Five Freelancing Facts I Could Do Without
Posted July 6, 2010 in Freelance Stories, Lifestyle
I have been freelancing part and full time as a web and graphic designer for over 15 years, and most days I would not trade it for the world. I love being my own boss, working the hours I choose and the joy of being around my family far more often than if I went to an office each day. The positives of my working arrangements far outweigh any negatives I could come up with, so very seldom do I ever even think about them.
Still, there are a few elements to the freelance lifestyle that I could definitely do without. In this post, I will share with you some of my least favorite parts of being a freelancer that I have come to terms with and accepted as facts of the freelance life.
No More Scheduled Payday
When I made the leap into full-time freelancing, I suddenly had to rethink how I managed my income. No more dependable weekly or monthly paycheck. No more scheduling online payments. No more guarantee that I would have a check coming before rent is due.
Saying hello to freelancing meant saying goodbye to financial stability. Although I make more money than I used to when I was working a regular job, I never know when it is actually coming in. The juggling of bills and responsibilities is a new skill I have had to learn that someday may lead to an ulcer, thanks to the increased potential for stress. I imagine this fact is a little bit easier for single freelancers to handle, but since I am providing for my wife, three kids, and myself, this is definitely at the top of my list of freelancing facts I could do without.
A Blurry Line Between Work and Off Time
For those that go to their workplace every day, there is a clear definition of the beginning and end of business hours. Even with stringent strides toward creating the same clarity when working from home, it is far more difficult for freelancers to declare when they are on and off the clock. For me personally, I try to integrate my work life with my home life rather than separate them, so this makes the discipline of defining work hours even more challenging. Many freelancers choose to have a separate office in their home, but still find it taxing to try to stay away from work when they’re supposed to. There’s just no way other than strong self-discipline to keep this line from getting blurred, and it’s one down side of the freedom of freelancing from home.
Now I’m a Salesman Too
Freelancers have to continually find ways to bring in new business. Our livelihood depends on it. So, once I began freelancing it wasn’t long before I realized I was also donning the proverbial plaid leisure suit of the used car salesman and making those sales calls. I am somewhat an introvert, and networking has never been my strong suit, but without it my freelancing business would have never even got off the ground. I’m better at it than I used to be, but it is always a joy when new clients come to me rather than me having to pound the pavement.
Those Unaccepted Proposals
How many proposals have you put time and effort into preparing, sent to the client and waited with your fingers crossed, only to learn that someone else got the job? I’ve never taken the time to look at my statistics, but my guess is that a significant number of the proposals I write end up in someone’s wastebasket. We have to write them, and learn from our mistakes in an effort to get better at them, but there are a lot of unpaid hours that go into those unaccepted proposals. I could definitely live without that wasted time and energy.
Ridiculous Requests and Demands
Every freelancer has at least one client horror story, and if you’ve been doing it for any length of time you may have several. For me, handling outrageous requests and demands from clients and potential clients with professional prowess is not one of my favorite things to do.
At least once a week I receive an email from someone asking if I could build them an entire website for one tenth of what any respectable web designer/developer would charge. Another common fail is the vague statement, something like, “Make the design better.” Yes, I have actually heard that one a few times.
The challenge for me is to refrain from losing my temper and destroying any possibility of working with the client in the future, while still managing the relationship in a way that does not belittle the experience and skill I bring to it. Yet, every time I receive a ridiculous request, I am reminded yet again of those days when I just had work placed on my desk with clear instructions, instead of a barrage of ignorance or disrespect.
I Still Love Freelancing More
Regardless of these facts that I fight with regularly, I very seldom focus on them. The joy and freedom I have found in freelancing is much more valuable to me, and I choose to look at the glass as 90% full rather than 10% empty. Still, there are occasionally days where several or even all of these things occur at once and I could very easily catch myself dreaming of past experiences and situations where a co-worker or supervisor handled these painful duties instead of me. Yet I am certain I would never go back to the nine-to-five, short of the only other choice being homelessness. The adventure of freelancing is a thrilling roller coaster ride that I don’t ever want to unbuckle myself from.
What About You?
Have you found some facts of the freelancing life that you could live without? How do you handle them when they arise? Please share your thoughts in the comments so we can learn from each other’s experiences and move toward keeping the negatives of freelancing to a minimum.
Image by Grafoo at Dreamstime
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About the author: Brian is a freelance web & graphic designer with over 15 years' experience. His business bkmacdaddy designs specializes in completely custom WordPress, Joomla, Magento & CSS/XHTML websites as well as logo design, brand identity, social media management and more. Brian is a father of 3 and madly in love with his wife of many years.
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42 Comments
Caroline Wylie
July 6th, 2010 at 8:39 amYou forgot one – the lack of a watercooler and associated gossip!
I actually know a few virtual assistants who missed the office banter so much they returned to full-time work. A great way of minimising your social isolation is to connect on forums, have a buddy on Instant Messenger who also works on their own, or to make sure you get out and meet a real live person at least once a week.
Jordan Walker
July 6th, 2010 at 8:51 amHaving social interaction with others on topics non-web related takes a dive. For me, I spend each night reading something other than programming books.
Brian McDaniel
July 6th, 2010 at 9:02 am@Caroline: Good point, but I didn’t forget it (since this is a list of my own personal choices). I am a bit of an introvert, so the lack of social interaction is actually a plus for me, since now I don’t HAVE to be (or pretend to be) friends with people I work with. I also am pleased to live without the office gossip and drama. In my situation, I have the joy of replacing awkward or unwanted office relationships with my family and my real friends I hang out with elsewhere.
But I totally understand for the more social creatures that this would be something they could miss terribly. Thanks for bringing it up!
Dr. Freelance
July 6th, 2010 at 10:15 amHey Brian–with regard to #1, I always cheer myself up with the thought that “maybe today’s the day I’ll get 3 or 4 checks in the mail.” I love those days!
And as far as extrovert/introvert, I lean toward the former, but I’m right with you on the fact that The Drama takes the fun out of the social component. (Plus, my wife comes home from her corporate gig and has more than enough tales of office irritation for the both of us.)
Freelance FactFile
July 6th, 2010 at 11:08 amAs freelancers, we’re not just the salesman, we’re also the MD, stationery buyer, telephone answerer, coffee maker, post guy, office cleaner, accounts clerk and admin assistant. Oh, and we have to do client work too.
Jen
July 6th, 2010 at 11:13 amAfter working for months on a project riddled with odd requests and me having to email over and over again just to get what I needed for the project when I billed the client for the agreed amount I got a letter ripping me apart saying I charged way too much and that she refused to pay the full amount because my work was sub par (mind you, she approved the work each step of the way). She payed me just enough to know it wasn’t worth my time and effort to go after her.
It’s made me rethink my business practices, and while I might be bruised now I’m trying to take everything as a learning process. But as much as I love what I do, I really could have lived without that.
Nico
July 6th, 2010 at 12:10 pmOne fact that I could have done without was the delinquent accounts. I knew there would be issues trying to collect from some people, but I didn’t realize it would be everyone. I have, what I would think, is an iron-clad contract that outlines payment time-lines and late fees. It is not until their payment is late, do they contest the contract that they signed in the first place. It’s not until I call them on it, do they feel they are being wronged.
Jae Xavier
July 6th, 2010 at 1:29 pmlol… odd requests
Even though I specifically state what type of work my firm does on my website, business card, advertisements, and my main referrers, they still ask…
On another note, gradually I have given my hats (accounting, administrative, designer) away to people I hire so I can focus on sales. I love it!
mike ilsley
July 6th, 2010 at 2:48 pmSo true. So much time is wasted on proposals. So many nights and weekends spent working. But there’s just something about having your own clients that makes freelancing fun still..
Trina L. Grant
July 6th, 2010 at 2:54 pmI discovered the joy of being able to make my own hours and spend more time with my family also means I don’t get to go to work and get away from them once in a while, much as I love them.
Ashley Hill
July 6th, 2010 at 3:21 pmI’m going the other way…I’m a freelancer a bit tired of it and looking for the steady check. I can totally connect to the pros and cons of it, however, but it’s hard to plan things with others when I’m not sure when I’ll have to work. With a steady full-time job I’ll know when I’m working and how much I’m getting paid.
I do plan on getting back into freelancing in a couple of years, once I have more of a safety net in place as far as finances, and maybe when I get a bit more experience and can command more pay.
Rachell
July 6th, 2010 at 3:24 pmMy sons are teenagers now, and when I used to keep to a home office I constantly felt like I was missing out on things with them (I’ve been in business since 1996, so have been working since they were babies). So like you, I’ve integrated my business with my home — I work from my living room couch with all my cords running behind the cushions and have wireless EVERYTHING! This way, I’m in the thick of things with my family and can work on a project while yelling at them for leaving their shoes in the middle of the floor — ahhhhh, the joys of multi-tasking! ;)
Allena
July 6th, 2010 at 4:05 pmScheduled paydays: I think that one gem client who is an ongoing, scheduled payer is like gold. Like About.com- they pay about the same amount on about the same day every month. Mortgage. cha ching. If I hadn’t got with them early in my career, I might be back in the cube now.
Stephanie
July 6th, 2010 at 6:27 pmSince I became a freelancer first, it was like a breath of fresh air when I attended an interview I was invited for by a BPO company. They were looking for a web content writer to hire and saw my online profile on a jobs site, and because it was the first time I was called for I went and enjoyed the experience very much. I especially enjoyed talking to the recruit team, their boss, and even the taxi drivers that took me to McDonald’s during a 1-hour break.
But when I think about it, I could live without so much interaction with people. I have my baby girl to keep me company anyway so I’m not looking into trying out employment anytime soon. I can also live without the stable salaries the company and other corporations are offering since I’m making enough to keep us afloat as a freelancer and my husband is still sticking to his full-time job as a web developer.
Storm
July 7th, 2010 at 3:33 amOne thing I truly hate about freelancing professionally is having to compete against the “social” freelancers, those people who will quote a job a 10th of what its really worth just to get the jobs.
It might be great for the client but for those of us that really care about the quality of our work and the hours that go into creating it, it just adds one more thing that we have to defend ourselves against when potential clients baulk at quotes. “This guy will go it for less than half this price..”, “of course he will, but he’ll do less than half as good a job of it as I would”… GAHHH!!!!
Jonathan
July 7th, 2010 at 4:10 amThe number one thing I can agree with you is that thin red line between work and family time. I have my own office at home but still the urge to finish something, or just a quick peek to check if I have new client emails, etc. is there and have to be really restrained. So I constantly think, why am I doing this work? to whom will i use the money i get from these projects? and the answer is not only for me but for my wife also and our future family. Good thing I can still have my priorities even when being tempted. But its sooo hard!! :)
Freelancer
July 7th, 2010 at 7:20 amYes its of hard time for every one to deal. But one ting from my side is we can improve ourself only through strong hard work.
I too faced number of worst scenario in this line
Niubi
July 7th, 2010 at 7:29 amWell, you can always work in a public place – this helps with the socialization process. It’s not good to get too isolated! Regarding a regular paycheck, I’ve found that supplementing my freelance income with businesses like DubLi and putting the hours in there is really helping. Different horses, different courses. But I’ll never work 9-5, I promise that!
Freelance School
July 7th, 2010 at 10:56 amBrian – superb post. Top notch matey. I especially liked the becoming a salesperson. You are your own boss and everything too.
Richard Ball
July 9th, 2010 at 6:30 amLoneliness is my biggest fact i wish that wast so true, i work like 90% of the projects alone, you can always associate with other designers, and gather with them like in my case, but never get to have a real associate.
SJL Website Design
July 9th, 2010 at 8:41 amAwesome article, These are all valid points but like you say the good outweigh the bad easily!
Thanks for sharing.
dp
July 9th, 2010 at 5:52 pmHere’s more:
You have to prove yourself all over again with every new client
You have to chase your clients to get paid
There’s no one else around to bounce ideas off of
No Health insurance
Feel guilty about taking time off
I could go on and on.
So it goes…
-dp
vibe web design
February 11th, 2011 at 6:37 amThanks for it, Your articles are always useful & Helpful to us. I wait your next article.
Reynolds Web Design
June 27th, 2011 at 4:18 pmI love meeting other freelancers and hearing their stories just to confirm I’m not the only crazy one doing this business. I would never change it for a 9 – 5 but it can be extremely hard at times and almost impossible to not think about work when on holiday, but at the same time I enjoy that.
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