Freelance Success in 4 Not-So-Easy Steps
Back in the day, a “freelance” was literally a lancer or swordsman who was available for hire. According to Merriam-Webster, who ought to know:
When freelance first came into English in the early 1800s, it was used to refer to a medieval mercenary who would fight for whichever nation or person paid them the most. Our earliest written evidence for this use (so far, that is) is in Sir Walter Scott's novel, Ivanhoe.
Until recently, I was more of a loyal soldier in the corporate army. For as long as I can remember, writing was a big part of my work, even if my job title said something different. And no matter how my career progressed, I always came back to writing. It’s my happy place.
Now that I’m no longer a W2-filing, swashbuckling employee (thanks, COVID) my entire job consists of writing and editing — and deciding where and how to publish — articles, blog posts, white papers, and web pages. I have a handful of lovely clients, and they are very good about paying their bills, which is one of the things that makes them so lovely.
My clients live all over the country, and one is literally on the other side of the planet, 15 time zones away — which makes scheduling teleconferences a bit of a challenge. (I also need to switch to British spelling conventions for that client’s work, which is another story.)
If you’ve ever considered freelancing, this is a great time to start. We’re all working remotely anyway. And there’s a big need out there. So many businesses laid off their people during the pandemic, and now they are slow to staff up again.
In the best case, it can take months to hire and train each new employee. Meanwhile, all these businesses need to update their websites, banner ads, email campaigns, and every other thing. The internet is a ravenous beast, ready to devour your fresh, juicy content: “Feed me, Seymour.”
Here are four steps to freelance success:
Find a client. (Duh.) Better yet, get two or three. Where do you find them? You guessed it. Networking. Update your LinkedIn profile, publish some articles there to show off your mad skills, and maybe start a website of your own to showcase your portfolio. Ask everyone you’ve ever worked with, plus all your friends and family, if they know someone who needs an awesome writer. Then refer them to me. (I kid.) (Not really.)
Get paid. Don’t be afraid to charge more per hour or per project than you’ve ever gotten before. Remember that you are delivering excellent value, especially when compared to the time and money the client would invest in hiring and training someone who isn't nearly as good as you are. Remember, too, that you’re footing the entire bill for your health insurance, you’ll have self-employment tax, and there are no more paid vacations, not to mention unlimited coffee, tea, and office supplies.
Pretend you’re at the office. This is the “fake it ‘til you make it” part. Get up in the morning, and put on clothes that you would actually wear to an office, except maybe the shoes. Make yourself a cup of coffee, and sit down at your computer at a “normal” time — which for me is no later than 9:00 AM. Now get to work. If you don’t have a client yet, this is a good time to find one. (See #1, above.) If you have a client or two already, you’re ready for step #4.
Schedule everything. I have to admit, this is not my favorite aspect of the freelance life. It sure does help, though. Assign blocks of time on your calendar to each project and meeting, including lunch and errands. If your actual time doesn’t conform to the calendar, change the calendar retroactively. At the end of the week, you’ll have all the info you need to invoice clients for your time and/or progress on each project. When the day is over — 6:30 PM for me — close the lid on your laptop and take the rest of the evening off.
Get up tomorrow and do it again. Lather, rinse, and repeat, five days out of every seven.
Look at that! You’re a freelancer now.
