by Leo Wiles
21 October 2015
Is freelancing all it’s cracked up to be? Currently I am inhouse where the expectation is that I do more with less money and manpower each year. My day to day work life makes freelancing look like an attractive proposition but everyone [at work] tells me I’m crazy. Am I mad to be thinking about jumping ship? Sell it to me! P
While freelancing isn’t for everyone it certainly can deliver a lifestyle work life balance that I never found in an office. It’s also one of those rare business opportunities that has little start up costs as all you require is passion, a phone line, internet and a laptop to get started.
To my mind here are the real benefits of going it alone:
· There’s no commute, office politics or dreaded meetings that go on forever and achieve nothing.
· Tax benefits of working from home mean that you can claim a percentage of your mortgage, utilities, phone, internet, laptop, as well as those coffees spent with interviewees and or potential clients.
· You call the shots and get out what you put in. So if I want to work my socks off, pitch all day, write all night and target my approach chances are I will achieve my goals.
· Instead of being handed mind-numbing topics others have come up with, freelancing offers me the freedom to choose work I enjoy.
· A freelance lifestyle offers the flexibility to work the hours you choose, enabling you to raise small children, balance health issues, look after elderly parents, be semi retired or write THAT book.
· Autonomy is addictive – as long as you have the prerequisite self-discipline that being freelance demands.
· Personally I am far more productive working from home than in an office dealing with constant interruptions.
· Instead of the monotony of writing about one genre, the world is alive with possible topics my creativity can embrace. The only limitation is my imagination.
· Opportunities to flex your creativity are everywhere – with a little training you can choose to be a copywriter, editorial writer, blogger, columnist, photographer, videographer…
What do you love most about freelancing? Care to share?
