Comments on: Are You a Daredevil Freelancer?

By: Joshua Gotto

Joshua Gotto — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:07:48 +0000

Really great article. As a newbie to freelancing this resource is so valuable. I have a question for you all though. Some of you have said that the risk payed off and work came flooding in and I would like very much to get a space to work in as I think it would help me get in the mindset of work. But until I get in a steady stream of work this feels like to greater risk. So my question is, how did you get the work to come flooding in! It seems very hard to get people to have faith in you when starting up, agents for example. Do any of you have any advice on how you got your first steady stream of work coming in? Maybe this could be another article if it hasn’t been already.

Thanks, great site!

By: Matt Keegan

Matt Keegan — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:27:52 +0000

I must say that I am a risk taker, but it comes with the territory.

In order to succeed as a freelance writer, you have to expand your horizons which means stepping out into unchartered territory to explore new and unfamiliar projects. This move can be daunting, but highly rewarding in terms of financial security and raising one’s visibility.

Playing it safe would harm my bottom line, cause me to lose confidence in my abilities, and probably make me miserable.

By: Laura Spencer

Laura Spencer — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:32:20 +0000

Thanks for commenting and sharing your story Liz!

We’re glad that you found the site too.

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:03:23 +0000

By the way, I’m so glad I found this site! Very interesting.

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:03:05 +0000

I figure I took a big risk 17 years ago when I quit my job to do freelance PR consulting. But in reality it wasn’t too much of a risk, as I’d been doing it as a sideline and by then had worked with a guy and had a pretty good stable of clients. So mine was very much a calculated risk with few negatives. Plus, I had a husband’s salary behind me! I’d say I’m not too into risk. I need to break out of my comfort zone, in fact. I was forced to do that eventually, just by virtue of the fact that my work (in the home-building industry) went kaput nearly two years ago. So I had to find new ones, and branching out has been very good for me.

Yet I still need to challenge myself. I need to find ways to be more creative in work, and to investigate new ways and new media. So I’m embracing a great book on taking risks in work, “YOU UNSTUCK” by a professional coach (and entertainment industry veteran). Great stuff — it gives you the tools, and the hope, to get you past your sticking points, and to figure out the best ways to take risks and have them succeed, leading you to take bolder risks. It’s not just for work — it helps get you unstuck in life, finances, relationships, whatever.

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Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:40:44 +0000

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By: Wayne Key

Wayne Key — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:58:16 +0000

LoL… I have a raft of windows open with different articles in them to edit and loving editing as I do…well… lol… somehow I keep winding up here.

By: Laura Spencer

Laura Spencer — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:48:12 +0000

Wayne, you and I must have been commenting at almost the same time.

Great minds think alike. . .

By: Wayne Key

Wayne Key — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:48:09 +0000

Yikes… sorry guys… I forgot that I had already mentioned Seth’s talk here… sorry

By: Laura Spencer

Laura Spencer — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:47:30 +0000

Great point Rebecca!

Risk can be a good quality, but sometimes non-risk takers are successful too.

Also, as you point out, even the “safe” alternative might not be so safe.