Everyone has a special talent. Whether it's an eye for design, a way with words, or another useful skill, why not harness your passion to make a living? Identify which skills are useful commodities and carve out a freelancing niche.

Regardless of the scope of your freelancing ambitions, you'll need a business plan. This helps shape the business and brand identity, determine financial needs, identify your goals and create price points so clients know what to expect at a given rate. Check out sba.gov and Business Blueprints at brassmagazine.com for help.

A portfolio that speaks for itself is one of the strongest hands to play. It's fine to say you're an "idea person," but if there's no proof of past accomplishments, you may as well brag to a brick wall. Eventually you'll need a solid portfolio of published work, but a collection of your best work (volunteer or school) will be enough to get you started.

Tell friends, family and acquaintances that you're freelancing. Also, utilize social networking (such as facebook.com and linkedin.com) to exponentially increase your word of mouth. Create a signature that goes out on every email -- even the ones to grandma. You never know who she'll brag to.

In addition to personal contacts, craigslist.org and odesk.com are free resources for finding jobs and advertising. There are also pay sites like guru.com and elance.com that allow freelancers to bid on work.

When you communicate with a potential client, have the pitch ready. It's not just saying "I can do this," but how to do it, and why it will work for them. Sell your experience, services, and the idea of how the final project should look and work. Accomplish this and you're much more likely to get the job.

If your reputation is in its infancy, it doesn't hurt to charge less and offer more services, even if it results in lower initial profits. It's a great way to attract clients who might otherwise be wary of hiring a newcomer. If you contribute photography, web design, or anything else that appears on a client's site, ask if they would add a link to your site so others know who's behind the finished project. Also, don't overlook unpaid work: beginning a relationship with a client may lead to fully-paid gigs and sparkling recommendations.

There are numerous ways to freelance, from blogging to house painting, but here are three digital skills to serve as examples.

Web design
The first portfolio entry is your website, so make sure it rocks. It should showcase your best work. Start simple, but continue to challenge yourself in design and construction. Stay on top of the newest languages and systems and enter design contests to get your name out there.

Photography
The only way to really cut your teeth -- and thereby get good enough to stand out from the crowd -- is to get out there and shoot. Offer to help shoot extra photos for a family wedding, take portraits of friends, or better yet, shadow or assist a working photographer. Your skills will grow over time, leading to full-paying gigs. Once you've moved on to the "friends of friends" level, register the business, draft solid contracts and set clear prices to separate yourself from weekend warriors.

Video editing
It seems that anyone with a computer and pirated video editing software can call themselves a video editor. So how do you stand out from the masses? Do research. Watch tons of videos to glean ideas and styles, then train yourself to perform similar tricks. Also, boost your learning curve by studying tutorials and attending workshops. Aetuts.com and creativecow.net are both great sites for visual inspiration.

• Always be professional. This seems like a no-brainer, but when some clients are friends or family, the line between buddy and client gets blurry. Always dress nice and clearly outline requirements for the job, how long it will take, and how much it will cost.
• Never badmouth the competition. It can backfire.
• Create contracts. Get all the details in writing and signed before you start working. Turning in a project without paperwork could be disastrous, and there's a risk of having to deal with small claims court to collect on bills.

Sources: entrepreneur.com; sba.gov; udel.edu; freelanceswitch.com; wherecreativitygoestoschool.com