The Essential Guide To Working Freelance December 16, 2014My BusinessOff

Working freelance can be a fantastic alternative to the 9 to 5 grind. It can afford you a whole load of flexibility and freedom. It can also be a great way to test yourself as you strike out on your own. You will never learn more about yourself than when you chose to be your own boss. It can be a fantastic starting point as you branch out, maybe even starting to consider building your own business.

Being a freelance employee is basically a way of working between being a traditional employee of a boss and being in business with yourself. You become responsible for a variety of tasks that would usually be left for your boss, but you are afforded a flexibility in your work style. You can also pick who you want to work with and how you will achieve your goals. You can accept work based on how much profit you think you will make, and change your work process to make sure that you meet your own targets. If you’re working as a regular employee and you think you could do a better job than your current employer, then it can be well worth striking out on your own like this.

But there are inevitably downsides to the whole affair. In the same way that you are responsible for your successes, you will also be solely accountable for your failures. You will have to put your own reputation on the line every time you accept a job. You will also have to solicit potential new jobs in a way that you wouldn’t have to as a regular employee. And, of course, you won’t be making any money as you spend your time looking for new work.

It’s very important to consider whether being a freelance is right for you before you make the leap. To help you out, whether you’re an established freelancer or a new kid on the block, we’ve assembled a few things that you should be conscious of.

When you work freelance this will often mean working through short-term employment contracts. It might also mean signing a contract with regard to the occasional work that you do. You should be very careful about signing anything, as it can change your legal rights in a situation. If you’re injured while working on-site for a major company you should be able to make a claim. Any employer has a responsibility to its employees. By using a firm such as russellworthsolicitors, you can make sure that you receive the compensation that you deserve in a situation like this. But employers can sometimes be sneaky about their contracts that they use for freelancers, so make sure that you understand what you and they are responsible for. Don’t be afraid of having a specialist lawyer look it over if you aren’t confident in reading legal language. It will pay off in the long run, as you don’t want to be injured by a fault of your employer, making you incapable of work for a long period of time.

As aforementioned, when you leave to work for yourself you will be staking a lot on your personal reputation. Your reputation will change subtly with each job, and it is your job to make sure that it changes for the better. Cultivate a reputation as someone with an innovative work style that delivers projects on-time with a high-quality result. Word will travel amongst your market, and next time you will be at the top of the queue when it comes to getting a freelancer in. You will also find that as your reputation grows you will be able to charge more for your work, making it a more profitable enterprise.

This also relates to your business style. Working for yourself can mean that you can indulge in a more informal attire or work environment. This may be fine when you’re deep into a project and don’t really want to be disturbed. But when you’re meeting new clients you should be the image of professionalism. Every meeting with a potential client is now essentially a mini interview, where the future of your career is at stake. You should be treating it as such if you really want to impress clients. Don’t skimp on things like business cards and web design, as these will also significantly contribute to your personal image. It may be a lot of pressure having to maintain your own personal image in conjunction with your business reputation. But it does leave you free to carve out a particular niche for yourself.

Before you begin working freelance, you should have acquired some experience in-house with industry leading firms. You should use this experience in order to develop a place for yourself in the market. You have the advantage of tailoring the services you offer in reaction to the nature of the marketplace. And you have the secondary advantage of hands-on experience in the market.

This all means that you should be keeping the idea of competition in your mind. You don’t have to have a coherent and complex business plan, but you should constantly be thinking about what you offer over your competitors. You should be flexible in order to address new competition on the market, whilst also remaining consistent with your established partners. With other freelancers and start-ups constantly popping up, there will always be new competition vying for the same business as you.

You probably went freelance because you enjoyed the flexibility, or because you wanted to strike out on your own. You probably felt a shiver go down your spine at the prospect of being your own boss and being in charge of your own projects. The most important thing is to keep that eagerness that you had at the beginning, remembering that it will be easy to fall into an established pattern and fall into a rut. As a freelancer your flexibility and maneuverability are your greatest assets. Try not to forget it.

Photo by Kinga | Shutterstock

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