Why Freelance?
There are many reasons why a person should freelance and leave the 9 to 5 grind. Here, I will outline a few of them.
Pay yourself what you’re worth – Many companies are not willing to pay employees what they are actually worth. With downsizing and restructuring of companies, employers are assigning multiple tasks to their skeleton crew, without offering a pay increase. If many of you were to view a chart of the current salaries for your profession, you may find you are grossly underpaid. A colleague of mine was once offered a “promotion”, which included a new title, more duties and no salary increase.
Financial Security – If you think your 9 to 5 offers you financial security, think again. A downturn in profits, an economic crisis or a surly supervisor can snatch your security away in seconds. Do you really want your financial future to rest in the hands of people who may or may not care about you? Who would better look out for your interests than you?
Take a vacation – Yes, you can guarantee yourself an annual two-week period to unwind, whether it be at home or lying on a beach in the Caribbean.
Family Friendly – Most companies these days are not “family friendly” and most households require two incomes to make ends meet. Two of my brothers in law, own and operate their own businesses. With their businesses, they are able to take care of the children when they are sick. There was never a problem transporting them to school and other activities. Only partial day care was needed, so the costs were much lower than a family, which both parents work outside the home. Imagine all the expenses and headaches you can save by operating your own business. Of course, running your own business is a huge undertaking, but you can plan around your family’s needs rather than adhering to a rigid schedule.
Have some “me” time – With your own business, you can be sure to take some time for yourself. Have lunch with a friend across town. Have a doctor appointment? Start on your work later, without enduring icy stares from your supervisor or being told to stay late to finish your assignment. Be sure to schedule in a daily workout. Most people gain weight or otherwise get out of shape when they enter the work force. Long hours, fattening group lunches and snacks from the vending machines will change your once svelte body into that of a couch potato in no time. I myself, have experienced mass weight gain, during my five year stay at a certain company. When I left the job, my first move was to buy healthy foods and begin a work out program, tailored to my schedule. I have written my story in my article called Return to Fitness. I am not saying it is impossible to stay fit while working at a company full time. I maintained my shapely figure for twelve years. But when I began working very long hours, with a long commute, it became almost impossible for me to keep up.
Avoid Office Politics – Unless you are very skilled in the art of charisma (and I’m not), you could be overlooked for the promotions and assignments you’ve worked so hard to attain. We all know someone with the gift of gab obtaining the dream job, by the grace of God. While we toil and put in over time, the campaigner is schmoozing his way to top.
Choose your assignments – How many of us have the luxury of choosing the assignments we would like in a corporate environment? If your boss hands you a tedious assignment, you have to deliver. When you are operating your own business, believe it or not, you can arrive at the place where you can choose your assignments. When your business is at the beginning stages, you will want to accept various assignments, but as you become established, you can afford to be more selective. There are certain clients, whom I’ve sent a friendly email stating it is best we sever ties.
Now that I may have persuaded you that freelance is the way to go, I must warn you to try to make the transition as smooth as possible. Many business fail in the first five to seven years and much of it is due to poor planning. I would say, I made the transition from full-time employee to full-time business owner as conservatively as possible. It was a long four years, but I managed to maintain my full-time job, while building my business on nights and weekends. I saved just about every penny earned from moonlighting to put back into the business. I started out with an old Macintosh computer, Photoshop and Illustrator, an inexpensive printer and scanner. As I began to earn money from my freelance assignments, I established my business as a sole proprietorship, obtained my tax I.D. number, and bought new equipment and software. My business is still operated from my home, so there is no additional overhead. If you have an interest that you enjoy, you can find a way to earn money.
source : allfreelancework.com
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