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So
You Want to Be a Freelancer...
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.