photo via flickr user Jesus Solana
Freelancing isn’t for everyone. In theory picking and choosing projects, making your own schedule and setting your own rates sounds great. But the reality of freelance can be littered with lack of work and slow days that can lead to a strain on your income.
Personally, I enjoy the freedom of being a freelance publicist, but there are challenges that people often don’t realize. These challenges are things to keep in mind before deciding you want to ditch your 9 to 5 job in favor of freelancing.
Here a few things I’ve learned along the way to make the transition easier.
1) Test the waters
If you already have a full time job get your feet wet by adding a few freelance projects on the side. You want to make sure your services are actually needed and start establishing clients before taking the plunge. Yes, the extra work will be stressful for a few months, but doubling up in this manner will help ensure you have work and an already established income when you venture out on your own.
2) Always be looking for work
You can never get too comfortable when it comes to freelance. The fear of running out of work is what keeps me motivated. Even when my schedule is booked solid, I’m still reaching out to PR firms. Anytime I come across a PR firm online or on social media I send an email with information about my services. Most of the time, when I do this, they don’t have an immediate need for me. But then a few months pass and something comes up and they remember me. It can sometimes take a while for the work to build up and be consistent, so always be on the lookout for new projects.
3) Accept the ups and downs
The reality of freelancing is that some months will be good and others may be not so good. It can be scary when projects fall through or you have a slow period. When I first started working in PR, I would stay awake at night worrying if I didn’t have eight hours of work a day. Now, however, I try to embrace the slower times and focus on administrative things that need to get done. Sometimes I even take those days to rest. A few weeks ago I found myself with a random Friday that wasn’t very busy so I decided to use the unexpected free time to relax. It turned out to be perfect, because the following Monday I had a ton of work again.
4) Over-communicate with your clients
Freelancers, in general, have a bad reputation because they sometimes overpromise and disappear. I can’t tell you how many horror stories I have heard of a freelancer going MIA in the middle of a project. Don’t be that person.
The best way to avoid this, and get consistently rehired, is to always let the client know what’s going on with their project. If I’m going on vacation I remind my clients multiple times of when I’ll be gone, so there’s no question of it when I actually leave. If someone sends me a project I make sure to give them a deadline and check in with the status. Your clients want to hear from you, it gives them confidence in your work. It’s always better to check in too many times than too few. Most problems freelancers and clients encounter can be avoided if the clients know exactly what you’re doing and where you are on the project.
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