Today’s post is from our regular Wednesday contributor, Cat
If you’ve been working hard on your freelance career, you’ve likely realized something: freelancing is not as easy as it looks.
Whether you are a wedding photographer on the side or a staff writer for blogs like so many of us are, there are a few realities of being a freelancer that you should know.
1) You Have to Do More Than Just Your Passion
If you are freelancing, you probably have a big passion for what you’re doing. I love writing. It’s my biggest passion, and it always has been ever since I was a kid. A family friend recently told me he thought I was such a weird kid because every time he saw me, I was always writing a story instead of playing with a doll or paying on a Game Boy. I’d never heard that story before, and it made me laugh. Turns out, being a weird kid = being a weird (but successful!) adult. :)
Of course, the tough part of all of this is that when you are a freelancer, you can’t do your passion 24/7. In fact, I would estimate that I only write about 40-50% of my work time. All the other time is spent talking to clients, creating topics, working on contracts, negotiating prices, and sending invoices. Not only that, but my biggest struggle lately is doing all of this on time and maintaining a good reputation in the midst of some major life changes.
2) You’re Going to Have Hard Days (& Awesome Days)
I think people have this notion that if they could just quit their jobs and pursue their passion, they’re going to be happy 100% of the time.
While I am happier than I ever have been now that I am working for myself on my own schedule, I still have hard days. There are days I’ve lost a client I really liked due to an unforeseen issue. There are days I’ve put in a ton of work, and I just can’t get someone to pay me what they owe me. There are days when I’ve gotten nasty comments for no apparent reason and times when I worked so hard, I felt like a failure in other aspects of my life.
Yet there are also those crazy good days, days when a post goes viral or you get to take part in a cool interview, or days when a reader e-mails you to tell you that you made a difference. When you are a freelancer, you have to ride out the tough days knowing that awesome ones could be just around the corner.
3) Life is Unpredictable
I think people who freelance know that their work will be unpredictable, but it’s always an interesting feeling when you are actually living in that unpredictable state! It’s a tough reality that some months will be better than others both income wise and emotionally. However, overall, I still say that working for yourself and becoming a successful freelancer is completely worth all the long hours and endless to-do lists.
Are you a freelancer? What are some of the realities you’ve experienced that you didn’t expect?
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Thanks for sharing these realities with us, Cat. It’s easy to have a “grass is greener” attitude, especially for those of us working full time. While becoming a freelance worker certainly has its advantages, it’s still a job. A lot of people seem to forget that.
As a part time freelancer, I spend less than 50% of my “freelancing” time actually writing. I spend probably 75% of my time reading other blogs, commenting, tweeting, and interacting. Promote, promote and build those connections! The plus side is, you meet interesting people and make new friends too!
“I think people have this notion that if they could just quit their jobs and pursue their passion, they’re going to be happy 100% of the time.” Ha ha, ain’t that the truth! I know I was guilty of that myself before I took the leap. But, in my opinion, it’s well worth it. While I have my share of those crappy days I’m much happier doing what I’m doing because I have more control and can work on what I want. Of course, that might mean working at midnight, but life happens. :)
I like number 3, Cat – life is certainly unpredictable. I think saving and having a good financial cushion helps alleviate some of the stress that comes with an unpredictable income.
The other day I was sending out all my invoices and sorting out which payments had come in and which I was still waiting on, it took almost TWO HOURS. All that before I had researched or written a word of what was due for that week. There’s definitely a lot more that goes into freelancing than people realize.
I’m certainly not a freelancer, but I think those truths apply to running your own business. At least half the time is spent on administrative things that have nothing to do with your actual job. I’ve also done the exact same thing for a number of different people. Some think I’m amazing and some hate me. If I could only know going in which I’m dealing with, I’d spend a lot more time on the amazing ones!
There’s definitely a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. For example, I spend a lot of time reading emails. I think I read the other day that another blogger was around 1,000 emails behind on his business email – CRAZY!
I hate to admit it, but I think the unpredictability is what’s holding me back from freelancing. I love to think I would have my own schedule, but you still have deadlines, crappy days, and annoying people to deal with. Maybe one day I’ll be there, but right now, I’m okay just doing some work on the side.
hmmm, good question since most things I kind of knew about even though dealing with them in reality wasn’t always easy, such as clients you have to go after to pay you. I hate doing that, because I feel like I’m being desperate, but damn people, be responsible and pay your people! It’s something every freelancer has had to deal with. And I think I’m always learning about tax stuff. Each year it gets better, but there are things I do need to keep better track of for tax purposes.
I would say that all of this applies to a solopreneur as well and I totally agree with #1. I love helping clients and I love writing about the lessons I learn from them, but a good portion of my time ends up being spent on BS administrative stuff that just has to get done and I am the only one to do them.
I’m not a freelancer but these same rules definitely apply to being a business owner. I love what to do but there are lots of administrative tasks that need to be completed as well. I am fortunate to have a team supporting me, but I still have my own tasks too. :) Honestly, when people just what to leave their 9-5, it’s really easy to overlook #1 and #2. They think if they can freelance or start their own business that it’s sunny days from here on out. And most days are really good, but you have problems to handle and work to complete.
Hey Cat, I agree with you all the way. To be a freelancer/blogger, you have to be determined to succeed. You obviously are! I live the freelance lifestyle too. Fortunately, things are going great now and I’ve been able to open a business or few…Nonetheless, when I first got started, it was hard to think “I don’t know where my next check is coming from”…it would haunt me at night, but soon enough I got used to the ups and downs and just started rolling with the punches.
these are great points. no matter what job you have, there is always good and bad!
NewlywedsBudget Thanks Erika!
Joshua Rodriguez I’m so happy for you that you’re rockin’ it too!
ShannonRyan Yes for sure these apply to business owners too!
blonde_finance Truth. I think based on yours and Shannon’s comments the title of this post should have been business owners!
Beachbudget Yeah the tax stuff is lame. As is hounding people to pay.
ImpersonalFinance It’s true. It’s a little crazy over on this side. ;)
SenseofCents Yikes. I bet you do get a lot of e-mail!
Eyesonthedollar Yes absolutely!! Esp in the medical field – the charting is ridiculous (but necessary obvi!)
brokeandbeau I know the invoices take a while for me too!
theFinancegirl I agree. The cushion is necessary!
FrugalRules So worth it!!!
DebtChronicles Like moi! ;)
CashvilleSky Yeah and at the same time, we sometimes wish for the 9-5 haha. ;)
I can understand your first point. I work a full-time as an accountant. I’m amazed by how little accounting I do every day and how much other stuff I do (though accounting is my passion). Some of it is really interesting, like getting to learn about different business units and solving problems. There are also times where I get stuck doing really crappy things like printing labels and filing. Just how things go I guess!
I know what you mean Cat! Days have been busy, but I feel like I am getting nothing done. Since moving, things have fallen by the wayside. My freelance writing is drying up because I haven’t marketed myself. I need to get back out there, but there are only so many hours in a day!