Getting into freelancing

I think I’ve been a freelance editor for almost a year now, and am trying to move into freelance writing and freelance instructional design now. It’s hard, and I’m not doing half of what I ought to be in order to be successful

To get myself back on track, and to help out those who might be looking to start their own freelance career, I present The Beginner’s Guide to Freelancing! It’s a bit field-specific, but you can easily apply much of the knowledge present to your own field.

Found via Lifehacker

Freelancer, beware!

I’m sure we’ve all heard or read the nightmare stories of being a freelancer. I know I’ve read countless pieces of advice on watching for pitfalls, but I think this is the first time I’ve seen a list of potential pitfalls combined with great suggestions for how to avoid them. It targets artists and creative freelancers, but I think it really applies widely to most freelancers, regardless of field.

It’s important to get the word out to newer freleancers, in the hopes we can convince these less-than-honest people that “freelancer” is not a synonym for “sucker”.

Partner up for strength

I’ve been shifting from Bloglines to Google Reader, and just finally caught up on all of my reading. One of the gems was an article from Fast Company last week on not being afraid to show your shortcomings. I thought that sounded an awful like my honesty post from Monday.

I think for an entrepreneur or a freelancer, an easy to combat the discomfort of exposing your weaknesses is to find someone who is strong where you are not and team up with them. Ideally, this is really how any entrepreneur should be hiring. In this case, you are recognizing areas that could potentially cause you trouble in the long run, and addressing those areas by finding someone who can do those tasks far better than you could on your own.

Some good advice for freelancers

I’m starting to wonder if I might not be able to handle freelancing right now (I know, if not now, when?), but I’m realizing that it’s because I haven’t really factored any down time in my schedule. I’m bouncing from project to project with no real breaks. It’s been crazy.

In the midst of trying not to run myself into the ground the other day, I came across this list of tips for freelancers, and I had to laugh. I’ve got so much going for me, but I’m really mismanaging my down time, which means I’m not handling stress levels appropriately. Yep, I’m not following this list so well, am I?

No wonder I’m feeling like an inadequate freelancer lately!

Being afraid to ask doesn’t pay the bills

Monster recently shared a great article full of tips to help contractors get paid in a timely manner. One of the biggest hang-ups between me and breaking through to being a successful freelancer is my fear of dealing with the money issues. I’ve never been comfortable asking for money, and that’s how I feel when I have to deal with the sale point in a transaction.

Interestingly enough, though, I was a contractor for a local high school over the past school year. One month, the paycheck turned out to be much smaller than it should have been for the number of hours I worked. I was terrified, but decided to ask anyway. It turned out the hold-up was a miscommunication. We got everything straightened out, but it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t decided to ask.

You have to ask yourself which is worse: straightening things out or not paying bills. I can almost guarantee you the first is far less terrifying.

Ask for help

I read this great blog entry that suggests that entrepreneurs need to learn to ask for help in completing the tasks they aren’t strong in completing themselves, and somehow misplaced the link.

For some time now, I’ve been saying I need a business manager because I know there are certain things I’m not good at that someone else would be better off doing to make sure they’re done correctly. My friends just sit there and laugh. These would be the same friends who aren’t willing to offer much more than verbal support with no real support behind it.

I think part of what makes a successful businessperson is the ability to identify their own weaknesses and then find creative ways to resolve those weaknesses, even when it includes bringing on more personnel.

My lesson is learned

I’ve been working for a client over the past several months. Initially, we had some quality issues as I tried to figure out what was being expected of me. After recently informing me that I was doing better at meeting their expectations and heaping a number of projects on me, I was rather blindsided Friday morning when I received an email stating that I was obviously padding my time card because my work was sub-par.

In retrospect, I should have seen it coming. Last month, they lost my time card (which was neatly set in a box that they found everything else in), and asked me to email in my hours. I did, and then received a third of what I should have been paid. This email arrived just a day or two after i inquired about that. I’m honestly expecting not to be paid for the work I did this month.

I know everyone has their horror stories, and I’m grateful mine is fairly small. I had already been considering terminating this particular relationship I no longer have as much time to dedicate fully to their projects, but I honestly never expected this kind of scenario to play out in this particular sector.

Freelancer vs. Entrepreneur

Sensible people get paid for playing.- Alan Watts

If you ask me to explain the difference between a freelancer and an entrepreneur, I’d probably explain it this way:

• A freelancer is someone who works for a company without being hired by said company.
• An entrepreneur is someone who works for himself.

It’s really simplistic, but to me this is the distinction.

The other day, I came across something that challenged my thinking. The part that stood out to me was distinguishing a freelancer from an entrepreneur:

• A freelancer gets paid to work.
• An entrepreneur makes money while she sleeps.

I aspire to be an entrepreneur, but I think I may actually be a freelancer.

A crisis of…

I frequently think I need a business manager. No, actually, I’m sure I need a business manager. Someone who understands the business side of business- bookkeeping, marketing, etc. I’d be brilliant talent for someone who loves the business side of things! I actually sat down and figured that out last night.

(Actually, that kept me up half the night last night. The realization that with my talents, I should be in much better position than I currently am.)

I already have the books from the Personal MBA on my to-read list, but I’m really afraid of it going clear over my head!

Over the weekend, I decided to try out this freelancer assessment. Much to my…I don’t know that chagrin is the right word…it agreed that I should be doing much better than I am, since I have many of the desirable traits for a freelancer.

It’s hard to realize that you know what you need to do, but for whatever reason you aren’t doing it.

I then enjoyed reading the common mistakes for newly self-employed people. I don’t really see myself as self-employed yet, but I’m grateful to have this list to help keep myself in line!

Determining your rates

Those of us trying to launch our own service businesses (or thinking about launching our own service businesses) are often confronted with having to set our fees.

We can do some research, find out what others in our same line of work are charging and then set a fee based on that research. We can figure out what we need to make in order to stay in business. (The article specifically address web design, but can be applied to other industries as well.) We can develop a sliding scale based on skill packages.

There are many ways to determine this fee, but it doesn’t escape the fact that you need to sit down and set them. The nice part about fees is that you can adjust them until they meet your need and bring in the clientèle you want.

Found via Lifehacker.