One Question All Freelancers MUST Answer
Posted December 23, 2008 in Lifestyle 32 Comments »
Whether you’re a seasoned freelancer or you’ve just started your freelancing career, there is one question that you must know the answer to in order to meet your true goals. That question is deceptively simple. It is this:
Why? Why is it that you do what you do?
The question is deceptively simple because not everyone answers the question the same way. Also, it may have more than one answer.
Yet, you must know the answer to the Why question because that answer will help find your true goals. Knowing your true goals will help you make the day-to-day business decisions that are right for you.
Although many articles and books that I read are written as though all freelancers have the same motivation, it is simply not true.
Some possible answers to the Why question are listed below:
- To achieve better work/life balance
- To earn as much money as possible
- To spend most of your time doing what you love
- To have greater power over your career
- To help people
As you can see, there are many different possible answers to the question. You can probably think of even more reasons why someone might freelance.
It is likely that you will list more than one answer to the Why question at first. Most people have more than one motivation. However, one motivation is usually primary. If you listed more than one motivation, narrow your answer down to that which motivates you the most.
Let’s take a look at how motivation affects our day-to-day business decisions.
Example: A client asks you to begin a major project just before the start of a national holiday. The work will be dull, but you know that you can do it. Accepting the project means that you will have to work through the holiday. Because of the requirement to work through the holidays, the client has attached a sizeable bonus to the project. The client emphasizes how grateful they would be if you could accept this project now instead of later.
Let’s look at how several different freelancers might solve the scenario above, based on their primary motivation:
Susan is motivated by money. She wants to earn as much money as she possibly can as quickly as she can. Because her true goal is to earn money, Susan gladly accepts the opportunity for the bonus and works through the holiday.
Dennis is motivated by finding a better work/life balance. He started freelancing so that he would be able to always have enough time to spend with family and friends. Because his true goal is work/life balance, Dennis wants to spend the holidays with his friends. He negotiates a later deadline without the bonus.
Fred freelances because it allows him to do the creative work that he loves. Since this project described promises to be dull, Fred turns the project down. However, Fred does refer the client to a competent colleague.
Judy became a freelance consultant primarily because she loves to help people. Judy senses that the client is in a real bind. Her empathy for the client’s situation causes her to accept the assignment.
This example illustrates how our motivation affects our day-to-day business decisions. Without knowing your primary motivation, it would be easy to make a decision that is wrong for you.
Why not share how motivation has affected your freelance career in the comments?
What’s your true reason for freelancing?
What decision would you have made if you were faced with the scenario above (and why)?
About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 19 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts
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32 Comments
tom s
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:22 amI think my main motivation for freelancing is personal freedom to run my life as I want and thus to be able to free up time and money for ideas I may have. So as a freelancer, I would take or refuse the dull work depending on my overall cashflow and the projects that I next want to get involved in. But I would chafe less about doing the dull work as a freelancer than I would if I was assigned to do it within the context of a full-time job because as a freelancer I would be doing it for myself. I prefer freelancing but I am currently in a fulltime job in order to save some money and hopefully invest in a property that I might one day live in, which would then leave me feeling less pressure to earn money and more freedom to follow my nose. In the end, the sooner you follow your nose, the more quickly you discover what you want to do and thus the sooner you start earning well. I guess I’m just a bit cautious…
crazywabbit
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:07 amI think the above picture right away gives the wrong impression that freelancers can have that much fun, not true at all.
David Hepburn
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:49 amI do what I do because I love it. There is nothing quite like the feeling of completing a video project, be it a commercial or internal business video, and knowing that I had a hand in it from creating the idea, to shooting it, through the final editing process.
That said, in the scenario described, it would depend on what national holiday it was. Christmas? No. Labor day? Yes. It would also depend on the client. If it’s one that I’ve really enjoyed working with in the past, then I might be more inclined to accept the project.
No matter how sizeable the bonus, sometimes there’s just no good reason to work through a holiday.
Steve Atkinson
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:51 amFor me being a freelancer gives me the freedom to set my own schedule. in a 9 to 5 job, those are the hours and unless you get permission from your supervisor to be away, you are working, Freelancing allows one to work when the mood is right, whether it’s a 9 o’clock in the morning or 9 o’clock in the evening.
It also doesn’t force one to take off holidays that are not meaningful to them. In the example above depending on the holiday may depend on whether you take the job or pass. But then again generally unless it’s a job that you want to do then take it no matter when, And rarely take a job that you think will bore you, you may end up putting it off to the last moment and have to pass on something that you’d rather do.
Have a great holiday season and a Happy New Year
Laura Spencer
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:00 amGreat feedback on this one!
I love the variety of reasons that we freelance too – Tom S and Steve Atkinson are motivated by freedom. David Hepburn is motivated by doing what he loves.
Crazywabbit, I’m not sure that I understood your answer. Can you elaborate?
Great Stuff!
How would you address the scenario?
Phillipe Calmet
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:59 amTo me: Freedom…
To be able to choose the project you really want to work on, and to choose the hours of the day when you do it, is definitely what i love about this “lifestyle”…
@Laura: I think crazywabbit is talking about the picture of the guy with his laptop on the beach :P
Dave
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:04 pmI hate hierarchal power structures. I freelance so that I can make a living by working with clients rather than by working for anyone. I tend to think of this as a desire for autonomy, but sometimes wonder whether it might really be more about respect.
In the scenario presented, I would tell them that I’d try to have it done by their requested due date and negotiate an arrangement to do it with a bonus if I make that date (presumably a smaller bonus, since I wouldn’t be committing to it). I want to help them out and will do my best to do so in exchange for appropriate consideration, but, if it’s that date or nothing, then I’ll refer them to someone else and walk away rather than dancing to their tune.
Wendy Sullivan
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:06 pmI would work through New Year’s but not Christmas Eve (I might do Christmas Day, tho) on such a project.
I became a freelancer to make money doing what I love. But it’s like any job: There are going to be tasks that bore the crap out of me. So why not take the extra money and run with it?
Laura, this was a great question to put to us. Thanks for making us think!
Wendy
Laura Spencer
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:22 pmMore great feedback! This is a great bunch of readers.
Phillipe – Thanks for clarifying crazywabbit’s comment. Being a writer I was thinking of the verbal picture not the actual one.
To be truthful, I think the actual picture (guy on a beach with laptop) is a bit of a freelancing cliche. I’m not sure how accurate it is. I’ve never worked on a beach exactly like that (I prefer to sit up anyway), but I do confess to taking my laptop on vacation and working from the Internet connection in the hotel room in the evenings. (I wonder if picture guy’s beach has a wireless connection?)
Blog Expert
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:26 pmI do it this way because it allows me to work whenever I want to.
Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:56 pmI’m sitting by the pool on the Big Island of Hawaii this morning, having my coffee and checking email, tweets and blog entries. I often explain my independent work by saying, “It’s not that I don’t play well with others; it’s just that I want to choose where, when and with whom I play.”
Wendy Sullivan
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:49 pmJeff – I’ve done that! But on Oahu, by the pool. And with a margarita.
Meadow DeVor
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:27 pmI love what I do. I love being able to work from anywhere. I love being able to work whenever I choose. I love being able to make killer money – working from home, in my yoga clothes.
Meadow
Internet Mogal
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:59 pmI think passion has alot to do with it for anyone who freelances, especially if you’re freelancing full-time. Given all the stress and headaches involved with running your own shop, you have to truly love what you’re doing to put up with it.
Whenever I got stressed at my traditional job it was a bad stress. As a freelancer I still get stressed but it feels different or what I often refer to as “good stress.”
My motivation for doing it: I want the flexibility to design a lifestyle for myself that I genuinely enjoy.
Jen Brister
December 24th, 2008 at 1:11 amMy motivation is definitely a work/life balance. It’s something that has seriously been lacking for me. I am planning to freelance full time by the end of 2009!
Lynn Cummings
December 24th, 2008 at 10:17 amFrankly, I just want to work in my jammies all day. How’s that for honesty?
Laura Spencer
December 24th, 2008 at 12:59 pmGreat comments!
I love hearing everyone’s motivation.
Meadow DeVor and Lynn – I have to confess, I don’t usually work in my jammies but I’m usually wearing sweats.
Laura
December 24th, 2008 at 1:06 pmMeadow, Lynn, I’m with you guys on the yoga clothes/jammies front. It rocks. Totally worth not having dental.
As for how much fun a freelancer has, all people–freelance or otherwise–make their own fun. My comment on the pic: he looks like he’s on vacation exploiting the hell out of his fab freelancing life while writing a travel article to write off the entire trip as a business expense. Woo-hoo!
I have had bikini-on-the-beach projects, and there’s nothing like it. There haven’t been as many as I would like yet, but I’m working on it. Would I do this on a holiday with a boring project. You bet!
Jennifer
December 24th, 2008 at 3:04 pmAt this point, my reasons for freelancing are freedom and money.
- The freedom to write for many different publications and websites
- To make extra money on top of my day job.
This inspired me to write a post of my own!
Laura Spencer
December 24th, 2008 at 4:12 pmThanks Jennifer!
Let us know when your post is ready and I’ll take a look.
Virgil
December 25th, 2008 at 10:59 ami am new to freelancing and it’s a sideline for now. think it would be a good use of my time at home. earning extra while playing with my kids and talking to my wife. they’re my inspiration.
Clinton Begin
December 25th, 2008 at 4:07 pmI returned to a full-time position after freelancing for 2 years. While I really enjoyed freelancing, especially working in “comfort attire”, I found that I was not fulfilled entirely by just work. I missed the people. I found it hard to maximize my influence, involvement and relationships with others and therefore I could not be 100% of what I am.
As good as Skype is, there’s nothing like going for a Latte with real people. It’s worth putting on dress clothes for that.
Everything else (work/life balance, money, doing what you love, power over your career, helping people) can all be achieved whether you’re a freelancer, full-time employee, or a contracted on-site consultant.
If you’re good at what you do, the logistics and working arrangements matter little.
Dave
December 25th, 2008 at 10:27 pmI’d have to disagree with you there, Clinton. I’ve never heard of an employer who routinely lets their full-time employees or on-site contractors operate autonomously with full control over their working conditions or the freedom to accept or reject tasks at will. Unless you are at the absolute top of your profession, any employer will expect you to work for them – even just by telling you to be on-site, they’re asserting authority over you rather than interacting with you as an equal. Being merely “good at what you do” (as opposed to a superstar of the field) is not sufficient for an employer to grant you the autonomy as an employee that you almost-automatically have as a freelancer.
Power over your career, yeah, sure, you can definitely have that as an FTE (although it seems likely to require a willingness to change jobs frequently). Power over the day-to-day details of how, where, and when you work, though? Not so much.
So, no, my reason for freelancing (”I freelance so that I can make a living by working with clients rather than by working for anyone.”) cannot be achieved as an FTE.
Clinton Begin
December 25th, 2008 at 10:40 pmThe suggestion that you have complete or absolute control over anything when you’re a freelancer or a contractor is an oversimplification in my opinion.
In a sense, your customer becomes your employer. They too will demand that you work under certain conditions, and if you routinely turn down tasks at will, then you will quickly be seen as unreliable in their eyes. Your reputation depends on your being flexible and easy to work with. More often than not, that means working their way, not yours.
I’ve gotten pretty lucky as a freelancer, working with great people and doing interesting work — a dream for any freelancer. But I choose the employment route to work more closely with people. I’ve found an equal amount of freedom regardless.
Clinton
Dave
December 25th, 2008 at 10:56 pmPerhaps I overstated it. There are, of course, never absolutes.
Maybe I’ve just been lucky as well, but, in my experience as a freelancer, I tend to be treated as an equal by my clients, while my employers in full-time or on-site contract positions have generally treated me as a subordinate. That, to me, is an extremely significant difference, even if the work done and the working conditions were to end up being identical in both scenarios.
Jacob Cass
December 26th, 2008 at 7:21 amPassion and to help the world get less ugly.
Tom @ wagefreedom.com
December 26th, 2008 at 12:58 pmI’ll flat-out admit it. I was a freelancer for the money. A hired gun on good days, and a prostitute on bad days, depending on how I was feeling. Big company or small, anywhere in the US, as long as there was heavy overtime. Funded plenty of backpacking trips around the world, and ironically that ensured that I’d have to return to the thing I hated doing. Even the best view in the world (Santorini ; ) ) can look like hell knowing you’re heading back to prison…
I finally got ‘the big one’, a contract with unlimited overtime for a long time and a good rate, and I saw that I could work toward a new goal: getting out.
I escaped to my place near a beach in the ‘developing world’. Every day I thank the tired guy that was me on that gig, that he/I had the strength and resolve to do it.
My advice would be to find something to do for money that you love to do. But I didn’t find that thing, and so for me freelancing was a means to get away from doing things that I didn’t like for money, to start living again.
Laura Spencer
December 27th, 2008 at 10:49 amGreat feedback here!
Tom, frankly I’m surprised that more people haven’t stepped forward to admit that they freelance for the money. Perhaps there is a stigma attached to being too mercenary. . .
Anyway, keep the comments coming.
Jason Lengstorf
December 28th, 2008 at 1:55 pmI’m lucky enough to really enjoy back-end programming, which means my desire to be filthy freakin’ rich can take a comfortable back seat to my love of coding. I make better-than-decent money freelancing, but I don’t know if I could switch over and do something different for more money, even if all other working conditions were the same.
I’d rather make a little less and keep my love of the work.
That being said, I would probably take the holiday project. I ended up working through Christmas anyways, just because I didn’t really have anything better to do after the two hour Christmas morning tradition.
-Jason
Michael D
December 29th, 2008 at 7:21 pmBecause I love it, and I don’t love lack of freedom in corporate settings.
blue2x
March 4th, 2009 at 1:37 pmI love to freelance since I can do things the way i want to do it, work anytime, no hassle , plus freelancing ( logo / web design ) will lead me into another opportunity, and that is saving up enough money and staring some kind of business. This will be my next direction, I used a portion of my savings enrolling in 2 networking businesses , and in the future will be starting my own.
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