Is freelancing a ticket to success?
By 2021 half of UK workers are likely to be self-employed. Is this a cause for concern or celebration?
As a current UoN student you’re likely to be a millennial so this inherently means you lack the attentiveness for one employer, are fizzing with entrepreneurial blood and were born with one finger sticking up to the man. You were destined to stake your claim in the freelance economy… that’s what the media says, right?
Keredy Andrews is an expert in digital marketing and has worked in both agency and freelance roles.
Whether you’re a 21 year old whipper snapper or ‘old’ as my three year old tell me (oi, 38 isn’t old), the reasons for wanting to be a freelancer are more or less the same. The difference in success, however, is perhaps experience, so myself and two other freelance contacts, Gina and Emm, thought you might want a few words of advice.
Lightbulb moment or lights on and nobody’s home? You shouldn’t be blamed if you don’t know what you really want to do — in a 2015 survey, 44% of undergraduates were unable to say what industry they would like to work in. I was 26 before I took my first real communications role, a year after I graduated as a mature student in English Literature and American Studies at the University of Northampton. Since then I’ve gradually morphed into a SEO specialist and wish I was a graphic designer. Without treading the crazy path I’ve taken I wouldn’t be in this place where I can now do a bit of everything I can and love. If nobody has told you — it’s ok to do a job in A, F and P before you realise B was where you should have gone after A. Now, I offer a whole range of digital marketing, PR and graphic design services under the brand Hannes Digital and I think I’m finally at point B.
Understand your freelancer’s drive. I was self-employed when I was 19 and could travel Europe, but after a few years I started needing security and a career; then my drive to be my own boss again became flexibility and my baby girl. Money coming in is probably pretty important to you but if it’s not number one maybe you can give your idea a try without a huge amount of capital behind you. If your dream is powerful enough you’ll work a job, maybe two, and start your own venture on the side. Be honest with yourself about what you’re doing and why so even if making enough money to go out every night of the week is your drive, you have a focus and that will propel you.
Gina Tunley at Target PR offers public relations services from her home office near Birmingham and we previously worked together when I was an employee and she was a freelancer at an integrated marketing agency. Apart from becoming firm friends our skill sets complement each other so we now team up when needed; a network is critical….
The importance of having a network. ‘Going it alone’ is all well and good but many professions involve multi-disciplinary skills, and whilst working in a larger organisation would give you access to people with different specialist skills sets, working for yourself clearly doesn’t. Therefore, it’s really important to build a network of people with synergistic skills and experience, so you can draw on their expertise and share ideas. I spent eight years in full-service marketing agencies before going freelance 12 years ago, and can see the tables are turning; increasingly, businesses and organisations are recognising the benefits of using collaborative freelancers over larger multi-disciplinary firms. There are both cost efficiencies and the advantages of a more personal approach from a smaller, focused team comprising people with great skills in their individual areas (like myself, Keredy and Emm, for instance!). Seek to build a network both for these reasons, and to keep abreast of developments in your chosen industry — as well as keeping generally sane by still mixing with other humans! Freelancing without a network can be so, so lonely.
Being prepared for the lack of perks. There’s usually an ideal image of a freelancer sitting happily in a coffee shop with an Apple Macbook perched next to a skinny latte. It’s the perfect Instascene, but the reality is usually having to start out setting up a home office (maybe a corner of the kitchen or bedroom), working long hours and having to self-motivate every single day. Whilst the thought of being your own boss can be appealing, the luxury of booking paid annual leave, having sick pay, and someone taking care of your workload if you’re out of the office, are out of reach. Since being freelance, the dream of taking holiday whenever I like has actually never materialised, in fact, I have taken less annual leave than when I was employed. However, the flexibility I have been able to afford myself — whether to go to medical or dental appointments, or taking a morning out to watch one of my kids in a school play — is worth the sacrifice.
Emmaline McAndrew also worked with Gina and I at the same place, but she was an employee like myself, and, in fact, I remember being part of her interview process! Emm stayed at that agency and then moved to another, but is now a freelancer offering digital strategy, creative and content services. Also having children to feed, Emm was mindful of finding the right time to step out on her own with Brain Candy…
Knowing when to go freelance
There’s nothing quite as alluring as the thought of being your own boss, but how do you make that dream a reality? It all comes down to earning enough to live on. If you still live at home with your parent(s), then now is the best time to set up your own business: negotiate a low household contribution with your parents so you can focus on bringing in work and building up your bank balance. Already moved out? Then it’s going to take you a little longer to be free of employment: you’ll need to find full-time employment to pay the bills while building up your freelance business ‘on the side’. Over time you can start to replace your salary with income from your own clients.
There’s nothing quite as alluring as the thought of being your own boss, but how do you make that dream a reality?
What to do if things go wrong
No matter how much effort you put in, sometimes things don’t always go to plan and there will be times when you could end up with a less than favourable bank balance or unhappy client. Your network should be the first port of call: as Gina pointed out, there will be others with more experience than you who can give sound advice and support. If you’re struggling for income, your freelancing buddies may have work they can pass over — you won’t know unless you ask. Up your marketing game to attract new clients or offer to do a freebie for a start-up brand; work leads to more work and word-of-mouth always brings in the most clients.
Finally, and perhaps the biggest piece of advice I would offer, do not forget to buy professional insurance. You’ll need professional indemnity, to insure you against anything you do, or advice that you give, that could cause a financial loss to your clients, and public liability insurance, in case of any third-party injury or loss of belongings due to your business activities.
