A Note to Future Freelancers
Whether you’re a photographer, a web designer, or any other kind of creative freelancer, there are a lot of things people don’t realize when they quit their 9-5 and embark on the journey.
I’m by no means an expert in this area. I’ve only technically been a freelancer for a few months now in photography, but luckily I’ve been freelancing in web design for a year or so, so I have a little bit of a knowledge base to use for future clients. I’m sure many people can give you really in depth advice who have been freelancing for years longer than I have. But I didn’t just jump into it. I’ve spent a lot of time reading, researching, calling local photography studios, speaking with the people at H&R Block, and generally getting a feel for what I was getting myself into.
1. Responsibility: Sure, you’re your own boss. You make your own hours, work when you want to, and play when you want to. This is a blessing and a curse. It’s very easy to get lazy, and to stop promoting yourself for a week or two. Then you don’t have any clients coming in, are unable to pay your bills, and insanity ensues. There’s also the huge responsibility of managing your own business expenses and taxes. In photography, many people decide to register themselves as an actual business. This is usually not necessary for freelancers, since tax rates are higher and it’s really more hassle than it’s worth, especially if you don’t own an established studio and/or your name isn’t well known.
2. Market Fluctuation: One month you’ll be double booked for portrait sessions every other day all month, and the next you’ll have five. People with creative freelance jobs tend to migrate towards large cities or heavily populated areas, and for good reason. My area is a suburb, and is relatively middle of the road in terms of wealth distribution and the need for my services, so it’s hard to gauge what business will be like one month to the next. This is why double booking isn’t a good idea. Have a clear time chart of when you’ll be accepting projects, and space out projects/shoots so that you’re monthly expenses are at the very least, covered. Your credit score will thank you, and so will you parents since you won’t need to move back in after being evicted from your apartment.
3. Contracts and Payment: A lot of people jump right into freelancing without really knowing anything about drawing up legal contracts for your clients, expense tracking, hourly pay rates, legal fees, taxes, and really the entire business end of being self-employed. Research is key. You need to speak with accountants, a tax professional and a lawyer for things of this nature. What happens if a client suddenly backs out of a project you’ve spent a lot of time and money on, and you haven’t taken a deposit, or haven’t had them sign a legal contract? You’re screwed. Things like this need to be paid attention to. There are dozens of free online tools you can use to track your expenses. A lot of them will even calculate everything for you based on simple value inputs, and a lot of them cover everything from basic rates to transportation reimbursement.
4. Marketing: You might be the best damned web designer anyone has ever seen, with skills far outreaching any you’ve seen in the past. But if you don’t have a little bit of marketing savvy, clients won’t know you exist, so it really won’t matter how high your skill or productivity levels are. As I stated above, I’ve only been freelancing for a short period, so I haven’t begun the marketing stage of my journey. This doesn’t mean I won’t know how to do it when the time comes that my portfolio is up and running.
Call local businesses that specialize in your field, pretending to be a potential client. See what kind of packages they offer. See what their rates are for every aspect of the project. See how they market THEIR business. Once you’re ready to begin marketing yourself, there are a million and one ways to do so. Have business cards printed. Place ads in your local metropolitan newspaper. Call local radio stations and ask what their advertising spot fees are. The internet is a HUGE tool for marketing and commerce, so it would only make sense for you to put together an online portfolio of your work. Plug it anywhere you can. Purchase small amounts of advertising space on websites that specialize in your field. Post ads on websites like Freelance Switch and Krop. There really are a million ways of marketing your skills to potential clients.
Once you’ve established yourself well enough in your area, you could even purchase an advertising spot on a local cable access channel. You’d be surprised how many people actually sit there and watch them.
Even with the amount of work and responsibility that goes into freelancing, I’d never go back to a meaningless, mindless 9-5 job. A lot of people are afraid to pursue a career in freelance or self-employment because they’re in a comfort zone. They go to an easy (but miserable and mindless) job, clock in, work, clock out and go home. Sure, it’s guaranteed that you’ll get a paycheck every two weeks. But is that the only thing you want to live for?
That’s just my two cents on the matter. And again, I’m sure there are tons of people with more experience in freelancing than me, but lack of experience is no excuse for not doing your homework and thinking of all the little things. Because if there’s one thing life teaches us, is that the little things are big things.