Freelance Your Way to Success

There’s always a period of time between one job and another or before your own business is up and running

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or when you just have an itch to try something new, when the thought of freelancing might pop into your head?

Is it the way to go?  Are there benefits to freelancing which might balance the stability of a 9 to 5 job?

Pam Slim of ran a post on this subject…. we’ll get to that…. and she got some interesting comments from readers with their own perspective and experience on the subject.

The first comment suggests using freelancing as a trial run for entrepreneurship:

“Test the waters by freelancing first, I agree is the best approach. Freelancing is the best way to get a feel whether entrepreneurship is right for you before making the big commitment and giving up your job…..”

Posted by: Sharon Wilson | Thursday, 15 January 2009 at 07:50 PM

Or, another perspective on how much your opportunities can increase:

I signed up with an agency during a particularly frustrated time at my last cube job. Nearly a year later, the agency called me. They needed someone “technical”, and the typical marketing/advertising person in their pool did not fit the bill. My background was in software; the job was in energy/utilities. I guess they figured this was as close as they were going to get, and they wanted the business!

I have now been working for over two years (all from home!) with that client, during which time I’ve gotten a 10% raise and three other job and freelance offers based upon my new status as “energy expert.”

My advice is to throw out threads any time you see an opportunity. You never know what will yield work. I am also a firm believer that “working one’s way up” through poorly paying (exploitative) writing assignments is often unnecessary.

I am far from where I want to be in terms of creative, business, and financial accomplishment – still, people have paid me good rates to blog, write copy, and edit – much higher rates than I see advertised along with promises for “exposure.”

If anything, I think I’m held back by a desire to have 3 or 4 different careers at a time, and a lack of focus on the freelance writing – not on lack of opportunity.

Posted by: Barbara Saunders | Thursday, 15 January 2009 at 09:05 PM

Pam Slim in her blog, Escape from Cubicle Nation, writes further on ins and outs of freelancing:Ready to freelance? Learn from Michelle Goodman of “My So-Called Freelance Life”.

“In today’s podcast, I talk with Michelle Goodman, author of the new book My So-Called Freelance Life. (I also write a weekly career column for ABCNews.com and a blog called Nine to Thrive for The Seattle Times/NWjobs.com) It is chock-full of information for people who are considering freelancing on the side, or as a full-time pursuit.  The conversation is about 43 minutes and you can find it here.

Michelle and I talk about all kinds of nuts and bolts questions about freelancing including:

  • How in the world do you get your first client when you work full-time in a “real” job?
  • Should you ever work for free to get started?
  • How to you contract for work appropriately to avoid scope creep?
  • Should you bother to list your services on the “bidding” sites like Elance or Guru?
  • When can “competitors” be a great source of referrals for your business?

I think one of the best ways to test the waters of entrepreneurship, even if you are not ready to leave your job for a few years, is to do a freelance project.  Enjoy the conversation, and the book!

Want some other books to set you on the right path?  Try:

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