When you think about freelancing, are “freedom”, “more personal time”, “being your own boss” your top of mind thoughts? Well… You are right, but not entirely.
To make sure you realize both the advantages as the disadvantages, we summed up some misconceptions about freelancing.
You are your own boss
If with this you mean you can choose your projects or employers, then you are right. Being an independent professional gives you the advantage of being in control of your own career path. You get to choose the environment, sometimes the technology and definitely who you work with, this ensures you of new experiences and offers an enrichment of your knowledge in a fairly quick manner. Of course this also means you will have to network to keep the requests for your expertise coming.
However, taking on assignments also brings some obligations. If you are working on site for a customer, you might have to adjust to their policies, making you a pseudo-employee. As long as you are under contract you would have to do what your customer asks of you, given you want happy customers. (And trust me, you do!) This brings me to the next point:
You have to agree with everything your client wishes
If you are in need of assignments, I can understand you might be inclined to giving in to every demand a potential client makes. But keep in mind, when clients contact you for your expertise, they don’t want a robot. They want to hear your vision on whatever their need is. This will set you apart from your competitors.
Listen to your customers’ requirements and advise them how they can achieve their wishes with your help. (Also if you would have to advise against something.) Build a relationship with your client and show them you are the professional they are looking for.
I decide when I want to work
Well, yes and no. It depends on your business model and the agreements you made with your customer. One of the perks of freelancing is that you don’t have to work a classical 9 to 5. But on the other hand, you won’t be successful if you sleep in every day. Something very important to keep in mind, not working means no paycheck for that period of time. How can you afford to have holidays, you ask? Make a schedule and calculate extra to cover non-working days.
The work / private balance is better
It is when you make it so. Time management and discipline are of utmost importance to a successful freelancer. Not only to have the discipline to actually work, but also to not allow work to overwhelm you. If you love what you do, and you don’t set boundaries between your leisure time and your working hours, it might creep in on your family time and before you know it you will be working weekends and holidays.
Work will come to you
Freelancing is not easy money. You will have to prove yourself and build accreditation. You can’t expect work to just fall into your lap, especially not at first. Unless you have an extremely rare specialization, you can’t expect people to just reach out to you. Remember, now that you are independent, you are your own brand. Sell it! Be on social media, invest in a website and network!
The good news is: mouth-to-mouth advertising works like a charm. Always keep this in mind, after all: it is a small world.
