Freelancing? Is it your cup of tea? Find out!
On : August 6th, 2014By :
When I mention freelancing people imagine a “comfy job at home”. Where you get up late, have a leisurely coffee and then after lengthy chores settle down at your workplace which is, home itself! Well, that would be the façade; the rosy picture which makes freelancing look like a cupcake just pretty enough to be devoured! To tell you the truth, freelancing isn’t that easy. Yes, there is quite some fiesta- siesta to freelancing; but you ought to brace yourselves for the cramps that freelancing brings along. It’s like a whole new type of lifestyle that you will either adjust to or it would bite at you forever.
Let’s find out if you can (and should) consider freelancing.
1. Are you multi-talented
Freelancing is not all about sitting in the comfort of your home and doing one assigned task with freedom. Nope, freelancing is all about juggling the different aspects of business efficiently. You not only wear the hat of the worker but the hat of the marketing expert, an accountant and the list goes on. Yes, freelancing gives you an opportunity to learn it all in a short span of time but are you ready to put in so much effort (while looking for comfort) in this roller-coaster ride?
2. The rough weather patch
Freelancing gives you several benefits of working at your comfort but the downside of this work is instability of income. Some days may be rosy with work but some days may turn out to be famine with no work at all, and no work means no pay. No Pay definitely means No to some bills and some luxuries. So, if you have a habit of a regular income, before going for freelancing ‘Think About It’.
Freelancing gives you a good learning on the savings. You have to save for the taxes, bills, medicals etc. because if some day you call in sick, Oops! There is no sick day off. No perks of sick day benefit from the employer. Moreover, you have to go see a client some day, you don’t even get a travelling reimbursement, harsh but true. So yes, freelancing gives you an opportunity to be a good saving person but are you ready to forego the luxuries of the regular income and the perks you get in a company?
3. Time flies by
So after donning all the different hats, juggling several activities, saving money and also working on the project assigned, if you think you can manage home, relatives and friends, think again. Time management in case of freelancing not only involves completing and delivering the projects on time, but also includes, setting aside time for meeting new clients, setting aside time for daily routine chores and even setting aside a little time for any unwanted emergency situation.
If you have a TV time which can be shortened only if someone interrupts the TV and tells you so, then think about freelancing one more time. For freelancing, sometimes, even 24 hours is less. Sometimes, at the end of 24 hours, it seems – “gosh! Where did the time go?” So yes, freelancing does tend to make you a good time manager (good enough to start your own freelancing time management consultation from home!), but are you ready to let go of that TV serial/ family get together just so that you can complete your work on time?
4. Happy clients
Freelancing has its own set of clients and their own set of requirements. If your work is less than satisfactory, these clients will not come back to work with you. Think about it, freelancing is present on global level, if you don’t work as per the requirement, the client can find someone else, also leaving you with a bad name for other clients.
But give them reason to be happy by completing all the deliveries on time with exceed expectation, and you are sure to get more work (from the same clientele) and a good review will help you market your skill better thus giving you more competitive and better work. So yes, freelancing tends to give you a hard time working for the difficult client and looking out for more clients but are you ready to let go of the sure clientele that any company enjoys working for?
5. Happy with self
Does staying all by yourself with no office gossip/politics for you to hear, affect you? If the answer is no, then freelancing is your thing but if the answer is yes, give freelancing a thought once again. Although you do get your share of networking with people and clients in freelancing, but it is not similar to what you get in office. So yes, freelancing does keep your surrounding quiet and fills it with a calm energy, but are you ready to be with yourself the whole time throughout (or will your energy bubble burst out on your family in the evening?)
If your answers to every Are You Ready question is Yes, then yes you should go further for freelancing and enjoy the benefits which freelancing brings with it.
Having said that, in freelancing, while keeping a skill based project for the income, you can try your hand at something new and different or maybe you can work on one skill set and hone another too so that you can soon work on both the skill sets.
The options are endless with freelancing. You are your own ruler/king/queen and you can do whatever you want to do. You don’t need to do the same repetitive thing over and over again as decided by your boss. You can prioritize your work as per your schedule and timing. Freelancing gives you a chance to grow in any sphere you wish to grow and not merely where your company wishes you to grow in. Freelancing, if handled efficiently makes you the best example of an excellent time-life balance person. Happy Freelancing!
