Neetu: Journey Of The Girl Next Door

Carrying the personality of a rainbow, Neetu believes she has an old soul that is always evolving. In love with writing since childhood, Neetu is a passionate content writer, who is freelancing since 2010. Despite working with multiple genres in writing, she still gets excited every time she tries something new.

She says her freelancing journey gave wings to her desires however she also acknowledges that working from home can be stressful in the beginning. Her advice to the newbies is to realize their worth and create their own path in the industry. As a freelancer, she believes that referrals are really important along with clear communication, good marketing, and building long-term relationships with clients. She has also been helping/guiding others in the freelancing industry to build their dream. She enjoys the power that freelancing gives her to balance her work and personal life.

She is an honest, humble, and motivating person who believes that good still exists in the world. Her mantra is – This too shall pass, and she believes that nothing can break you until you want.

Read her inspiring story:

1. Introduce yourself to us?

I am a passionate learner with a keen love for coloring and reading. No one knows me including myself. My personality confuses many people. I like being alone but I am also known to be the life of party. I love talking but I can also be very quiet at times. Usually, I take energy from my surroundings and then camouflage effortlessly. While I am portraying many roles, yet created an individual identity after years of learning and sharing experiences. I am me, and I am infinite with many shades. So, if you ask me to choose a color that describes my personality in the best manner, I will pick the rainbow. I am always new, always evolving with the same old sou

2. Why did you choose the field of Writing? How did you get introduced to this field? What fascinates you the most about your career choice?

I have liked reading and writing since forever, as I recollect. I remember finishing my school books soon after buying them. Also, I never use to learn essays or stories and my teachers always inquired which book I referred to as they didn’t teach this. I always surprised them because I use to create content for every topic I got in school.

I started my career as a corporate employee. When the website trend picked up, some friends reached out to me for email templates and website content, which I enjoyed doing. Then, android and the internet world picked trends in India, writing received more demand in the market and I am passionately doing it to date.

3. Why did you choose to freelance? When did you begin to freelance? Were you planning it, or how did it happen?

Freelancing is something that chose me. I was lucky to get started on it in 2010 when the idea of WFH was alien to most organizations. Same year, a friend asked me to write his website content, and since then there has been no turning back. It was not easy to leave the corporate job with stable income but my husband always supported me to follow my passion.

Things were different 15 years back. However, I think I owe my current work profile to my flexible nature of doing everything that came my way. From translating to email templates, SMS templates, visiting card content – I wrote everything I was asked for. Back in my days, the internet was a luxury.

Today, I enjoy my profile more than before. There are so many platforms and tools that help me work and improve every day. Plus, the best thing is that my work gives me an opportunity to stay home, be close to my family, take a vacation whenever I want, and get paid for doing what I love to do – that is “reading and writing”.

4. How did you approach the first few clients? Give key suggestions to the new freelancers. 

Initially, clients reached out to me. I think there is nothing more impactful than referrals in freelancing. Someone spreading the word for your work is brilliant marketing and the cost is hard work. Build rapport with the client, keep clear communication, never overplease the client. 

Honesty pays back. Deliver as promised and give an update in case of any delay along with a valid reason. Never feel shy about looking or asking for work. I have been using LinkedIn for a long time now and found many good work options.

5. Talk about the importance of personal branding and having a niche as a freelancer? What are the advantages that come along with it?  

Well, who will blow your trumpet if you don’t do it yourself? However, you also must not oversell yourself. Share client feedback and testimonials, whenever you get the chance. Talk about your strengths, let the world know why they should hire you or pay you. For those who want to create a niche in one domain must stay connected with forums, people and platform that gives them an opportunity to learn more.

6. How do you price your services as a freelancer? Any essential points that a new freelancer should know of?

I think this is a foundational query for every freelancer. The fear of losing the project or the doubt of overcharging makes people compromise many times. With time, you learn to quote for your work. Know your worth, seek an opinion from those who are in the industry, and then create your own path. Avoid following someone as you are not them. 

I usually charge on the basis of “time required to finish the work” – this helps me keep my price nominal and the customer is happy with more value for less money. 

7. How do you ensure productivity? What are the critical points to keep in mind to ensure efficiency?

Freelancing is immensely demanding and that is the reason that most people quit in the first few months itself. It requires discipline, an ability to prioritize work and balance everything around it. Planning your work and day in advance works the best for me. Also keeping notes and pointers to remind you of what needs to be done and when is extremely helpful. No one can predict emergencies, but this works in most cases and lets you stay productive.

8. What according to you are the most essential skills that anyone interested in this area of work should develop?

I believe writing comes naturally, but I also believe that any skill can be developed if you give it time and dedication. For tools, I will refer, Grammarly and Small SEO tools which I use every day. For anything more, you can always Google as the market keeps getting better tools almost every day now.

9. As a freelancer, what were the biggest obstacles you overcame? What were your worst mistakes?

Taking projects under pressure (could be a reference or a friend or even money at times) hampered my focus on work. You cannot trust someone with your money, the way someone cannot trust you with their work. Taking a project only to keep your friend or a known person happy proved to be a mistake for me. Keep it professional, do it if you like the work and the money. Don’t give up under the pressure of expectations of other people. An honest ‘No’ works better for your mental health. Trusting someone for my money has been my only and worst mistake.

10. What is the one major pro and/or con of freelancing, according to you?

It took me a lot of time to learn all the skills from sales to management, pricing, and on-time delivery. The best part about Freelancing is that it gives you the power to balance your personal and professional life. However, the con is that it takes time for family to learn that even while you are home, it does not mean you are available.

11. What mission and vision do you have? How do you want history to look at you?

I have been following my dream to assist people and helping them earn and work from home. I am always available for them for their queries and even leads at times. I am living my vision to make the world a better place for everyone with all my might. I want people to remember me as someone who could reinstate their belief in a good world.

12. What would you do differently if you had to begin your career again? What would you focus on once you restart?

Absolutely nothing. I enjoyed my journey and I am content with where I am today. I do have goals for the future but never in my life I looked back and wanted to change even a single second of it.

Neetu can be reached out on Refrens, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

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