by Rachel Smith
18 May 2016
I love your blog and have followed it a lot lately since being booted from my job (thanks Fairfax). I have to freelance because I have no other option right now, but I also have very little money to invest in my new ‘business’. Am I screwed from the get-go? If not, I would love a list of things you think are just completely unnecessary starting out so I can stop panicking about what I think I have to buy. A
I was in the same situation as you about 15 years ago – which I’ve written about before here. I was tossed into the freelance world by not one but two kick-up-the-bum redundancies, and I had about $2000 to my name.
I went straight out and spent that money on a laptop and a tiny desk from Vinnies which fit into the corner of my bedroom. It was all I needed to get started. A computer of some kind is a no-brainer, of course – anything from a cheap laptop like a Google Chromebook (an okay option if you can only afford $300-400 right now), or a workable loan machine from a friend or family member who has one gathering dust under the desk. You can upgrade once you start making money.
You also need SOME kind of online presence. Forget spending a motza on a beautifully designed WordPress site – just get something up fast that has clippings on it and can give potential editors and clients a head’s up about who you are and what you do well. Heck, a LinkedIn page or one of these options is better than nothing.
You also need an internet connection but a café with free WIFI or your smartphone’s hotspot will do at a pinch.
What DON’T you need? This list may differ for everyone, but I’d be ditching all of these if money was tight:
• An office space. A luxury when you’re freelance. You can work off the coffee table at home if you have to, and let’s face it – you probably will a LOT of the time if you’re anything like many of the freelancers I know. The beauty of freelancing is your ability to work anywhere.
• A landline. If you have an ear mic and a smartphone, you can do interviews that way. (I recently had a very useful conversation with other freelancers in the Freeline FB group about all the ways they conduct interviews without a landline, and so I’ll see if I can share some of those in a future post.)
• A printer. While I’d be lost without my printer (I always print a final copy of a story and edit it on paper before I hand it in), Leo is the opposite and does without one quite happily. And it IS an easy way to cut costs; those cartridges are bloody crippling. If you ever need to print, there’s always Officeworks.
• Large swathes of free time. Successful freelancers work around kids, family commitments, at 3am. If you need to supplement your income making coffees during the day and freelancing at night until you get your business off the ground, just do it.
• A bulging black book. Sure, it’s a great time-saver to have contacts up the wahzoo but not totally essential. You can find details for editors, clients, experts and case studies in a myriad of online ways these days.
• Expensive software. You can use Excel to track invoices instead of Quicken and sites like PicMonkey to do graphics (if you need to) instead of Photoshop. I also know a freelancer who just listed invoices on a small whiteboard on her wall and crossed them off when they were paid.
• A business card. Although I’m a huge fan of business cards (I think it’s an easy, professional way to make an impression on a new editor / client you’re meeting), I know many think cards are old school. At any rate, if you’re saving pennies it’s something you can do without when you’re just starting out.
What are some things you wouldn’t invest in for your business if you were starting out again?
Another good article Rachel. I’m with you when it comes to printing stuff out, I think editing on screen makes you think you’re a better writer than you are. Ink on paper just has a way of showing stuff up. I don’t agree re business cards. Better to have one on you if someone asks than not and a freelancer starting out doesn’t need a custom designed card. Vistaprint and others do deals like 250 cards for $9.99 that will do the job.
Wow, $10? They’ve totally come down since I last did them! I take it all back 🙂