As the owner of WM Medical Communications, there are so many days when I’m grateful to be a freelancer. I’ve been running my own business since the early 90s (first in print, then online) and have helped launch numerous clients, particularly in the health/medicine fields and most especially in the boomers+ market.
And there are so many days when I think I’m truly out of my mind.
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What makes for these ups and downs? Here are just a few pros and cons I’ve learned about being one’s own boss, with additional insights from several generous colleagues.
Cons
The Transition Can Be Tough
People come to freelancing through numerous avenues. I was forced into it through a recession, during which my husband lost his job too. Let me tell you, when we cleaned out most of our savings because of what it cost to set up a home office with computers, fax and printer, I was scared.
“I was an assistant editor in a New York City publishing company that was sold. I had offers to stay on, but I wasn’t interested; I really wanted to explore writing. So I went out on my own. I had to do a lot of copyediting while I got into writing. There were two years where I didn’t make a lot of money,” said Sheila Buff, whose expert medical writing and editing has helped seven doctors produce national bestsellers.
Caroline Leopold was working at a non-profit as a grant writer but said the agency hired consultants to work on larger submissions. “I hit a glass ceiling. They paid these people $200 an hour and I realized I was doing it better than they were.” So one day, Leopold said, she “got a backbone” and looked into establishing a freelance career in December 2011. She immediately got a profitable part-time position in February 2012. When it came to renew, “I cut the cord,” she said, and started her own business that August.
| “If you’re going into freelancing ’cause it seems easy, forget it. There will be a lot of times of almost 24/7 franticness___ and then scary valleys.” |
Lucy Clark, who’s been a leading graphic designer since 1992 in print and then added online work in ’97, was in a staff job but knew she wanted to start her own business. “I__?d work on other clients during lunches [at work] or in evenings,” she said. “My clients understood to call me at home. My husband was trained to answer the phone and only call [me] if need be.”
It’s Often Feast or Famine
If you’re going into freelancing ’cause it seems easy, forget it. There will be a lot of times of almost 24/7 franticness___ and then scary valleys.
“Yeah, that’s the really big drawback. You can have a really good year, then everything crashes___ and it can take a while to scramble back,” said Buff. Nowadays she has a better handle on when each job is due to end but still takes care not to get complacent. “Make sure to keep beating the bushes,” she advised.
It’s nice to hear the advice of keeping six months’ income saved up and to regularly take on new clients, but I’ve found it impossible. During hard times (particularly, 9/11 and the 2009 recession) that six months’ savings quickly disappears. And when I get a really big client, 40 hours a week almost always goes there, leaving little time for taking on new projects.
Entrepreneur Jake Poinier (aka “Dr. Freelance”) said one of the keys is to simply not roll over. “In summer 2001, people’s marketing budgets dried up. I had a wife, two young kids, a mortgage___ So instead of waiting for the phone to ring, I started cold calling. [Despite 9/11] in September I was busy again,” said Poinier, who — besides being owner of Boomvang Creative Group is also the developer of the Freelance Forecast annual guide and the author of The Science, Art and Voodoo of Freelance Pricing and Getting Paid and Help! My Freelancers Are Driving Me Crazy.
Even a regular workday can be crazed. “I think I read more than I write every day,” said Leopold. Among her musts: about 15 agencies that have references to grants (via a federal RSS); Science Daily; the Scientopia blog; and science-related Reddit posts.
The Low-Balled Battle
The “I can get it cheaper mindset” seems more prevalent since the Internet boom. Clients see numerous listings for blog posts at “5 cents a word” or “$6 a page” or “$10 an hour.” So often they don’t realize how unrealistic these rates are once issues like research, interviews, deadlines — plus overall skill — are factored in.
Clark feels you have to hold your ground. “Unless you can educate [potential clients] about what’s really involved, walk away,” she said.
Not sure what to charge? Ask colleagues. Clients also know the going rate, so as long as you’re not being unreasonable (i.e., moving from the lowest fee in the spectrum for a project to the highest) the ones who want to keep you will pay what is fair.
| “For me, there came a point when journalism wasn’t going to pay enough. I had to add other services… custom web content, brochures, advertorials… and it was a hard decision to ‘cross to the dark side.'” |
I’ve found editors rarely pay much in increases; they have a budget for stories and that’s that. However, if you’re a steady contributor, you may be able to finagle an extra $50 or so. If the work isn’t too demanding, it might be worth your while to keep this client. Or perhaps you can negotiate other benefits. For example, instead of all rights to the work, your client takes only one-time rights, so you can easily sell the work (and make money) elsewhere.
But let’s say you’ve “outgrown” the rates you’re being paid; e.g. $30 an hour was a great initial goal, but now you’re worth at least $50. You can start weaning yourself from the lower payers with a process Poinier calls “the stealth raise.” Slowly start adding an extra 10% (maybe a little more) to your bids. Your best clients will likely accept them.
Or maybe you simply have to start expanding your portfolio. For me, there came a point when journalism wasn’t going to pay enough. I had to add other writing services; e.g., custom web content, brochures, white papers, advertorials. But these materials are considered marketing/PR… and it was a hard decision to “cross to the dark side” (as one client put it).
Pros
You’re In Control
And now on to the benefits of the freelance life. With the exception of dealing with true disasters, you control your own destiny. In my home state of Maryland, a lot of health/medical projects are government work and almost always go to primary contractors who are used to the paperwork and politics. Instead of fighting for work, I now sign on as a subcontractor (mostly writing custom web content), get paid nicely and have agencies like the NIH in my portfolio.
Buff also enjoys the autonomy. “[Freelancing] gave me back two hours a day because I wasn’t traveling [to the office]. I don’t have to go to a boss and beg for a morning off; I can work in the garden,” said Buff.
“I take an hour in the evening practicing yoga and nothing would stop me from doing that,” explained Clark. “I can read books, do my own art… I’ve developed a bunch of other hobbies.”
Poinier noted that he and his family lived in Canada for a year, and there was no interruption to his business. “There were people I didn’t even tell I had gone!” he said.
Emotional Satisfaction
It’s true there can be a lot of stress related to running your own business (rush jobs, late payments, etc.), but to me there’s nothing like the self-satisfaction it can bring.
“Grant writing is amazing. I don’t get paid to write. I get paid to learn,” said Leopold. It’s a reward she always appreciates.
And talk about rewarding. I wrote newspaper pieces on health issues for adults ages 60+. It was real information, not just “Five Ways to Prevent Back Sprain.” One of the topics was on PTSD in older veterans. After the work was published, a widow called me in tears. She told me her husband, a vet, had changed and become violent in the last years of his life. At least now she understood why. Wow!
| “It’s true there can be a lot of stress related to running your own business (rush jobs, late payments, etc.), but to me there’s nothing like the self-satisfaction it can bring.” |
Networking Opportunities
My colleagues and I agree that you have to constantly network if you want to enhance your visibility. “To me, joining a professional organization is a no-brainer,” said Buff, adding, “When you share your knowledge, it all comes back to you.”
With online options, there’s no excuse not to get noticed. For example, after I approached Poinier at Buff’s suggestion, he told me, “Oh sure. I know your name from your postings on EFA [And don’t forget to establish networks with folks outside of your field. “So when graphic designers need copy for something done, they give you a call… and vice versa,” said Poinier.
Final Words of Advice
When a job doesn’t develop, I try to remember what a salesman once taught me. “You have to understand that 99 percent of the time you will NOT get the client. Consider that a given, so you can be overjoyed when that 1 percent closes!”
Ultimately, Buff said, “You HAVE to say, ‘I’m available.’ Make people aware of your existence. Do really good work so you get repeats. [And] stay flexible and open-minded… or you’ll be left in the dust.”
Wendy Meyeroff is a freelance writer and marketing strategist based in Baltimore. She can be reached at wendy@wmmedcomm.com.
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