3 Must-Have Skills Every Freelancer Needs To Make Money In 2025

By 2027, it is expected that more than 50% of the U.S. workforce will be freelancers, according to Statista analysts. This, of course, indicates that there will be more opportunities for freelancers to provide services, contracts, and projects for clients.

But with increased opportunity and rising numbers of freelancers comes heightened competition. For you to stand out and attract high-caliber clients and contracts to future-proof your income, you need to think beyond the skill set that is required to perform your freelance service.

Even if you’re the best writer, designer, or developer in the world, that’s not sufficient. To hit your income goals and stand out from the competition of 86.5 million freelancers, you need to not only be talented, but to have strategic business skills. This will separate you from those who are barely making it and staying afloat.

But what exactly is it that enables freelancers to be successful in every sense of the word, not just financially, but in having the ability to experience true freedom to work wherever and whenever they wish and not be a slave to time? What are the secrets of successful freelancers who have been in the game for years as full-time freelance professionals and haven’t looked back?

3 Skills Every Freelancer Needs To Make Money In 2025

I spoke to Lisa Taranchenko, a Fiverr freelancer who has been a full-time freelance illustrator for the past five years, to learn her secret:

1. Finding Your Own Style

“So number one is having a niche, having a specific style. It really helps,” she said. Taranchenko recommends freelancers define what their unique style is and follow it, and ensure it is represented well across your social media platforms. Figure out what makes you unique aesthetically as well as the quality of service that you offer. Your results should speak loudly for themselves and this should be demonstrated well on your portfolio.

If you’re a creative like Taranchenko, you may find that platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are best suited to your needs and enable you to showcase your work, style, and personality, and attract clients.

2. Communication Skills And Conflict Resolution

The LA. based freelance illustrator continued, “And then the one that I feel like people overlook a lot is client communication and conflict resolution. I feel like that took me a while to navigate because especially when you start out and your prices are lower, you get a lot of clients that are a bit more difficult and demanding even though they’re not paying that much,” she chuckled.

This is something that many freelancers face at the beginning of their careers, which requires you to learn negotiation tactics and be able to stand confidently in your pricing and what you’re worth. Once you’ve researched your pricing model and are settled with it, don’t shift from your pricing out of fear that clients won’t come. Only adjust your prices based on research, and continue to increase your fees periodically as you gain more experience.

3. Defining And Adhering To Boundaries

Finally, another skill that helps you make money as a freelancer, which ties in perfectly with conflict resolution, client communication, and negotiation, is the ability to set boundaries. For Taranchenko this was a lightbulb moment for her, as she relates, “That was really big for me, writing out my FAQs and just setting expectations ahead of time.” She learned this the hard way but was glad once she started establishing boundaries and policies.

“I see so many people asking for advice, like ‘I’m working with this client and I gave them 10 revisions already and they’re still not happy.’ Taranchenko opens her mouth and eyes wide in shock.

“I’m like, what? You need to get ahead of that before they even place the order and say, this is how many revisions I can do, this is what a revision entails, and so on.”

Sure, this might be one of the boring, administrative, back-office parts of being a freelancer and might not sound as fun or exciting as delivering the actual service or getting paid, but it has a significant impact on your earnings. Failing to establish ground rules and expectations from the beginning can eat into your freelance business revenue because clients can take advantage of you, resulting in overwork without fair pay.

Freelancing in 2025 and beyond requires a fresh approach. Anyone can work for themselves, but not everyone thinks for themselves. Signing up for a freelance platform and creating your profile is the easy part.

But now, it’s time to think strategically and use these skills–building a unique brand and USP, conflict resolution and communication skills, and thinking ahead to set boundaries–so you can be at the top of your game and make money sustainably as a freelancer.

Freelancing In 2025 FAQs

How can I start freelancing?

To start freelancing, you first need to identify what you’re good at. This could be a skill or a hobby, although it’s likely that if it’s a hobby or something you have a strong interest in, you would have developed an adequate level of skill in that area because you’re so passionate about it. It can even be in something that is directly tied to your current or previous work experience.

Additionally, there must be a valid demand for it in your chosen market.

Once you’ve established this, you can test the waters by creating mock samples of work to build a portfolio and offering your services pro bono or for a reduced rate. If you’re offering online services like consulting, coaching, or marketing, for example, you can do this with hardly any overheads. As you gain more clients, you can start taking on larger projects and begin to scale.

Can I start making money as a freelancer without experience?

Yes, it is possible to make money and start freelancing, even if you have little to no experience. You can start by undertaking projects for free, learning new skills online and adding to your certifications, networking with other freelancers and industry professionals, and learning the business acumen and strategic skills you will need to succeed as a freelancer beyond delivering the service.