This week marks one year ago that I left my job and started freelancing full time. Before that, I'd been writing on the side for about several years and there were a couple of personal and professional reasons why it made sense for me to go full time.Still, it was scary. But here I am a year later in a better apartment with better assignments and still happy with my decision (most of the time).
If I could jump in a time machine and talk to my 24-year-old, newly self-employed self, here's what I'd tell her.
- There will be days when you will not make a dime. And that's OK. You set high income goals for yourself, and you usually meet them. Sometimes you will have dry spells or will you have to spend a day doing activities that don't generate revenue (like organizing all those contracts sitting in your inbox or researching new queries). That does not make you a failure, it makes you a freelancer. Chances are good that next week you'll land a plum assignment or a big copywriting project, so hang in there.
- There will be clients or editors who make outrageous demands. Like the guy who only wants to pay for words with at least three letters. Or the editor who demands a video clip on Friday afternoon and needs it Monday morning. Sometimes it's worthwhile to suck it up and get the job done. Sometimes it's not a relationship worth continuing. But it's up to you to make that decision. You're the one driving the bus. You call the shots.
- There will be projects that will stretch your ability. Don't freak out or run away from a challenge! You'll figure out how to write search engine optimized blog posts for the legal industry and how to film a video blog without a camcorder. And you'll be that much better for having done it.
- There will be plenty of successes, too. You'll teach writing, you'll get published in books, and you'll love the autonomy. A year from now you'll look at your portfolio and think, "wow, I can't believe I wrote that!" (in a good way). You'll make more money than you did in your last job, but more importantly, you'll be in charge of your time and projects.
Flickr photo courtesy of Shutter Daddy
14 comments:
Congratulations.
Susan—congrats! I recently became a freelancer again, too! I am so excited to get started, but also nervous about taking on more than I can chew. Or, alternately, not having enough work (probably the bigger problem).
I'm excited to keep reading how things are going on your end!
Amanda (of The Lost Girls)
@Damaria: Thanks!
@Schmanders: Amanda, great to hear from you! Congrats on returning to freelancing. You have a kick-@$$ portfolio, so I'm sure you'll get plenty of work with a little digging.
I agree. It is hard but it's worth it, calling your own shots. You know, you can also join other sites that offer freelancing projects, like www.VOIS.com/seller.
Congrats on your one year anniversary, Susan! It's a good milestone to celebrate, especially given the turns of the economy over the last year. One of my favorite things about freelancing is working with clients who trust you (or even come to you with) something you've never done before. That "stretching" has been very creatively fulfilling. If I'd known how easily that would happen, I would have kicked off my freelance life much sooner!
Congrats, Susan! I'm glad you're thriving as a freelancer.
What a fantastic milestone -- be sure to have a drink (or chocolate, or whatever) to celebrate! I'm at the 9-month mark of full-time freelancing after seven years of full-time in-house (translation) and part-time freelancing. I wouldn't go back, either -- I love it. However, it is a scary situation, especially with the economy.
I am completely thrilled at all the freedom I have, and the freedom to cut things (or people, or assignments) out of my professional life if they are not a good fit, and I was certainly never able to do that before. The ability to set my own schedule is -- well, it's trite -- priceless. There's a lot of life quality/satisfaction in being able to go for a run at noon, take a doctor's appointment at any time during the day, or read a book whenever you want. Not surprisingly, I work a lot more now than when I was in-house, but it's worth every crazy hour.
Congratulations Susan! I've really enjoyed reading about your professional experiences over the last year and admire you for going out on your own.
Has it really been a year? Susan, it's as though you've always been freelancing and successful at it! Congrats on the milestone, babe!
Thanks for the inspiring post. I'm not quite ready to go the freelance route but your experiences make it sound less scary than my overactive imagination makes it out to be.
Congrats on your year of living and writing successfully!
Thanks for the kind words, everyone! It's exciting to make this milestone, and part of me wishes I'd done it even earlier so I would have more time to enjoy the pre-recession economy. But it's going pretty well, all thins considered!
Congraulations Susan ! Wow, it doesnt seem like a year since I read that you were launching as a freelancer, that's great :)
Very inspirational as well as helpful, Susan. Thank you. I would be in absolute hog heaven if I were you. Congrats!
I agree with your musings. The aspect I like most is usually being able to set your own timetable. One of the things that I abide by is, do it now! If the deadline is 2 weeks away, don't leave it for 12 days. Do it now!
Thanks for all the tips. You've been a real help. Cheers.
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