My foray into freelancing began in 2020, when the coronavirus brought the world to a standstill. It was fitting because freelancing soared during the pandemic, as organisations looked to preserve efficiency without hurting their overhead costs.
I had many questions when I began, like you’ve probably wondered as you prepare to start your freelancing career. The chief questions were, “How do I get freelance gigs?” (arguably the toughest worry!), “How do I sort out payment or negotiate with clients?” or, the most intrusive thought of them all, “Will anyone hire me from the sea of global talents I’m competing with?” and so on.
If you’ve had these questions, congratulations! That’s every freelancer’s first baptism. Figuring out the answers to the questions (and others you may have) is the next thing you should do, and that’s where I—a freelancer with 4+ years of experience—come in.
In this piece, I’ll draw from my wealth of knowledge and that of other established freelancers, like Mesioye Johnson (content strategist and PR executive), Rosemary Imobhio (SEO and content writer), and Adeife Adeoye (social media strategist), to help you become a successful freelancer in Nigeria.
The takeaways of this piece are:
- Freelancing is more than a side gig. Treat it like a personal business, and you’ll win.
- Memorise the 5 tips to becoming a successful freelancer in Nigeria. The success of your freelancing career depends on it.
- Actively showcase your work in communities. It makes job referrals easy.
- International payment is tricky, and it may cost you jobs. But some options are better than others. Do your homework.
Forget what you’ve heard; this is what freelancing means
The easiest definition of freelancing is working with multiple employers without outright commitment to any of them. Investopedia explains it along the same line, defining a freelancer as “not an employee of a firm so they’re at liberty to complete different jobs concurrently for various forms unless they’re contractually committed to working exclusively until a particular project is completed.”
The two definitions cover what freelancers do and their working model—flexibility, access to multiple clients, and work-life autonomy.
The business side, the real tea that determines your success or failure, is usually absent from textbook definitions. From experience, the best freelancers I know see it as a business, not just a “side gig.” They approach clients, finance, and pitching as an entrepreneur would, not as a random bloke would. That mind shift makes a world of difference.
For instance, Brooklin Nash—an ex-freelancer who runs an agency that employs freelancers and generates $1 million in annual revenue—feels specificity significantly separates the wheat (business-minded freelancers) from the shaft (side-gig–freelancers). A classic example is the tweet below:
The Nigerian labour law has no special provision for freelancers, although it views them as self-employed. “The Nigerian labour law is silent about freelancers and independent contractors. The labour law only recognises the traditional 9-5 jobs as the legal work format. However, as a freelancer, see yourself as a small business,” Temiloluwa Oyekanmi (a startup lawyer and business expert) told Crane in a private chat.
At this point, I must add a caveat: not registering your business doesn’t mean you can’t work as a freelancer in Nigeria. However, if you do, you’ll enjoy the benefits listed below:
1. It’ll increase your credibility metre with clients
The freelancing economy is a game of stand-outs. Registering your freelance business is a no-brainer credibility booster for attracting new (especially international) clients. It signals to a potential partner that your venture is legal and “you mean business.” Temiloluwa added, “You can register as a sole proprietor (or partnership if you have a work partner). It’ll give your business the legal credibility to engage more clients.”
2. Adequate finance management
As an independent contractor, finance management, including tax remittance and pension savings, is your sole responsibility. In this sense, business registration gives you the legal structure and autonomy to monitor your income and expenses.
For instance, freelancers with annual income above the minimum wage (₦30,000) must pay personal income tax (PIT), which ranges from 7% to 24%, as shown in the image below:
PIT is remitted on or before March 31st of every year. Likewise, freelancers earning ₦25 million and above annually should add value-added tax (VAT) charges and remit them to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on or before the 21st day of every month.
3. Access to loans and grants
Lending bodies prioritise registered businesses for loans because they can verify their income potential and history. As an independent contractor with potentially staggered income, easy loan access can help you offset business needs during emergencies.
How to become a freelancer in Nigeria
Freelancing, like every successful business, has no universal success cookbook. Some approaches, however, will elevate your freelancing career more than others. Mesioye, Adeife, and Rosemary, who have over a decade of experience combined in the gig economy, shared their best tips (listed below) to succeed as a freelancer in Nigeria.
1. Determine your core offerings (aka know your skill sets)
The gig economy is a “best skills take it all” arena.
The gig economy is a “best skills take it all” arena. Your success is directly mapped to your skill level.
“The first thing every freelancer should learn is the skill they want to offer as a service. As a freelance content writer, I began earning well when I understood the craft. Understanding the craft boosted my confidence to apply for high-paying jobs,” Adeife explained.
For newbie freelancers, it’s almost natural to be unsure about the skills to focus on. A simple rule of thumb is to double down on your strengths to build competence.
An education degree or certificate may help in the gig economy, but your work ethic is the ultimate decider. Payment platform Payoneer 2020 Freelancer Income Report corroborates the sentiment: High school graduate freelancers earn more than those with a bachelor’s degree and only slightly less than those with postgraduate degrees.
Payoneers’ 2020 report also suggested that clients prioritise competence, which takes consistency and hard work to build. “It’s almost impossible to succeed in freelancing without consistency. Even if you don’t have a job or a contract, improve your competence every day and pay attention to details when you do jobs,” Rosemary told Crane.
After choosing a skill or niche, focusing on a high-value skill is the next best move. Merely having a skill may bring a decent, unstable income, but an in-demand, high-value skill guarantees a consistent and liveable earning potential.
For neophyte freelancers, this list of high-paying freelance jobs in Nigeria in 2024 will help you kickstart research about lucrative skills to learn. Besides, Payoneer revealed that programming, marketing, project management, and web design experienced the highest demand in the gig economy in 2023.
2. Build a portfolio
If you grew up in the 90s like me, “portfolio” means a “travelling box.” So, you’re not alone if you think portfolios don’t apply to your freelance business, although the sentiment is wrong.
To describe it using the 90s language, a portfolio is a suitcase of your work. It provides practical proof that you can do what you said you know. See it as a CV in practice, showing executed projects or mock samples and client reviews.
Portfolios can be as simple as a link or a customised website built on Vzy.co and Canva. Your portfolio style and choice depend on experience levels, financial resources, industry requirements, and personal taste.
For instance, I use the free version of clippings.me as a portfolio to showcase my best 10 articles (the premium version gives you unlimited options and more customisation). Other platforms for hosting your projects are listed in the table below:
| Platform | The freelancers it’s best for |
| Medium Blogger Hackernoon | writers and marketers |
| Hackmamba | technical writers |
| Dribbble Behance UXfolio | UX designers and UX Writers |
| Github | developers |
Portfolios stand between you and the job you want, as clients prefer independent contractors with verifiable footprints. This explains why almost half of freelancers found work through portfolios in 2017.
Despite the obvious benefits of portfolios, rookie freelancers might struggle to create one because of a lack of client-work experience/projects. But Mesioye (an experienced technical writer) believes freelancers’ portfolios shouldn’t be a one-way route. “Your portfolio can feature new skills or the ones you’re learning. You may save them to Google Drive for a start. They all pass as samples to clients,” he said.
Rosemary suggested volunteer services as a practical way novice freelancers can fill the client-work sample void in portfolios. She said, “If you have friends with businesses, you could offer pro bono services to fill the gap. It shows clients you’re dedicated.”
Building a portfolio, like freelancing, never stops; you’ll always have things to modify. But the unanimous approach to creating a worthwhile portfolio is to do the required work by “getting your hands dirty,” as Mesioye put it.
3. Be visible
Yes, you understand the skill and can do the work. But do prospective clients or fellow professionals know about you? This is where visibility comes in. It helps you build social proof and authority in your preferred industry.
The obvious answer to visibility is creating helpful content on relevant platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, and X (formerly Twitter). For instance, as a writer, you should create blog posts about the industry you’d like to work in. The content type you can create includes an exposé on a topic, guest blogging, or sharing commentary about a relevant trendy topic.
Another gimmick is working on mock projects as “challenges,” especially if you’re in a tech-related field like UX design. My favourite reference is Rue, the product designer who shares unique software app redesigns and features in a 365-day challenge on X.
4. Set realistic goals and rates
It’s not enough to have goals. Your goals must be SMART!
Adeife Adeoye (Social media strategist)
This saying, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail,” aptly describes freelancers working without setting business goals. Goals help you quantify progress and make necessary adjustments when necessary. The factors you should consider before setting your freelance goals are craft level, personal growth, financial objectives, and work-life balance.
Your goals must also be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely (SMART).
“It’s not enough to have goals. Your goals must be SMART. For example, if you say you want five clients to make $5,000, when do you want it? [time], and which tactics will help you get the clients you want? When goals are specific and time-bound, it helps you create actionable tasks to achieve them. ” Adeife explained.
Setting a rate—the amount you bill clients—is another tricky subject, especially if you’re new in the gig economy.
One way to set realistic rates is to check industry trends, especially if you want to work with international clients. “The Nigerian name is synonymous with a lot of unpleasantness. Know what other freelancers offer in the industry and find a rate that matches your talents without shortchanging,” Rosemary advised.
Adeife ties freelancers’ rate cards to talent depth. The more skilled you are, the higher (most probable) you can charge your worth. “There is a confidence that comes with knowing what you’re doing. It makes you set your price and clients will pay because they know you’ll deliver,” Adeife said.
In freelancing, you get what you negotiate, irrespective of your skill level. This is why freelancers must learn the art of negotiation. A personalised value is one way to sway clients. Rosemary also weighed her view on effective negotiation tactics. She said, “Make the customers feel you’re offering a value peculiar to them and their needs. For example, offer a small discount on bulk orders.”
“Make the customers feel you’re offering a value peculiar to them and their needs. For example, offer a small discount on bulk orders.”
Rosemary Imobhio (SEO and Content Writer)
An unconventional negotiation approach that works is not giving the budget first—a style that Adeife used to triple her income with clients. She also believes freelancers must see rate conversations as a sales and psychology test to get the best from the market.
She said, “Everyone has a rate card, but I don’t have one. That’s because I never give a client the budget first, even when they ask for a rate card. I learned this style from sales. I ask them about their plans and budget and work around it if I like it. Not having a rate card has helped me get double (or sometimes triple) the budget I’d have requested. Also, it helps me not to short-change myself because many clients always have a big budget for projects but ‘hide’ it from freelancers,”
Your budget and client will not always match. In such scenarios, you must learn to compromise without hurting your business.
How much should freelancers charge for their services? That’s also subjective, depending on your industry and experience. To give a cue about ubiquitous rate practice, Payoneer revealed that “most freelancers charge by the project or use a mix of project-based quotes and hourly rates.” in 2023.
The prevalent rate-setting approach is listed in the table below:
| Rate style | Best for |
| per hour | any freelancer |
| project/milestones | any freelancer |
| per word | content writers and copywriters |
If you want industry-specific hourly pricing benchmarks, Payoneers’ average hourly rate is an eye-opener:
5. Take shooting shots seriously
“The difference between a crappy email [pitch] and spam is 12 letters.”
Brooklin Nash
Clients won’t always come to you in the gig industry, especially if you’re a new freelancer. Shooting your shot (pitching or cold emailing) is your golden ticket to converting prospects into clients. In 2017, pitching was the third-highest method freelancers found work.
Pitching is a quality and numbers game and, like freelancing, success is not a shoo-in. Some helpful tips, however, will improve your pitching conversion rate.
I. Research prospective clients’ needs
It may seem obvious to understand clients’ needs before pitching. But many freelancers overlook this step and send generic, unwitting cold emails that don’t address clients’ needs.
A classic example of how you shouldn’t pitch is the cold email sent to Brooklin below:
As you’ve noticed, the email feels like fishing in a big river and hoping you catch a big fish—it lacks tact and doesn’t address the possible needs of the recipient.
Don’t reach out to clients like that.
Instead, pitch like a skilled fisherman who knows where to cast their nets to catch the desired big fish. To pitch skillfully, pay attention to clients’ pain points and how your services can solve problems. Websites, social media platforms, or using their products are ways to discover pain points. Use the client’s needs to create a personalised and helpful pitch.
II. Create a personalised pitch
A personalised pitch solves need (s). It tells the clients, “I see you’re struggling with this; I can fix your problems. Here’s why you should hire me.”
A good rule is to be direct and concise with emails. Brooklin, for instance, says this short email template has a 35% open rate and helped him win $40k in 2020:
As you can see, the pitch is timely (they were hiring), states relevant experience, and is tailored to the company’s needs. Do the same when you pitch.
III. Contact the right person
Your pitch won’t convert if you send it to the wrong contact because they’re removed from the hiring process. For instance, a freelance writer will have a higher chance of success pitching to a content marketing lead, director of content marketing, or blog manager/editor than a sales executive.
People who understand the role or potentially be involved in the hiring decisions are the ideal contacts to pitch to.
How do freelancers find clients in Nigeria?
“How do I find clients?” is one question on almost every freelancer’s lips. There’s no hard and fast rule to acquiring clients, especially if you’re new to the gig economy. However, joining a community (e.g., Superpath and Peak Freelance) and marketplace (e.g., Fiverr and Upwork) is a good starting point.
Communities offer career tips, mentorship, client pitching opportunities, and a “show your work” platform. They also provide referrals—the second-highest method freelancers found work in 2023.
Here’s a list of freelancer-focused communities open to Nigerian independent contractors:
| Communities | Industry |
| Peak Freelance Superpath Freelance Coalition for Developing Countries (FCDC) | content marketers and writers |
| Hackmamba | Technical writers |
| Behance | UI/UX designers |
Marketplaces provide direct connections with clients. Here’s a list of marketplaces where freelancers in Nigeria can find clients.
How do freelancers receive payment from international clients in Nigeria?
Freelancers in Nigeria use the following options to receive payment from international clients.
1. Direct bank transfer to domiciliary accounts or naira accounts
Domiciliary accounts let users send, receive, and transfer money in foreign currency (US dollar, euro, or British pound) using local banks in Nigeria.
The pros and cons of using domiciliary accounts for receiving payments are listed in the table below:
| Pros | Cons |
| It’s easy to send, receive, and transfer funds in foreign currency | The account opening requirements and documents are tedious and protracted |
| You have access to a foreign currency debit card for international transactions | You’ll be subject to various charges, including account maintenance fees, cash deposits and withdrawal fees, and international transfer processing fees. |
| Your funds are secure with banks | Restrictions on the amounts you can send or receive in a single transaction or period |
| Transactions may take days or weeks to complete |
2. Third-party apps and digital wallets
Intermediary apps (e.g., Wise and World Remit) provide cash pick-up services and direct transfers to domiciliary accounts in Nigeria. Similarly, Grey Finance and Payoneer provide virtual foreign accounts for receiving payments from cross-border clients.
The pros and cons of using third-party apps and digital wallets are listed in the table below:
| Pros | Cons |
| Some like Payoneer have seamless integration with popular freelance marketplaces like Upwork | Limited customer support |
| Ease of account set-up | High processing and withdrawal fees |
| Multiple payout options such as cash pick-up, direct bank transfer to local or virtual foreign accounts | Protracted transaction completed time |
| Restricted functionality in some countries |
3. Cryptocurrency platforms (e.g., Crane)
It’s built on the blockchain, the secure, decentralised ledger-like system that records digital transactions. A typical example is Crane, an off-ramp solution for receiving payment in crypto from international clients without restrictions.
The pros and cons of using cryptocurrency and, by extension, Crane for receiving payment include:
| Pros | Cons |
| Account opening ease | Volatile crypto price |
| Near instant transaction completion time | Dynamic regulatory landscape |
| Affordable transaction fees | Some clients may hold reservations about using cryptocurrency for payment |
| No hidden charges |
To wrap things up
The journey to becoming a successful freelancer is rarely (if ever) straightforward, contrary to what you’ve heard. In my experience (and other successful freelancers I spoke with), the journey has many twists and turns. This piece will help you make informed decisions about your freelancing business.
To recap, these are the main takeaways you shouldn’t forget:
- Freelancing is more than a side gig. Treat it like a personal business, and you’ll win.
- Memorise the 5 tips to becoming a successful freelancer in Nigeria again. The success of your freelancing career depends on it.
- You need a community to thrive. Collaboration is the oxygen of freelancing.
- International payment is tricky, and it may cost you jobs. But some options are better than others. Do your homework.
