By Darren
Gilbert
Yes, there is
the freedom from normal work hours. But it’s not a freedom to sit and watch TV.
You still have to work as if you are in the corporate world. In fact, if you
want to make a success of your freelancing gig, you have to work even harder
than you have before. Not everyone is prepared to do that.
You’re not willing to work
Before you
even jump off the corporate world bandwagon to freelance, you need to be aware
of the pressures. If you think you’re taking the easier route because you get
to sleep in late, you’re wrong. There is no easy route towards success. As freelance
blogger and regular contributor to Hongkiat.com,
Michael Poh points out, it’s about putting in the work.
“To maintain your value and competitiveness in the freelancing market,
you’ve to keep perfecting your craft and can’t afford to be complacent,”
writes Poh. “Minimal efforts will work against you in the long run.”
Amber
Weinberg, a freelance front-end developer agrees: “Freelancing is one of the hardest jobs out there. It’s one of the few
careers where you’re truly alone, in the sense that you’re
responsible for everything. This includes finding the work, doing the work,
billing for it, tracking down late payments and taking care of the books and
taxes.”
You’re not good with money
As much as
you might want to argue against it, freelance writing is a business. It’s more
than just putting words on the page; it’s about handling everything else that
comes with running a business. Keeping that in mind when you set up will
safeguard you against a lot of heartbreak and frustration.
“[T]he income does not come in consistently.
Some times it pours, other times, you suffer from a dry spell,” writes Poh. “Either
way, you need to make sure that you put aside part of what you have earned. You
are your own safety net.”
It’s a scary thought but it’s necessary. Evan Tan, Regional Director for
Southeast Asia at Freelancer.com, agrees:
“Are you saving enough money for retirement? Do you know how to file your own
taxes, or at least have an accountant who can help you? Do you understand the
importance of getting health and life insurance as a safety net not just for
you, but for your loved ones?”
You don’t like
networking
As much as freelancing is a one-man job, it’s not. If you want to be a
success, you can’t simply cut off all connections to the world and expect
people to give you work. You need to go out and get it.
Weinberg explains: “[E]ven if you plan on working by yourself, you still
have to work with people. You may have to work with clients, agencies or other
freelancers. It [also] takes a lot of work to freelance before you even start
‘working’. Just sitting at your computer everyday and staring at your screen
won’t get you clients.”
Essentially, if you don’t like to network and get the word out about
your services, this is not the right career for you.
What are your thoughts? Do you know of any other reasons why one should
not freelance? Tell us below.