Many of us have a dream about being able to work for ourselves. To wake up when we want, dictate our own hours, and get paid a decent amount, while still making time for long lunches, catchup with friends, a busy social life and rewarding family life.

Truth of the matter is; that crap is crazy-hard sometimes.

Please do NOT get me wrong; I absolutely adore the freelance gigs that I have had (and still have) over my short career so far, and I cherish the ability to earn money on my own terms, writing about things that are of interest to me. If someone approaches me looking for articles on a super-dull topic? Nu-uh, no thanks. Working this way has been very freeing in terms of re-awakening my creativity and widening my scope of learning, after a number of years in a traditional office setting. I now have the opportunity to explore topics that I want to learn more about, and get paid for doing so!

BUT, like all good things; there are inevitable downsides;

• Income is not guaranteed. No matter how good a writer you are. No matter how dedicated and hardworking you are; there is little guarantee that next month you will earn a comparable amount to this month. Freelancing is a field of pitches and troughs; there are some fantastic months, where all of your ideal-client-types somehow appear in your internet searches, or stumble across your website, and then there are some months when even the least discerning publications don’t want to know you. It can be tough to not have a guaranteed income, and some people are not ready to take that plunge.
• It can be lonely. When you are working solo (especially as a remote freelancer) it can be hard to go days without the companionship and camaraderie that is so common in traditional work places.
• It can be boring. Sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do; and you have to suck it up and write yet another low-paid article, because we all have bills, and they don’t stop coming just because your project list is looking a little light.
• Sometimes you have to hustle for payment. As awful as it is, some people don’t like to pay for your services. Through trial and error, its important to figure out early that you shouldn’t be working for free, if you can avoid it. I myself have been stung when asked to do a writing piece, and then burnt when the customer ghosted me without paying.

Now, my readers, for the silver lining;

• You CAN pick your own hours. Love to sleep in? Go right ahead. Have a long-lunch that you can’t drag yourself away from? You stay put! Make up the hours in the evening (or skip your sleep in tomorrow).
• You can pick your clients. If you are skilled enough, and have a natural love for your craft, or a specified talent field , you might have the luxury of being able to turn down jobs at whim.
• It can supplement an existing income, so that you get the best of both worlds. I maintain a full-time job while freelancing in the evenings and weekends. This means that I have a guaranteed salary each month, and then earn some extra $$$ after hours writing about things that are interesting to me. Because I am not dependant on freelancing for my full income, I can select my projects (and clients) based on genuine interest and curiosity, not financial necessity.

Its worth mentioning that freelancing doesn’t have to be writing (which is what I do). There are so many different kinds;

• Photography
• Modelling
• Writing
• Editing
• Copy writing
• Marketing
• Artwork
• Customer services
• Virtual assistant roles
• Data entry/analytics
• Book keeping
• Website management and IT services

These are just off the top of my head; there are so many more!

Still unsure if freelancing is for you? Why not give it a try for free? I am currently registered with a number of websites for my services; Upwork and Hubstaff Talent. I joined both of these because having an account is free, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit to a membership of a paid website. Each of Upwork and Hubstaff has its positives and negatives;

Upwork:

Pros:

• Free to have an account
• Easy to navigate
• User-friendly interface
• Provides Escrow features and payment security.
• Links with PayPal.
• Large and changing number of jobs and tasks from different industries and skill sets.
• Clients from around the world.
• Has a compatible app so that you can communicate with clients on the go
• Tells you how many jobs/payments a job-poster has made, as well as a star-rating from other freelancers, so you can see what their reputation is like

Cons:

• Very steep fees (20%!) deducted from your payments.
• Very fussy about requiring all work to be filtered through the website
• Payment instalment/milestone layout not very user-friendly if multiple milestones reached in close succession

Hubstaff: 

Pros:

• Free to open an account
• Easy to navigate
• Large number of jobs advertised
• International user base

Cons:

• No payment security – if you get a bung client who ghosts on payment, there’s nothing they can do
• You list your personal contact details on the website, so if you get a creepy customer, all the communication is direct to you
• I haven’t gotten a job through here yet.

For now, the work I have gotten through Upwork has kept me busy enough that I haven’t really put as much effort into using Hubstaff as I could have, so my opinion on the latter website is still pretty grey and open to change. My only real gripe with Upwork is their fees! Many projects offer quite a low-ball figure, and when you deduct 20% from that, sometimes you really have to ask yourself if the project is worth it. For now, the tasks that I have completed have gone really well, especially the fixed-price, fixed-term contracts, which has been a blessing. So I’m enjoying the experience as my career and portfolio builds. As things progress I may move towards direct freelancing, but for now this is paying off nicely.

So what are you waiting for! Go check it out and have a go; unleash that inner creative and see what you can make of it (and possible make FROM it!) Let me know in the comments section.

xx

Are you evaluating your 2018 progression and looking for a means to get back on track? Check out this post on treating July like the second New Years of the year!

Or, if you’re struggling to reach your goals, consider looking into what other approaches may work for you; detailed in this post.