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Plan a Successful Freelancing Business

Plan a Successful Freelancing Business

This course is part of Building Your Freelancing Career Specialization

Instructor: Tatiana Mulry

26,713 already enrolled

Included with

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5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

306 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

9 hours to complete

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

306 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

9 hours to complete

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

5 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Building Your Freelancing Career Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 5 modules in this course

The first course in the Building Your Freelancing Career specialization is focused on freelancers looking to define and solidify their philosophy, values and goals within their future business. Coursework will discuss the importance of understanding their competition and market position in a competitive business landscape, help them define what their unique value is, and how that relates to possible business approaches.

This Specialization helps you improve your professional skills as a freelancer, solopreneur, or new business owner. Each course focuses on a new set of skills that build upon previous courses' learnings to strengthen your understanding of the fundamentals of designing and running a freelancing business. Course 1 is all about planning - we will explore your interests, skills, and talents in the context of market conditions and customer needs to design a valuable service offering.

What's included

1 video6 readings

Let's dive into the fundamentals of freelancing as career option, meet some successful entrepreneurs who started freelancing businesses, and examine whether or not freelancing is a fit for your goals.

What's included

8 videos2 assignments1 discussion prompt

8 videos Total 62 minutes

Getting Started with Freelancing 11 minutes
Get acquainted with our freelancers 1 minute
Introducing Rajib Karmakar 4 minutes
Introducing Nick Rodrigues 15 minutes
Introducing Socks Whitmore 5 minutes
Building a Freelancer Mindset 12 minutes
Freelancer Career Spectrum 9 minutes
Nick on feeling pressure to get a steady job 5 minutes

2 assignments Total 15 minutes

Preparing to be a Freelancer 10 minutes
Are you a freelancer? 5 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 5 minutes

Meet and Greet 5 minutes

Multi-talented people often want to "boil the ocean" or take on too much when they start freelancing. In this module, you'll consider different freelancing directions and decide which is the best fit for your goals. Let's create a motivating vision of your dream business!

What's included

9 videos2 readings1 assignment2 peer reviews2 discussion prompts

9 videos Total 37 minutes

Generalization vs. Specialization 2 minutes
Socks on finding your specific community 2 minutes
So Many Possibilities 7 minutes
Rajib on realizing your strengths 2 minutes
Your Business is Your Legacy 9 minutes
Nick on gaining skills to get into his field 2 minutes
What if I Fail? 8 minutes
Rajib on the benefits of running a business 3 minutes
Nick on working for one's self 2 minutes

2 readings Total 15 minutes

Finding freelancing jobs 5 minutes
Types of Freelancing Work 10 minutes

1 assignment Total 10 minutes

Designing Your Dream Business 10 minutes

2 peer reviews Total 30 minutes

Rethinking goals 15 minutes
Rethinking failure 15 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 20 minutes

How did that feel? 10 minutes
How did that feel? 10 minutes

Now that you have taken a personal assessment of your interests, and have a vision for your freelancing business, it is time to design the details that will make your service offerings attractive to customers.

What's included

6 videos4 readings1 assignment

6 videos Total 39 minutes

Developing a Freelancing Service 1 minute
Find a Problem with a Hungry Audience 12 minutes
Understanding and Sizing Your Market 9 minutes
Spy on the Competition 7 minutes
Design Your Solution 7 minutes
Nick on the vision he has for his business 3 minutes

4 readings Total 91 minutes

Research Your Ideal Customer 30 minutes
Build Your Persona 30 minutes
Market Sizing 30 minutes
A look ahead... 1 minute

1 assignment Total 10 minutes

Developing a Service 10 minutes

Many businesses fail, partially because they fail to plan. In this module, you'll tackle the challenge of describing your business in a business plan and deepen your learning by critiquing your peers' business plans.

What's included

6 videos6 readings1 assignment1 peer review

6 videos Total 13 minutes

Introduction to Business Plans 3 minutes
Challenging Your Business Plan Assumptions 3 minutes
Rajib on his business model 1 minute
Evaluating a Business Plan 3 minutes
Giving Useful Feedback 2 minutes
Course Conclusion 1 minute

6 readings Total 102 minutes

Continue Developing Your Service 1 minute
Step 3 - Assess the Competition 30 minutes
Step 4 - Design Your Solution 30 minutes
Discover your customers 30 minutes
Start Your Business Plan 10 minutes
Next Steps 1 minute

1 assignment Total 10 minutes

Elements of a Business Plan 10 minutes

1 peer review Total 60 minutes

Evaluate a simple business plan 60 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(81 ratings)

Tatiana Mulry

5 Courses 33,064 learners

Offered by

California Institute of the Arts

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"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."

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"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

5 stars
83%
4 stars
10.78%
3 stars
3.26%
2 stars
0.98%
1 star
1.96%

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Reviewed on Feb 4, 2022

Lectures rendered logically. Easy to follow and learn the steps. Appreciations

Reviewed on Mar 6, 2022

I've learned those concepts of planning successful business in this course that I had never imagined. And those concepts are really working for me.

Reviewed on May 10, 2022

I was researching about how to put my skills in practice as freelancer, so this course came in very handy.Hope to continue exploring this.

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Frequently asked questions

CalArtians can earn a certificate by completing all of the content in this course and the specialization at no additional cost when they join through the Coursera for CalArts program and use their CalArts email address when registering for a Coursera account.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.