Success as a freelancer comes down to two attributes: 1. Marketable skills 2. Finding and keeping customers It has little to nothing to do with formalities o

Success as a freelancer comes down to two attributes: 1. Marketable skills 2. Finding and keeping customers It has little to nothing to do with formalities of company formation or the appearance of having a business. I don’t know about the UK specifically but most freelancers I know operate as sole proprietors, which has almost no formalities or government paperwork required. Formalities are a distraction so do the minimum necessary to get to making money. Your customers may or may not know about your medical condition or other personal issues, and they may or may not care. Ultimately customers care about results, and not having to manage you day-to-day. You can’t make your personal issues or choices their problem or they will find someone else. Back to (1) and (2)… Marketable skills come mainly from experience, and may or may not equal technical skills. Lots of people can write Java code or set up a server on AWS. Those are not problems businesses have, even if presented in those terms. Businesses have problems like “web site too slow and crashes” or “we’re losing customers” or “shipping costs are too high.” If you can effectively address business problems (which may require technical skills) you will have customers. If you try to market a list of technical buzzwords you won’t. Sifting through Upwork and Fiverr all day long and sending out lowball proposals is not successful freelancing. Finding customers requires initiative and works best through word of mouth (reputation and track record) and contacts (referrals). Leverage those. Many freelancers start by contracting back to their f/t employer and then branching out. Keeping customers is a simple function of (a) good communication and (b) delivering what you promise. I’ve freelanced for over a decade, traveled around the world while doing that, and I have more work than ever, from solid long-term customers. I have some articles on my web site typicalprogrammer.com about freelancing, free, no ads, no sign up. Good luck.