What's it like working freelance?

What's it like working freelance?

I am going to assume for a moment that you were, or are, working for someone else, and have just become, or are considering becoming, a freelancer.  Well, the main difference you will find is probably a sense of loneliness. What do I mean? Let's say that you have just left a salaried position. It does not matter why - laid off, your choice, whatever - you have to put all that behind you and moved into you new world.

However, probably without you realizing at the time, that job was probably (like it or not) a great deal of your world while you worked there:

• If you had a problem, there was almost always someone to talk to, to get advice, support, . . .
• You were not ultimately responsible - there was probably a boss that took that role
• The tasks were established by someone else in the organization, you carried them out, you probably didn't have to going looking for work
• The quality of your work was defined, and evaluated, by people in the organization
• The firm provided all the resources you needed to carry out your role and tasks
• The job set your key schedules: work time, meal-breaks, vacations, commute and travel schedule
• Your personal development was most likely established to meet the needs of the organization that you worked for - they defined what additional training you needed
• Probably, most of the people in your personal network were work colleagues
• The job was a critical provider of personal income
• Your health insurance cover, a provision for pensions, and other financial supports (perhaps a company vehicle, subsidized meals,  . . .  ) were all provided by the organization.

 As a freelancer, none of these apply:

• There may be no-one to talk to about specific problems
• You are ultimately responsible
• You have to get out there and find the work, define it, agree the deliverables, time-frame, checkpoints, fees, and expenses
• You have to define the quality of your output, and you may not know until it is too late whether or not it was good enough
• The resources you need - equipment, tools, purchases, expenses , . . .  - all come out of your pocket
• You define the schedule; when, where, what, who, and how . . .
• You need to find time, and organize, for your own personal development to ensure that your skills do not become obsolete, or you need to develop new skills for your new situation in life
• The old work network tends to disappear over time; your interests/schedules no longer align with those in your old network
• If you don't bill, follow-up, and collect, you will not get paid
• Insurances, pensions, all the rest are now your responsibility

So what are you going to do about these?:

•  Get a mentor: someone you can discuss with on a confidential basis. Probably not a close family member - there may too many other personal issues involved with family members. It may be a professional coach, or someone in the same line of work but not a competitor. Perhaps, someone that you meet through this blog/site but working in another city/country. (One input on this subject for the Entrepreneur magazine about finding a mentor): 
• Build a new network including freelancers like yourself, or people that are in a related niche.  Good ways to develop a network include: joining or creating groups on Linked in (www.linkedin.com) or Xing (www.xing.com). Search the groups listings, join a group, and participate in the discussions. You can then ask to link with interesting people in the group.  Another way is to link up with people through this blog/site, or to find local business groups.  Your access to a broad and deep network is a critically important aspect of becoming a successful freelancer but, also, we know that happy people usually have a braod and deep trust network. On a practical note, it is likely to be your network that brings work to you. All the clients for my first consulting business came from one person in my network. Each client was somehow linked to the others and the word spread that I did a good job, so I never did noed to look for work, but this is very unusual. Develop your network, but also do the marketing (see below).
• Build routines and processes. Start your day as you would as if going to a job: rise at the same time, go through the same morning routines, aim to start work at a regular time each day and take meal breaks and finish work at defined times. Even if you don't have a current contract to be working on, your work that day will be to find new work, develop your network, sort out the paperwork, whatever, it is all work and needs discipline to get it done. Every day - I use the first 20 to 30 minutes of each day - work on your network. It might be merely sending greetings to those of your Facebook (www.facebook.com) friends who have birthdays (a good way anyway to make sure you connect with everyone at least once a year), dropping an email to someone you really should catch up with, sending or accepting a few link requests. A few minutes every day works wonder over the months.
• Do the billing on time. Make sure that your client contract is clear about the fee amounts, billing schedule and payment schedule, and send the invoice on the earliest day possible according to the schedule. Follow up a few days after the due date if payment is not forthcoming. Don't be afraid to ask for money. It shows professionalism. You have respected your client's demands and schedule, make sure that the client respects yours. I know of some freelancers who have worked for months for a client, being afraid to lose the contract if they press for money. In a few cases they are still waiting and are poorer for it. If the client does not pay, take action, you cannot afford to work with non-paying clients.  I know, this may be hard and new for you, but you should have a lawyer in your network to advise if necessary.
• Develop your business = advertising, marketing, sales, negotiation, contracts. Much of this may be new to you, but without all of them you will probably not succeed as a freelancer.  Try to be rather specific about your target market (taking this though with a mentor will help) and then find a number of ways to 'sell' yourself to them. Go to networking events, send direct mails (personal and specific) otherwise you are likely to be rejected as a 'spammer'. LInk with people though the social networking sites. Tell everyone you know that you are available to work in a specific niche, and ask them to pass it on to their contacts. In this blog/site there are suggestions and links concerning marketing. Post a request ot suggestion too. You never know. But, do not sit at home an expect the phone to ring or the email to arrive offering a fabulous contract. You have to get out then an search.
• Keep up-to-date with all the administration: insurances, accounts, billing, etc. Set aside specific times each week, and each month to deal with them. Don't allow yourself to fall into the trap of being 'too busy' to do this stuff. If you don't like doing it, or your are genuinley are too busy, then get someone else to do it on a regular weekly and monthly basis, but make sure you understand everything that is being done for you. It is still your responsibility - delagating it to someone else does not remove that obligation.
• Think about how you will develop your business, and make sure that you update your skills to ensure that you can. Some freelance niches require certification in some countries. Make sure you are inside the law. Not only can you get into serious difficulties with the authorities if you do not meet all the requirements, but you may find yourself at the wrong end of an expensive legal tussle with your clients. More generally, though, you are now responsible for your training and development. Try to set aside some time for serious study/skill upgrade for example, in between contracts. Your credibility (and contracts) may well be increased by mention of certifications/studies in your publicity material (including social networking sites).