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Topic: full time freelancers - when you made the jump...
| Author | Message |
| crackersncheese | Posted – 3/7/2006 3:10:02 PM | show profile The past month I've had some minor success in getting freelance clients (one copyediting and the other proofreading) but it's by no means enough to quit my day job. I had an interview at a freelance agency (temp-style work for one day to six month assignments) that went really well and the woman interviewing me said that, with a few clients of my own on the side, I should be able to make a go of it with full time freelancing. Sitting at my day job (nothing related to editing) I'm so bored with the work and totally frustrated by the office politics. I'm making $15/hour here. My questions, then, are: how many clients did you have before you took the plunge and quit your day job? Do you have any experience with temp-ish agencies? Did you find yourself working a steady part time gig for a while (waiting tables, retail, substitute teaching, whatever)? How do you know when it's time to just go for it? |
| Daisy Chestnut | Posted – 3/7/2006 4:41:23 PM | show profile | email poster I quit my fulltime PR job after I got two assignments. One paid $600; the other 6K. I figured that was enough to float for awhile. I had reached the point where if I had to go into an office one more day, I'd shoot myself in the face. I wanted to be home; I wanted to be in charge of my day. I hated having to be at a desk from 9 to 5--it was awful! To make ends meet, I took easy PT jobs. One was data entry like 12 hours a week. I quit that after 3 months--too boring! Next I worked as a housekeeper for a doctor who paid me $20/hour. It was great b/c he was nice and a clean freak so the house, albeit HUGE wasn't THAT messy. At that time, I also gardened PT, like 5-10 hours a week at $10/hour. I kept the housekeeping job for 2 years, then quit once I got REALLY busy w/ freelance assignments. Mind you, my husband is employed FT and makes a decent salary--he also provides health insurance. I'm sure it's possible to be a successful single freelancer, though--just depends on where you live and what your expenses are. I'm in Connecticut and don't think I could do it here alone; I'd have to move somewhere more affordable--our mortgage is crazy high! Just keep pitching at night after work (I always pitch via email) and eventually, you'll find yourself with work! Best of luck! |
| writesonwater | Posted – 3/7/2006 5:13:36 PM | show profile | email poster When I went freelance I was leaving a wacky environment, with one too many wacko-isms from my boss. That was it. I had the leisure of getting good and fed up because my husband makes decent money and I had finally gotten to the level of experience where I could freelance, I hoped. I went at it full-time plus, determined to put myself through my own mini-MFA and learn everything I could. I queried like crazy, got some solid assignments bolstered by my quick reaction to news forces beyond my control. To my surprise, I have hardly missed a financial beat -- except for when I have taken time off for family trips, which my old job wouldn't have allowed. I can tell you that when I went FT freelance before (when my daughter was small) I helped fill out my economic pie with doing resumes and graphic design and PR and organizing events and columns and articles and -- the list goes on. Then I wasn't as plugged in to internet resources (this was 12 years ago) so things have changed for the better. If you want to take the leap, look around for cushioning material -- can you cut expenses? take out savings? work at a job? live with a sister in exchange for housekeeping? |
| crackersncheese | Posted – 3/7/2006 5:39:03 PM | show profile Thanks for the advice. I currently live with my girlfriend but we split household expenses 50/50 (mainly because we both make the same tiny salary). I feel like if I scrap this hellish job for the ''freelance lifestyle'' it will probably actually mean joining a few temp agencies and doing standard reception work in between sporadic freelance gigs. But even that might be better than this - less responsibility and more conviction to pursue freelance opportunities with everything I've got. |
| Darbie | Posted – 7/23/2006 1:04:19 PM | show profile My Situation Too Wow Daisy and Over, Your situations sound a lot like mine, but more advanced. I am a TV News Producer who writes for a weekly publication on the side but I want to turn that into a freelance life. With my job now I get home at 8pm so i am working 11 hours plus commuting. I am not looking to work less, just work for myself, and my husband makes a good enough salary for me to take the leap. We also live in the south - much cheaper to live on one salary here. Right now I am writing for free - YIKES YOU SAY! Actually I am the Media Expert for the paper and do the job in conjunction with my TV News Producing. I am so sick of going to my windowless office, I never even see the outside world, and I am sick of going to staff meetings to hear about the garbage about ratings and money and blah. I am a hard worker--almost freakishly organized, and I do not need someone else telling me when to work. I do not make a lot at my job now, in the low $30's and I am at the top as far as Producing positons. I plan, in one year to start to make the switch and plan to keep the articles I am writing as samples. Is it doable to make $30's in your first year? Darbie |
| Linda F | Posted – 7/23/2006 1:28:45 PM | show profile Crackersncheese, I'd like to chime in. When I went FT freelance in 1997 my husband Eric was in college and temped one day per week, so the burden was really on me to bring in income. After my husband graduated, he became a freelance writer himself. So it IS possible to succeed without a partner who works outside the home, though of course you're always hustling (luckily I enjoy this style of working), and paying for health insurance is a huge PITA. I was lucky...when I started pitching magazines 10 years ago, I had a PT job at a small company in Berkeley, CA, and my husband worked FT at a bookstore. My work hours were really flexible, and as I got more writing assignments I cut down my office hours more and more until I finally quit and we moved across the country. My husband and I had saved enough money to get by for three months, so I had that much time to ramp up my income. I did it by doing corporate writing for local businesses as well as writing for trade and consumer magazines. However, I have to admit that at the time we had no kids (still don't), no mortgage, no car payments, and if I remember correctly my grad school loans and Eric's college loans hadn't yet come due, so our expenses were low. I know a lot of people who want to jump into FT freelancing have kids, mortgages, etc., and of course it's more difficult for them...I recommend checking out the website From Diapers to Deadlines (http://diaperstodeadlines.typepad.com/), which is for freelance writers who have kids. Good luck! Linda http://www.lindaformichelli.com http://renegadewriterblog.blogspot.com |
| Darbie | Posted – 7/23/2006 4:44:16 PM | show profile Great Info Linda I enjoyed reading your reply! It sounds like you have had a lot of sucess with your writing. I am only beginning - trying to move out of TV Producing and into a different environment. I expect hard work but do you ever get lonely? I always wanted to ask that of someone who is far ahead in the freelancing thing. I am tired of commuting to a windowless room everyday and never seeing the sun, but I do enjoy some of my co-workers on a personal level. ps - i am from Berkeley California, got married on campus, live in South Carolina now! |
| writesonwater | Posted – 7/23/2006 7:55:18 PM | show profile | email poster Sometimes I miss the facetime of the office. Sometimes I miss the extensive local contact -- most of my work is done by telephone. I have found it helped to tap into my network and keep in touch with friends and rellies via email. I also have a couple people I check in with periodically for lunch and things. You have to work on the isolation thing. I really recommend making efforts to get out and involved, and it's something I struggle with. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 7/23/2006 7:59:17 PM | show profile I spend most of my work day at Starbucks. It gets to be a very social atmosphere. All you need is a cellphone, a labtop and a tmobile wireless account. =Sometimes I miss the facetime of the office. Sometimes I miss the extensive local contact -- most of my work is done by telephone. If you have a cellphone and a tmobile wireless account, it's no different than being at your home office. I have found it helped to tap into my network and keep in touch with friends and rellies via email. I also have a couple people I check in with periodically for lunch and things. You have to work on the isolation thing. I really recommend making efforts to get out and involved, and it's something I struggle with.= |
| cat_macinnes | Posted – 7/23/2006 10:34:39 PM | show profile agents Hi, I know this is a bit of a change of subject but I'm on a search for an American agent or rep for an illustrator who works in Australia. Does anyone know of anyone or anything that could help me out? Thanks, Cat. |
| westsidestory | Posted – 7/24/2006 11:34:40 PM | show profile Well, Crackers, reading the postings I guess my biggest mistake before taking the big swan dive the first time was not getting married FIRST. Lacking the spousal cushion of finance I managed to get myself nicely fired, which provided a meager but steady stream of unemployment checks for about a year or so. I started with one steady client and networked like mad at industry conferences in my field. I chased stories and discovered nothing works quite like shoe leather if the goal is to make a name for yourself among editors. I did not waste time temping or draining my brain and soul with stupid work that did not relate to my topic areas. In your case and in this economy I would try to get at least one steady gig (monthly, weekly, whatever) to help you transition out of the steady paycheck life. And, get married as soon as you can, of course. Those little envelopes and the nice gifts will come in handy! |
| caitlinkelly | Posted – 7/25/2006 8:51:45 AM | show profile >It gets to be a very social atmosphere. All you need is a cellphone, a labtop and a tmobile wireless account.> Depending on your natural gregariousness, the relentless isolation can be enervating. While being surrounded by other people certainly helps, it's not the same as staying in touch with colleagues, whether fellow freelancers or former staff colleagues, and friends -- and doing that face to face. Because you end up doing so much, perhaps all, of your freelance work by phone and email, it's entirely possible to spend week after week alone all day, rarely meeting new or familiar people in person. After a while, I found it challenging to feel connected and to gain any sort of intellectual stimulation, which I've always enjoyed in my staff jobs and miss when working from home. I went FT freelance with about two months' savings, no husband or other form of support/subsidy, a manageable mortgage and a couple of good assignments. I had no financial backup from anyone for the first five years, no PT work, and needing more assignments to bring in money tends to force you to find them. I agree that lowering your fixed costs (I carried no debt other than a mortgage) is essential and being able to stay out of your favorite stores/restaurants or on-line sites will also keep you solvent. It's tempting to some to "keep up" with free-spending friends who have a steady salary or other source of income, and not a wise decision. |
| jcpatterson | Posted – 7/25/2006 8:59:22 AM | show profile I think the important commonality of these responses is not presence of a financial cushion of some sort, but a very clear vision of what the alternative to freelancing is. I have a similar story--walked out of a job that was torture every waking minute (punctuated by requests for unethical behavior) and started freelancing with one steady client and two semi-steady, all three paying less than $500 per assignment. I worked continuously at freelancing, making over 100 contacts with potential clients per month. I did nothing but sit at home, pay the mortgage, and work on freelancing, and I was delighted. I knew what my options looked like if I went back to an office. Nothing inspires you like trying to escape a worklife that you don't like. That said, financial cushions are always good things, and you should have as many as you can line up before you take the leap. Marriage is nice but not something you do for freelancing (I was single when I went freelance), but more realistic cushions are savings, reduced expenses, low effort part-time jobs, and steady clients. |
| Linda F | Posted – 7/25/2006 10:00:06 AM | show profile Darbie, I don't get lonely because my husband is a freelance writer, too, and we work in the same office. (In fact, I suspect I drive him a little nuts with my constant chatter.) Also, I've made lots of writer friends online and off, mostly from boards like these, and often skip out for lunch with friends (writer and non-writer). Also, a bit OT, there are discussion boards for people with all sorts of hobbies, and Eric and I have met local people to socialize with that way. For example, Eric is a huge board game fan, and since moving to NH last year we've met tons of local board gamers through online game sites. They come to our house every other week for gaming -- and have become friends that we see often. The flexible schedule of freelancing lets us rearrange our work schedules so we can socialize! Cheers, Linda |
| crackersncheese | Posted – 7/25/2006 3:25:11 PM | show profile Funny to see this thread resurface, as I quit my desk job just two weeks ago. So far, so good. I have two months of savings tucked away, a part time barista job lined up, and signed up with a freelance temp agency for the occassional temp assignment. I was panicked the first three days but, after that, have not stopped grinning. I have six months until I start grad school, which is a nice built-in trial period for whether I like this lifestyle long term. |
| Newsy | Posted – 7/25/2006 5:40:08 PM | show profile I think I'm still on the road to getting there...it takes awhile. Good luck everyone! |
| Stanley_Milgram | Posted – 7/25/2006 7:51:38 PM | show profile you never really know. At some point you just have to leap. I walked out of my job in 1990, fell on my poverty-stricken ass, took a part time job for a few months in 1991 and by the fall of that year, was running off 100% freelance income. Never worked a job since. I'd say if half your needed income can be covered by steady clients, then trust yourself that working full time you can successfully pitch enough stories to make up the other half. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have some rainy-day cash in the bank. |
| Darbie | Posted – 7/26/2006 6:08:31 AM | show profile Inspiring These posts are really inspiring me to take the leap and I really appreciate all the information and honesty about the difficulty and the reward of a freelance life. For the past couple years I have not only been yearing to write but craving some freedom to schedule my day as I wish. I am organized and work hard, but my current job has me in endless meetings about the VISION for our news programs and the station. Really, it is an open platform for people who like to hear themselves talk, do so, it is rarely informative and usually long and boring. I appreciate my current position and have gotten a lot out of my job - show tapes - writing challenges - training on the latest editing equipment....but I feel most proud when I write something that I ENJOY reading. I make in the low 30's per year, but I am mainly looking for a little freedom over money. I am putting away money this year to make the leap next year and trying to pick up an assignment here and there. I love the idea of working HARD for myself! Was there any equipment that you needed to get to freelance - besides a computer and dictionary? |
| caitlinkelly | Posted – 7/26/2006 9:45:29 AM | show profile >I make in the low 30's per year, but I am mainly looking for a little freedom over money.> You can have more of both if you're successful freelancing...If you can't outearn low $30s as a FT freelancer, I'd say it isn't worth doing. That may be plenty for people with well-paid spouses/health insurance/different goals, but for a single person who will have to purchase their own health insurance on the rapacious open market, put away 15% for FICA, save for retirement, I'd suggest a goal of increasing your income by at least $10K above your current salary, perhaps to stay at the same level financially -- but with the time you want and need to think more clearly about your next step(s). This is not a value judgment of people earning $30-40K freelance, but a larger question of how much further ahead you're going to get if you don't keep moving up financially. People who choose freelance for an easier life(style) still need to keep potentially unsteady income/consistently higher expenses in focus as well. |
| Little Fingers Make Magic Happen | Posted – 7/26/2006 8:28:10 PM | show profile loneliness Wow, what a treat to find this thread. Thanks so much to everyone for the great advice and for sharing stories. I wanted to say, for what it's worth, that I get really lonely sometimes, too. I got a cat, who is my little buddy and a great help. I take a phone break once a day to call a friend. I participate in online communities, like this one. And I regularly schedule visits, dinners, and other outings with friends. I don't do lunches because the temptation to stay out and play all afternoon is too great! |
| writesonwater | Posted – 7/26/2006 9:20:27 PM | show profile | email poster Darbie, in terms of other equipment, besides laptop, mine includes an Olympus dig recorder downloadable to my computer, a Sony 5 megapixel camera, a fax and printer, cel phone and land line, internet. Car. I hardly ever use the fax and printer, but that's from a stubborn habit of trying to stay digital. You can use a file cabinet, dresser or shelves for storage. On the phone, I have unlimited long distance plan because i use it soooo much. The imprint of the receiver is permanently tattooed on my ear. Many others have gone to an earphone thing for hands-free note taking/transcription. I have not, but I'm mulling it. |
| caitlinkelly | Posted – 7/26/2006 9:47:09 PM | show profile Other "equipment" to consider, and invest in: business cards (nicely designed, heavy paper); website (updated frequently); personal stationery (for thank-you notes, etc.) While some people scoff at using snail-mail and paper, I know others still appreciate receiving good, stylish stationery (i.e. Crane, etc.), and a personal note instead of one more email. When you work for yourself, remember that every interaction you have with someone is a chance to represent your business and you want every interaction, if possible, to leave a great impression. Some people still use a Rolodex for sources and some use a whiteboard to keep track of all their projects and the status of each one. Some also use voice recognition software, but I never have. |
