Being a freelancer has its ups and downs. Freelancing comes with lots of benefits but also some risks. Today we decided to focus on 10 reasons why it rocks to be a freelancer.
If you are seriously considering switching from a day job to freelance, this post is well worth a read.
If you can think of any more reasons why being a freelancer rocks, then feel free to drop them in a comment.
You set your own hours
Being a freelancer means that you can set your own hours that you work. You can get up at whatever time you like, and work when you like, providing you get your work done.
You set your own pay
You can decide what to charge people. A good idea is to look at many other freelancers, and compare your level of work to theirs, then come up with a price per project or per hours accordingly. It’s entirely up to you.
Your success is in your own hands
You decide whether or not you succeed. If you always get easily distracted and never crack into your work then there will be a very small chance that you will succeed, where as if you knuckle down and put effort into your work and finding clients, then you will succeed and shine above your competitors.
You do something you enjoy
Being a freelancer may not even seem like work. If it’s something you enjoy, then it will seem just like a hobby, except you’re getting paid for it. What a treat!
You can work from anywhere you like
Yes, that’s right, you don’t have to be sitting in an office working, you could be in the garden, around friends or even on the beach in a different country drinking champagne. All you need is your laptop and an internet connection occasionally to send work to clients. It’s extremely flexible.
Setup Costs Are Low
The setup costs are very low to become a freelancer. All you really need is a personal computer, which you most likely already have, internet connection which costs next to nothing, and electricity. A usual business may require you to take out loans etc, and spend thousands setting up a business. Not with freelance. Your work speaks for itself.
Freedom to balance work and personal life
You can easily balance the hours you work around your personal life. Your work hours are extremely flexible and can be slotted in wherever in your week. If there is a wedding on Monday, you can move Mondays hours to Tuesday evening if you’re free then, and maybe rollover some of the hours into Wednesday, shift Wednesdays hours over because there may be a BBQ Wednesday afternoon. It’s extremely flexible!
Opportunity
With freelancing, there is much opportunity. If you provide a great service and get your name out there, you can meet some great contacts, and get to know some great people that may bring work and clients your way. Also, you can learn new skills all the time when you are working.
Laid Back Lifestyle
Not all freelancers live a laid back lifestyle. If you have a strong client base/portfolio, great prices that both you and the client are happy with, and have balanced your work life and personal life successfully, then you will live a very laid back and stress-free life, compared to other jobs.
Be Your Own Boss
Best of all you have no-one to tell you when to start work, how much your hourly rate is and when your lunch break is. You are your own boss, so you decide what you do and when you do it. It’s perfect!
P.S. Also check out these 10 reasons why it sometimes sucks to be a freelancer!
Free Lancers are the people who are owners of their own business. There are no pressures like Targets, Office Officials. We love to be a part of our own business. Thanks for sharing.
If only I could get paid on time it would be great!
Great article and list. i dont do freelance full-time, so I tend to experience more of the highs than the lows.
Hats off to those who are full-time freelancers…that takes amazing dedication and effort.
I agree with the comments…these same highs can also be the lows.
But it rocks!
No work. Freelance or not. And it sucks.
Great article as always.. you should write something on how to rid the bad habits of a freelancer!
Ok. I missed this article. Prior to my comments on the top 10 reason why it sucks to be a freelancer.
This content is great, and what I said back in the other article meant no harm, as I told you before, I really like you work and your passion about this biz.
Consider writing an article on the 10 things you shall not avoid as a freelancer, like, saving money. Cause sometimes it is good, and then is when you have to prepare. Although we agreed that security is mostly a superstition, it is better to prevent than to correct.
I did not write this in the other article, just cause I was already here!
Regards.
I have to agree with Gyan and not with Andy. Especially not in the current economic climate.
There are some things that make it difficult, but since this is an article about the positives, I’m not mentioning them. I think the best part of being a freelancer is designing with your shirt off. Lol You can find me poolside working on a site almost daily.
11. the taxes could be pretty much a matter of choice 😀
Ha, brilliant!
Not in the long run. Paying your taxes will boost your social security benefits, make you look good to funding sources and bankers, help you raise working capital, and it’s the patriotic thing to do.
ya that’s true freelancer are the boss of their job, and all reasons are valid.
Very well written and very true points there.. Really liked your article .. 😉
Have to agree with Gyan on all counts, freelancing is not the bed of roses articles like these make it out to be.
It’s not for the faint of heart and it’s certainly not for everyone!
its not so easy to get the client i am struggling a lot to get the client in 2008 i just got only one project in this economy now a days so many freelance designer and developer so now competition is really tough.
To Gyan,
Wow, that was an eye opener. I am a non-traditional student and fear that because I’m a little older than most I won’t have the opportunities the younger crowd will have. I figured I’d go freelance.
You also helped me out with my current assignment on project management.
Thanks
I was a nontraditional student too — disabled, 47, and recently graduated magna cum laude with a BA in psychology. You can do it! Don’t buy into “ageism” — it’s just another form of discrimination. It disempowers you to achieve all the greatness you are capable of.
(BTW: I am Gyan and TheDailyHerb LOL)
yup. i love being a freelancer. yet, i still have bad habits, which stops me from being an awesome freelancer.
anyway, freelancing is a bit tough when you work alone. sometimes, we need others to revise our work.
agree with you on the bad habits and being alone xun.. def the only downfalls i find in being a freelancer
All of this could be true if the work is there… any for many, right now it ain’t happenin’. I’m a Freelance Copywriter, and have know several Designers who are also freelance and are struggling.
Yap! Couldn’t agree more…..as a freelancer, one is kept on their toes!……..being on top of the flock when it comes to new developments in the market is LAW, one has time to improve their approach to design, polishing personal weaknesses, sweet sleepless nights, headphones, coffee……gets better & better!….
After 25 years of self-employment, I can wholeheartedly agree with your 10 reasons it rocks to be a freelancer. However, now for the reality check:
1. Set Your Own Hours — Indeed, you can, you can even work in your jammies. However, bear in mind that the successfull freelancer often works 6-7 days a week and 10-18 hours a day. My average work week is 60-80 hours. Especially true if you have no employees to delegate tasks to. You will not only be doing the actual “work,” you will be managing clients, selling, marketing, developing sales materials, maintaining an online presence, keeping your books, and completing more complicated tax returns (or looking for a good CPA), staying current with your industry, learning new technology…the list is literally quite endless.
2. Do Something You Enjoy — But, what happens if there’s no market for what you love or you’re not making a living doing it? Good advice, nevertheless. You’re more likely to be successful and make more money doing what you’re passionate about.
3. Work anywhere you like — Sure, we’re a wireless nation now and you can be anywhere, but it really depends on your type of business. Being where your clients (and vendors) are is generally better for generating and building your business. Sipping champagne on the beach is not how freelancing works. — Sorry, to burst your bubble but clients are not going to hire you if that’s the image you portray. If that’s the life you want to lead, and you’re calling it being an “entrepreneur,” you’re giving us all a bad rep. I’ve started 5 businesses and can no longer call myself an “entrepreneur” because so many claim this that it has become meaningless — er, rather, it has come to mean a lazy, champagne-sipping, get-rich-quick loser.
4. Set Up Costs Are Low — Really? I think you’ve failed to point out that there are marketing costs, phone costs, rent, heat/ac, gas costs to visit clients in person ( yeah, old fashioned, but it actually works), costs to hire in the professionals to do the things you can’t — your design work, website development and maintenance, taxes, bookkeeping, webhosting costs, new equipment like cameras, video, green screens, software packages, attending industry trade shows, travel, entertaining clients…you get the picture. You need more than just a computer, internet connection, and electricity. (unless mom and dad are funding your little adventure.)
5. Freedom to Balance Work and Professional Life — Sure, you’ve always got freedom of choice. But let me assure you when you’re freelancing as your primary source of income, there is precious little time for a personal life and you’ve still got client deadlines to meet. So when that wedding you were planning to attend falls on a client delivery date, which will you choose? Go to the wedding and damange your reptutation possibly losing the client or miss the wedding but keep your income stream healthy and clients happy. Still, it’s good to try to keep that in balance as much as possible.
6. Opportunities — Yeah, opportunities are always circling around our lives, chasing them down requires time, energy, effort, and money. (See #1 and 5 above.) Sorting through the good opportunities from the not-so-good ones means setting aside time to evaluate your opportunities.
7. Laid Back Lifestyle — Yes, you’re absolutely right on here — not all freelancers live a laid back lifestyle — most are struggling to keep income coming into the business — especially in this economy. Few freelancers that I know actually live a “laid back lifestyle” when it comes to work/career building. This is just a myth perpetuated by those who want to sell you something. Apparently, Gen Next is buying into this line of thinking. So sad.
8. Be Your Own Boss — Are you kidding? The clients are your boss. The bank is your boss. The IRS is your boss. Not so perfect, is it?
I love being self-employed and have been since 1987. I started my first business at 21 but never thought it would be easy-street as your article seems to imply. And, it hasn’t. During economic downtimes my clients suffer and that trickles down to me. It means I have to work harder to retain clients and fill my pipeline with new ones.
Being a freelancer isn’t easy and it isn’t for everyone. But if you work hard, are passionate about what you do, and persist, you can become a successful freelancer. However, if you prefer sitting on the beach with your laptop sipping champagne, you might want to think about calling mom and dad to see if your old room is still available.
There are highs and lows of being a freelancer that is why our next post is 10 reasons why it sucks to be a freelancer 😉
One thing I do want to point out is, you dont struggle to find work if your the best, my designer can never give me enough time because hes got so much work on and he charges $100 a hour!
Michael
A humble attitude coming from a place of being of service to your clients will get you more work that claiming to be the best.
In this economy, even the “best” struggle.
lol ironically, im 13 and my mom and dad ARE funding my little adventure
Thanks Gyan, for taking the time to write a balanced response! 6 Years in and would agree with your reality check on freelance life. It’s tough, but also amazing. Highs and lows but better than the flatline of working for a company with the same clients, with the same people, same systems, politics day in day out. Boring. I get the variety which keeps me buzzing, creatively inspired and giving my clients fresh solutions inspired by the people, technology and new ideas I encounter from a multitude of places, people, and studios I work at and with.
The last 2 weeks I’ve worked 16 hour working weeks solid. Before that over a month of quiet times. It got stressful but it challenged me, made me think of new ideas, explored new avenues I wouldn’t have thought of. I’m busy making hay again while the sun shines but am now also following up on those new ideas. 6 Years freelance and love it and I’m definitely better off freelance and in charge of my own destiny and earn more than when I was working for someone else’s dream but come on webdesigndev stop making us look like a bunch of dossers chilling on our beds making millions. I would say you have more of a chance of making millions being freelance but you gotta work hard, fast and clever every day.