How to become a Freelancer?

I was a High School teacher for seven years years when I was compelled to start a new journey.  It was a quiet question in my mind, nothing pushy but a simple question.

“Loren, what do you think about starting a new career?”

I imagined the idea of having another career as a compelling challenge.  I didn’t have a family yet and could devote the time to the pursuit. I embraced the idea and explored it.

"I jumped into freelancing with blind optimism, I am broke and had just the right amount of luck at just the right time to turn it all around."

Build Yourself

Freelancers are responsible for all sorts of things that traditional employees are not, such as setting their work hours, keeping track of time spent on different projects, billing clients, and paying their own employment and business taxes. Freelancers are not considered “employees” by the companies they work for, but rather “contractors.”

It’s critical when starting a new venture, to find a few loyal advisers and supporting friends to help along the way. I reached out to several close friends working with me at the internet consulting firm. It wasn't easy, too many negative thoughts covered my mind but then i realized that if i will not be brave enough to try something new i will not make it. So i searched online about freelancing. I have attended free webinars and assess my self if my skills will fit to freelancing. Then after a few months of attending free webinars, i enrolled to Filipino Virtual Assistance under Coach Keren.

Soon after enrolling, I realized I found myself enjoying this new journey. Still committed, I chose to leap began my new journey. What I soon realized was i need to build myself to be successful in this new journey. My friends became a sounding board and loyal technical advisers when I needed insight. In fact, these friends still help me to this day and are part of my strong emotional support system.

"If you are looking to start your own venture, you will want to secure a trustworthy team around you"

Expect to feel conflicted at first

Starting in freelancing is tricky and difficult.  I found myself asking questions, such as:

• How will I manage the tension of my employment responsibilities with freelancing?

• Would it be more fruitful (promotion opportunities, raises, etc.) to put my side work effort into my full-time job?

In spite of these questions, I chose to move forward and build my freelancing on the side. My love of technology, building things and the expected freedom from freelancing was enticing. I leveraged my technology position and experience to make the transition slowly. This allowed me to sharpen my skills and continue to fulfill my employment responsibilities

Be Prepared - Working two jobs is not for the faint of heart

As the side job grew, there were times when I was about to give up. Slept at 3 am and wake up at 6 am early the next morning to work for my job. Too many deadlines that i need to address urgently. I lost time for myself and my family. Often at inconvenient times, I would want to give up but I always go back to "WHY" i started it.  At times, juggling the two seemed impossible and was highly stressful.

Building an income-generating work requires blood, sweat, and tears.

There are no shortcuts to long-term success.

Growth will indeed come

I was faced with another decision and test for my level of commitment to freelancing. Was I going to take the leap out of the corporate world and go full-time with Freelancing, my work? With a financial reserve set aside, I pulled the trigger and made the jump from financial security into the unknown.

The feeling of quitting my job and focusing all my time into the freelancing was hugely satisfying and motivating. It was time to take this journey to the highest level.

Should I be a freelancer?

There are pros and cons to freelancing, just as with anything else in life, but in my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons. Here are some of my favorite things about being a freelancer.

• There are always work opportunities. Every hour, there are dozens of new job postings added to whichever freelance platform you use. Of course, you won't be hired for each of those, but there are plenty of offers to go around. 

• You control your schedule. You work when you want, how you want and as much as you want. You don't have to beg for days off. You don't have to get up in the morning if you're a person whose focus peaks in the midnight hour. With freelancing, you make the best of your peak productivity, without being tied to the office for specific hours. 

• You have an amazing opportunity to gather experience. You can work with different clients on various projects and amass experience that would be impossible to come by in a classical office. 

• You choose who you work with. If things aren't working out with a client, you can always find another one. You don't have to stick around in a toxic environment because you're afraid to quit your job. 

What are the drawbacks of freelancing? 

Even though there's a lot to love about being a freelancer, there are some downsides. Here are a few.

• You need discipline and routine. If you want to be a good freelancer, you have to be self-motivated. There is no boss hanging over your shoulder, checking what you're doing. You're that boss! You have to be strict with yourself.

• Sometimes there won't be work. There will be times when you'll be offered more projects than you can accept, and there will be periods when you'll have a feeling nobody's hiring. This is why you should be savvy and make sure you establish a stable of clients before quitting your day job. 

• Sometimes you'll work longer hours. There will be times when maintaining a steady flow of work and income means working outside of your normal working hours – in fact, you may find yourself working longer hours than when you had a regular full-time job.  

• It can take a while to get your first gig. Don't feel discouraged if you don't land a freelance gig immediately. In general, it takes between three months and a year to build your first connections and acquire a steady roster of clients. But once you reach that point, you'll see your career as a freelancer take off.

The competition in the freelancing market is quite tough that is why it is very important to entrust credibility, and great work to every project that you have in order to make your clients loyal to your services. Also, building your relationship towards your client.

As a freelancer, I am all in. Are you?