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So You Want to Be a Freelancer
(part 6)
Article by Elena Fawkner
From the Coal Face
Here's what real-life freelancers have to say about the
freelance life ...
=> Once you leave the workforce and start freelancing,
it can be very difficult to get back in and the older you are the harder it is. Once
you've been out of corporate life for any length of time, the more likely it is that
employers, rightly or wrongly, will see you as not "corporate" enough to fit
back into the traditional 9 to 5 routine.
=> Isolation and loneliness. No surprise there. It's the
same bugaboo that anyone working alone from home must face. For ways of overcoming the
isolation monster, see "Overcoming Isolation
In Your Home Business."
=> Procrastination. Again, a common problem for many who
work from home without a boss to crack the whip. For ways of overcoming procrastination,
see "Overcoming Procrastination In Your Home Business."
=> Hard times with no checks in sight.
=> Pay is usually better. A very good freelancer can
generally do much better than the average employee doing the same work but it takes time
to develop a reputation that people are prepared to pay a premium for.
=> You have to chase payment. Not everyone is going to
pay you merely because you tender your invoice so be prepared to have to spend precious
time chasing payment from slow payers. For more on getting paid see "Getting Paid
... Minimizing Bad Debts In Your Home Business."
=> If you don't like cold-calling, selling and marketing
yourself, freelancing is not for you. A good proportion of your time will be spent doing
exactly that.
When you think of all the things the freelancer must do to
generate business and income, it quickly becomes apparent that freelancing is really just
another term for working for oneself. It brings with it the same challenges and
opportunities as any home business and really doesn't introduce anything new to the mix.
Hopefully, though, this article may have got you thinking about YOUR skills and talents
and how they could form the basis of a home business of your own. For all you know, you
may not need to go out and find widgets to sell to start your own business. Start with
what's already in your own head and everything else will surely follow.
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