“Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.” ~ Jim Morrison
***Stock Image by Wonderlass***
Are you or have you ever thought about being a freelancer? The entire concept for most means freedom to do what you want. Setting your hours. Getting to sleep in. Working when you feel like it. While some of those are true, I think people get a false perception for what it’s really like to be a freelancer. I freelance dance and write so I want to share some pro’s and con’s. These statements are my own opinions so I suggest taking it with a grain of salt.
Pros
1. You are ultimately your own boss.
You can dictate what hours you work and how long you work for the most part. Being your own boss means independence and not having to answer to someone else.
2. You can work as little or as much as you want.
Since you are your own boss, you can determine how many projects you take on at a time. Usually with my dancing, I like to take on no more than 3 projects at a time. Honestly, 3 is stretching it for me because I have blogging on top of my 9-5. I definitely do not want to overwhelm myself.
3. The compensation can be really good.
This is especially true when taking on specific projects. Certain projects will come with specific guidelines and a very niche market but since it is so specific, only a certain individual can do that job. If you fit that niche, then that means major pay off for you!
Cons
1. You are ultimately your own boss.
Since you are now technically your own boss, you will be responsible for things that you didn’t have to really think about before. Like you have to make sure that you put money aside for insurance, taxes and retirement – especially if freelancing is your one and only source of income. If you don’t want to be bothered with it, you can definitely hire someone. With that being said, you have to make sure that you are making enough to them and yourself.
2. You can work as little or as much as you want.
The con to this is if freelancing is your one and only source of income, then you will have to work hard and possibly work long hours to meet the demands of your clients. While true enough if you decide to work at 2 in the morning in your sweats it is totally feasible, you may be working at that time due to time constraints from your client. Just something to think about.
3. The compensation can be really good.
This one is definitely a double edged sword. For me, I don’t have an agent or a manager speaking on my behalf so I have to have negotiating skills to get the rate that I am worth. A lot of times that I have made money writing for someone, it is because I fought to get that amount. It can be difficult especially when people aren’t always honest and come off sketchy. I want to get a manager so that way I don’t have to be bothered with that. I don’t like to entertain the thought of conflict so negotiating isn’t really my thing. But like I mentioned in the first bullet point, if you do get a manager, make sure that you make enough to compensate the both of you.
I hope this helped to shed a little light on freelancing. By no means does this mean that you shouldn’t pursue it. I definitely recommend starting off as a side hustle before taking it on full time as it can be a bit overwhelming. I hope you sweetie pies enjoyed this post. If you freelance, mention your services in the comment section below. Let’s Network!
As always, XO and Stay FAB! ~ Stormie J
So Stormie 