ways to survive and even thrive in this season. It comes down to paying attention to trends and knowing how to position yourself in front of them so you can ride the wave, so to speak, to success.

Now keep in mind, this post is NOT about being exploitative. We’re not recommending that you price gouge on your stockpile of toilet paper like that Tennessee man did with hand sanitizer. That guy was an asshole. We hope you’re not.

This blog post is for compassionate people who don’t want to drown in this pandemic. This blog post is for people who want to do better than treading water too. This one is for people who are interested in learning what trends are apparent that they can use to actually grow their business and continue to prosper despite these troubling times. If that sounds like you, you’re in for a treat. We’ve paid attention to the trends and identified five ways to grow your freelance business during the coronavirus crisis.

Help schools launch e-Learning.

 Schools across the nation have closed their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving more than 3.5 million K-12 students out of school. Many schools have been able to efficiently transition to online classes. Still, a lot of schools didn’t have effective e-Learning structures already in place. So, there’s a viable opportunity for freelancers who are well versed in online learning to showcase and sell their skills. If you know your way around LearnDash or any other popular learning management system, you can approach schools in your area that may need help with e-Learning and offer your expertise.

Help businesses manage WFH.

Businesses are sending their employees home by the masses. Like schools, many aren’t prepared to transition their regular activities to a home environment. If you have project management experience and are familiar with project management platforms like Teamwork and Hubstaff, you could be the one to help businesses manage their remote workforce. If that sounds like a good fit for you, you’ll probably find this blog useful.

Replace skills lost to layoffs.

Companies are laying their employees off in droves. While this is a sad reality, it creates opportunities for VBOs (virtual business owners) to fill in the gaps. To stay afloat, these businesses still need to get work done. And hiring a VBO is generally a lot cheaper than hiring an employee. Get active on LinkedIn and reach out to relevant companies. Offer to provide the services that they may be losing due to layoffs.

Teach others to follow in your footsteps.

The VBO Movement has been growing for quite some time. It’s probably going to grow even faster in light of the pandemic. The COVID-19 crisis has shown that the security of traditional employment isn’t guaranteed. Freelancing is the way of the future, and more and more people are catching on every year.

You can capitalize on this trend by taking a profitable skill that you’re an expert at and teaching it to others. Create a short course that you can sell on a popular e-Learning platform like Udemy, Skillshare or Lynda.com. If you’ve figured out how to take your passion and build a thriving VBO career out of it, we’re sure others would pay quite well to learn how to do the same.

Help successful companies.

Some companies are actually exploding during this pandemic because the demand for their products or services has increased. Figure out what companies are experiencing coronavirus-related growth, and consider what you can do to help them continue to grow. They’ll likely need help supporting all their new customers, so if you’re in the customer service field, you could very likely carve out an opportunity for yourself with a flourishing company.

 These are just a few ways to grow your freelance business during this pandemic. If you’ve discovered other ways to take this negative situation and find the silver lining for your business, we’d love to hear what you’ve done. VBOs are some of the most resourceful people, and we can all learn from and inspire each other with success stories. Don’t be shy, comment below. Tell us what you’ve done to grow.