by Rachel Smith
22 July 2015
I love the idea of freelancing but the last couple times I’ve tried it (once because I was made redundant, and the second time because I had a child and needed a more flexible job), it’s tanked badly. I have contacts and do get work, but invariably I get sick of the inconsistencies (payments and work drying up) and end up looking for full-time work again. Third time lucky though – what are your tips? M
I’ll never forget the day that one of my best mates, then a freelancer, rang me and said, “I don’t think I can do this freelance gig. I just can’t make it work like you can.” She is a superb writer – one of the best I know, and despite two very busy rugrats wouldn’t miss a deadline if her life depended on it. She just didn’t like working on her own and for herself. She’s been in an office – different offices – ever since and is much happier.
I share this to make the point that there are people just not geared to work as freelancers. They prefer having to be somewhere every day and enjoy the stability of a regular paycheck hitting their account on the same date each week or month. There are others, like me, who worry that the ‘security’ of full-time work can be snatched away in a heartbeat and feel safer freelancing. After all, in a full-time role you’re often prevented contractually from freelancing so your job is your main gig and if you lose that, you’re screwed – until you get another one, of course. As a freelancer, I feel (mostly) that I have more control over my earnings. If I lose one gig or an editor moves on, I hopefully have a few more to keep me afloat.
Some tips on making it ‘stick’ this time? Create a freelance posse if you don’t already have one and keep them close. My freelance mates are worth their weight in gold for all the times I’ve picked their brains, asked them for advice on a client / editor situation, or whisked a story over for a second set of eyes before I file it. I do the same for them and we have also shared work with each other numerous times. Support your mates on social media. Sing their praises. Recommend them if you can’t do something. It comes back to you, I promise.
Secondly, don’t pigeonhole yourself or believe you can only do ‘one’ thing. Are you great at WordPress because you’ve published a blog for five years? Add that skill to your portfolio. Are you a whiz at getting people talking on social media and building a following? Maybe you could get a gig doing social media for clients. Were you an editor in your former life and know proofreading symbols like you know English? Maybe you can parlay that into work. If you have some skills that could do with a refresher, find a course. Do it. Put it on your portfolio.
On that note, be open to anything that you could possibly turn your hand to. Although I mainly write features for magazines and websites, I’ve edited annual reports and book manuscripts. I’ve written blog posts for a vitamin company. I’ve written copy for the back of a muesli box and brochure copy for a kinesiologist who wanted someone to listen to her and whip her words into shape. I even recently sat on a video panel for eHarmony and talked about relationships. Similarly, I know freelancers who have feelers everywhere (uni gigs, tutoring, ebooks) on top of their ‘bread and butter’ work. Get over the embarrassment of tooting your own horn. Let friends and family know you’re available – and to send work your way.
Above all, aim for a regular gig that will keep the money rolling in while you pitch and bring in work around it. That’s what will help all the freaking out about money. If you can’t do that, or you find all of the above exhausting – you need to own it and realise that perhaps you’re better suited to a full-time in-house role!
What are your secrets to being successful as a freelancer long-term?
