How to safely go to freelance: 10 steps
Text: Anastasia Maximova
In childhood we dreamed of becoming astronauts doctors and firemen, but none of us thought that we would have to work in the office. Nobody told excitedly how he would come to work by nine in the morning and leave her at seven. For a child, there is nothing worse than boredom, but adults also increasingly want independence and freedom. Despite all the risks, many leave the office and go to the free swimming. We tell you how to correctly switch to freelancing and what kind of dirty tricks and pitfalls you should think about so that you don’t have to eat Doshirak and borrow money from friends and relatives until you get paid.
Think again
Wake up at noon, drink coffee on the ocean, swim a little, go to yoga, and in the evening, when the heat subsides, you can get to work ... A tempting picture? Still would! But not always the real freelance looks that way. There are a lot of advantages in work only. For example, you have no bosses, you manage your time yourself, do what you love, are not tied to a specific place, and can work from anywhere in the world. But there are also disadvantages. It is worth thinking carefully whether you are ready for all the difficulties you will encounter. First, no one will pay you sick leave, vacation or maternity leave. How much you earned - so much money you will have. Secondly, instead of bosses, there will now be customers, and, quite possibly, their character is no better than your past boss. Thirdly, customers will have to look for their own, and this is not always easy.
Fourth, there is no one to replace you now. Previously, if you were sick, your duties were assumed by other employees. But if you are a freelancer, nobody cares about your health. Either you hand over your work on time, even a minute before you lie down on the operating table, or you lose a customer. Fifth, you need to find answers in advance to many legal issues. For example, to draw up or not to draw up the PI, how to pay taxes, what to do with pension deductions. It will take a good look at all this or use the advice of professionals. Previously, the accounting department and personnel department took care of these mundane things in your office, but now everyone will have to deal with them themselves.
Do not hurry
If you have weighed all the pros and cons and decided that the first is still more, act calmly and with a cold mind. When the decision has already been made, most of all I want to grab my work papers and tear them into confetti, and then dance with maracas on the desk by the boss. Let him know what treasure is lost!
Maybe one day you will, but not right now. Instead, start developing an action plan. A common mistake of future freelancers is to burn all the bridges at once. You should not abandon a project that has already begun, or leave work suddenly. Going to freelance is like playing sports: if twenty minutes on foot from the subway to work is hard work for you, you shouldn’t hope that in a week you can run a marathon. Before you quit your office work, it makes sense to start a customer base and enter a stable financial regime. Expect that on going to a comfortable mode of operation, on average, it can take from a couple of months to a year, depending on your starting conditions.
Rate your talents
Most likely, if you decide to go to freelancing, then at least approximately know what you will do: write articles, teach dancing, bake cakes or take pictures. The basic skill is always good, but do not forget about the "Plan B". More precisely, do not discard their other talents. For example, it is wonderful if, in addition to the main activity, you also know how to knit toys. Maybe this is what will help you in the "dead season" that happens with every freelancer. We are accustomed to underestimate our abilities, and in fact no one can say exactly what kind of talent you will find a generous customer.
After you have recorded all your abilities, select two or three and start making a resume. Freelancer resumes differ from full-time jobseekers. The main difference is that you need to show samples of your work: photos, sketches or excerpts of texts. The surest way to create a good text is to find a resume of a really good specialist and do something similar on the model. Seriously, you do not need to reinvent the wheel, if someone has already made it up to you. It is also a good idea to attach a portfolio with personal achievements and all the letters of recommendation you can get.
Seek help from friends
It often happens that the first customers are just friends. Your friend has long dreamed of learning how to make floral arrangements, what are you doing? Organize a floral workshop! Your manicurist is looking for an SMM boxer and admires how witty you are blogging? So, maybe offer her help?
You can honestly write to your friends that you want to earn some money and gladly take small orders. Tell us what you can do, place photos or videos, give examples of texts - show that you are not just ready to take up a new order, but, among other things, love what you are doing. People trust those who are delighted with their work.
Carefully read the forums.
The obligatory stage of entering freelancing is a thorough acquaintance with the sphere where you are going to go. First, by visiting profile forums, you will find out what problems your colleagues face and how they solve them. Secondly, you will get acquainted with the pricing policy in your profession - this is important. Knowing the average market prices, avoid dumping. Remember, you live on this money, now they are your permanent source of income. In addition, knocking down the price, you definitely will cause disapproval of colleagues. And even if it doesn't matter right now, in the future it can play a cruel joke with you - all people need help. Thirdly, there are forums (for example, translation), the presence of which is mandatory for any specialist. Often clients, to learn more about the candidate, check his profile on similar resources.
Search for new customers
You will feel when it is time to get out of the shadows and go to the big world to look for customers. The first thing you need to do is to register at every imaginable and unimaginable venue. Fill in your new resume on the most popular job search resources by ticking where "project activity" is indicated, and keep an eye out for new vacancies. You can subscribe to well-known human resource bloggers: they too often search for candidates through social networks.
If you work with texts, find agencies that are interested in fresh freelance blood. Send resumes, even if they don’t need remote employees right now. In addition to these two options, there is still a third - marketplace, that is, sites where customers and performers work without an intermediary, paying only a small commission from the transaction. Such marketplaces exist for translators, helpers for everyday tasks, copywriters, photographers and many others. Marketplaces are convenient because performers leave customer feedback and you can immediately calculate unfair customers. The same principle works in the opposite direction - so the task should be approached responsibly.
Always keep in touch
There should be a lot of you: on Facebook, Instagram, VKontakte, Skype, Telegram - everywhere! If your customers use foil caps to send messages - run to the nearest hardware store for foil. The speed of response is a very important indicator in the work of a freelancer. If an order is urgently needed for a customer, he will not wait until you answer, even if you are a brilliant professional. Not all customers will call you: with the advent of instant messengers, a phone call is often perceived as a last resort measure.
You should be in touch not only before ordering, but also in the process. Of course, when you are twitched every hour with the questions "And soon?", "And how much more is left?" But if you can reduce the level of stress at the customer, he will carry you on his hands. In addition to social networks, get acquainted with different methods of payment and get electronic wallets.
Collect reviews and recommendations
Reviews and letters of recommendation - another currency, often more valuable than money. As soon as you finish the project and see that the customer is satisfied with your work, ask him for a recommendation or review, or, if he is too lazy, offer to rate. Most customers will not refuse if the work is done at a good level.
Before you leave the office, ask for feedback about your work on the company's letterhead. If your future activity is not related to what you did before, in a letter of recommendation, you can do without the praise of your other qualities: punctuality, literacy and erudition.
Calculate time and money
For the coming years, mathematics is your best friend. Find out how much money you need for a pleasant, comfortable life. Then calculate how many hours you need to work for this, how many regular customers are required, and so on. Be sure to determine at what time of day you work most productively. This is important to know so that you can organize your work process: when to take the most difficult work, and for how long to leave for more simple routine tasks.
Do not forget to deduct weekends, holidays and vacations from your work calendar. No one person can work completely without rest. Neglecting the weekend, in order to take more orders, you put your own sticks in the wheels - productivity and quality of work are greatly reduced by fatigue. That is why it is so important for a freelancer to have savings, a cash “safety cushion” on those occasions when you are tired or sick. Consider also that any freelance has a "low season". For example, if you earn a wedding photo, you need to think about how to feed on a rainy autumn. And for translators, on the contrary, the "dead season" comes in the summer, when everyone is leaving on vacation.
Think about the future
After some time, everything will settle down for you (we believe in it!), And a moment will come when it will be time to answer the question: what next? How are you going to build your career? Do you want to remain a freelancer all your life? Maybe you intend to get additional education to earn more, or create your own company? Or do you plan to return to the office in a year or two?
However, it is important to write down your ideas and develop a plan for the future. After all, the most important thing in any job is a willingness to change.