Are you ready to move to a full-time freelance writing career?
March 8, 2010 by John Hewitt
Some people choose freelancing, and other people have it thrust upon them. I have freelanced off and on for years, but I only recently returned to it full-time. Like many people, the bad economy caught up to me and I found myself out of a job and unable to find a new one. My job search was made doubly difficult by my location. My last job had been a 130 mile round-trip commute, and I just wasn’t willing to put myself through that again. That limited my employment choices and made a return to freelance writing much more attractive.
Despite the situation, freelancing was still my choice. I could have devoted all of my time to finding another regular job. I could have taken a lesser job, or at least tried to find one. I could have just sat on the couch and watched TV, waiting for circumstances to change. That last one may not seem like much of an option, but I have seen plenty of people give it a try.
Here are some questions you should ask yourself before jumping into full-time freelancing:
Are you dissatisfied with what you are doing now?
Most people contemplate freelance writing because they are dissatisfied with their current situation. They don’t like their job or they don’t like how little time their job leaves for them to write. They think they are meant for better things and freelance writing comes to mind.
Dissatisfaction is a reason to try freelance writing, but it is not a good indicator of success. Dissatisfaction with a regular job is common and freelance writing is no picnic, especially for a poorly motivated worker. Often times, when a person thinks time is the reason they aren’t writing, it turns out that they weren’t really going to write no matter how much time they had. There is a difference between a pleasant sounding alternative and reality. Dissatisfaction is a start though.
Have you tried freelance writing part-time?
Jumping from a 40-hour-a-week job to full-time freelance writing is not one smooth step. If you aren’t actively freelancing while employed, you are going to have a hard time transitioning to full-time freelancing. There is a learning curve to any job, and starting freelancing from square one without an income is difficult. You will want some ongoing clients or at minimum some experience with freelance writing before you try to make the jump to full-time. Prove to yourself that the career is important enough for you to sacrifice some time in the present before you decide to make it a profession in the future.
Have you saved up money?
It is important to have money set aside when you start freelancing full-time. Starting with enough money in savings to pay all of your bills for six months is a good start. Having a year or two years worth of money is an even better start. A good way to start saving for a full-time freelance career is to put all of your part-time freelancing money into a savings account, living only off your regular income until you are ready to make the leap.
Have you done your research?
There are several things you need to know when you strike out to be a full-time freelancer. The first is what your income requirements are. What will it take to pay your bills? Figure out just how many clients you are going to have to land and what you will have to charge if you want to be self-sufficient. Remember as well that you will have to find a way to take care of things such as medical and dental expenses, as well as other bills that only crop up sporadically but are bound to show up eventually. Office equipment needs replacing and upgrading. Cars need fixing. Houses need repairs. Christmas comes along once a year. Be realistic about what you are going to spend.
Once you know what you need, you have to figure out how you are going to meet that number. This means that you decide what areas you want to focus on (writing type, client type, locale) and have a marketing plan in place for reaching the people you want as clients. In fact, you will want to do more than research those markets, you will want to already be approaching your potential clients before you quit your job. Don’t leave it all until the day you finally stop working your regular job.
Do you have self discipline?
The final piece in the puzzle is to think long and hard about whether or not you have the discipline for self employment. Life without a boss sounds great, but it means that you have to be the one to push yourself to achieve. You not only have to be able to complete the assignments that come your way, you have to work hard when you don’t have any assignments. You have to market yourself and land new jobs. You have to make yourself sit in the office and work when it is a beautiful day and no one would complain if you put everything off until tomorrow.
A full-time freelance writing career is not for everyone, but for the people who can handle it, freelancing can be a great way to make a living. If you feel confident about your answers to these questions, they you are probably ready to make the leap to full-time freelancing.
What suggestions do you have for people who can’t drum up business and close assignments? I have it all except I cannot market myself. I’ve tried for years to get a freelance business going beyond making a random phone call to say,
“Hello Mr. Businessman, this is Susan… you don’t want to buy any writing today do ya?” (Yes. I am almost that bad.) My focus is “anybody who wants to pay for writing.”
I love it! Thanks John. The discipline is #1, in my opinion. It’s something that comes with practice though–I will say that I wasn’t as disciplined when I began as I am now.
Hi Susan,
I hope I was able to provide some help with my email.
Hi Allena,
Discipline is certainly a challenge. Finding a balance between “working hard enough to make a living” and “enjoying life enough for it to be worth living” is difficult at times.
Excellent, John. I’m one of those… doubt I’m alone… that is an excellent worker and a horrid employee. And not just because I get migraine headaches which mean more time off than most employers are willing to stomach.
I have discipline unless you bore me. To have me 9-5 not doing anything for much of that time or doing busy work drives me nuts.
So I freelance.
BTW, you’ve got to keep saving even when you’re freelancing full time… it may be more important… and having a fat savings acct. makes negotiation much easier.
Hi Anne,
Excellent advice about saving money. hat is something you should do whenever possible. I also understand about the difficulties of being an employee. I only remember one job in my life that kept me interested and engaged 90% of the time. Getting bored is a real productivity killer.