Jumping into freelance life: What to embrace and what to avoid
Words by Jenny Stallard
Going self-employed – especially the big moment you make the decision to go for it – is a scary, thrilling, exciting and amazing moment. You’re caught up in the wonder of knowing you’re the boss, along with the nerves and fear of, well, knowing you’re the boss!
One thing you can expect is a lot of noise, often across the airwaves of social media, on what self-employed life is like.
“I didn’t want an unsatisfying career. And I didn’t want to commit to one place – either one company or one location. I wanted to make my own decisions.”
DO take it easy
Rome and your freelance business were not built in a day. This is a life-long commitment, a marriage, not a date or a one-night stand. You don’t have to start a newsletter, podcast, blog, workshop and/or world domination in week one (or even year one, or decade one). You do (freelance) you. Launching your business is a huge step – let the other steps come one by one, or you’ll end up in a huge quagmire of overwhelm.
DON’T over compare
Once you’ve decided you don’t need to to ‘all the freelance things’ on day one, you need to make sure you don’t see other people appearing to do so and then go back to feeling you need to.
OK, so I’m saying the impossible here, right? Over-comparing is part of the human condition these days… Well, if you must, then use it to your advantage.
Following someone who has a book deal? Who’s their agent, can you follow them too and contact them?
Someone else launching a workshop? Ask yourself what’s stopping you. Make plans for your next step, and carve out some time to focus on what that will mean for you.
DO turn off the wifi
This is something I’ve only just started doing and it’s been a game changer. I am often distracted by emails and other internet faffing when I’m trying to write on a deadline. The best solution, which is something that came up as a challenge during a session with a coach I’m working with was to turn off the wifi. Game changing.
You’ll feel like you’re really missing out at first but when you log back on and see that the world hasn’t imploded/passed you by plus the amount of work you’ve got done, you’ll want to un-wifi more often…
DO consider coaching
Talking of working with a coach – and yes, I’m a coach so perhaps I’m slightly biased – I really believe in the value of a coach when you’re a small business owner or freelancer.
Take your time choosing a coach, make sure you have a ‘discovery call’ with them, and that they’ll be the right coach for you. Some coaches who are training will have special rates as they work towards qualifications, so they’re worth looking out for.
“I have certain rules that I’ve established for myself that took a while post-day job to figure out.
Everyone says people who freelance or are writers struggle with the structure of it.”
DO go on LinkedIn
Loads of people don’t and I think it’s a huge untapped source of contacts, information, a way to promote your work and showcase what you do and there’s lots of work on there too. Ask for recommendations from contacts and share articles you like, get to know it as it’s not as 90s as you might think.
DO choose social media that works for you
While we’re talking social media and ‘putting yourself out there’ platforms, a thought on choosing them.
You might think you need to go on all the platforms, all the time, but that will leave you exhausted and back in the over-comparing zone. Instead, think about what works for you, your business and where your clients will be.
No point hanging out on Instagram all the time if your clients are all on Facebook.
Don’t avoid the boring stuff
Expenses, budgeting, spreadsheets, planning, zzzzz - I know.
But you leave it all until the last minute and your stress, anxiety and panic are going to soar. Get advice and outsource the stuff you don’t want to do when you can.
I pay an accounting firm, because I hate accounting. I use a web designer because she knows loads more than me.
Don’t forget to take time off
This is something you’ll think you’ll do lots as a freelancer – you can choose the hours, right? But we tend to slip into a lifelong pattern of never really switching off.
I understand that, perhaps like your kids or your dog, your business will always be on your mind, even when you’re not with it, or in ‘work time’. That’s normal, for sure! But it’s important, like it is with offspring of any kind, to have a break, even just to realise how much you miss and love it, despite how it sometimes drives you crazy!
“The life of the professional writer - like that of any freelance, whether she be a plumber or a podiatrist - is predicated on willpower.
Without it there simply wouldn’t be any remuneration, period.”
Do accept that there’ll be times of feast and famine
One moment you’ll be so busy you’ll wonder if there’s enough coffee to get you through, the next the tumbleweeds will be all over the place… this is normal, it’s part of self-employed life.
The best thing you can do is to use the ‘quiet time’ wisely. No client work? How about you update your website, write a blog post or spruce up that LinkedIn profile?
Nobody getting back to your emails? Leave the inbox behind and take time to exercise, walk in the fresh air and eat a good, homemade lunch. Self-care in the quiet time means you’ll be better prepared for getting through the busy time.
DO a self-appraisal
One of the things you get in a ‘real job’ is appraisals – many people actually fear them because they tend to end up being a chat with the boss about what you could be doing better. The joy of a freelance self-appraisal is that you can just say nice things… well, mainly!
Diarise some time for the self-appraisal. Sit with a notepad and pen, no tech. Write down things you’ve achieved, big and small. Write down things you haven’t and consider why. Have a think about what you want to do next, and how you might achieve that. Finally, write down five key words that sum up your success at that point.
Jenny Stallard is a writer, coach and podcaster and founder of Freelance Feels, a wellbeing platform for self-employed people. www.freelancefeels.com
Instagram: @freelance_feels