9 Things I learned about freelancing

I have jumped in the freelancing pool a while back and have built some strong skills to help me position my self to where I am at today. My business background and newly learned I.T. skills have pathed a path toward the freelancing environment. Before I made the jump to become a freelancer I read as much material I could get my hands on. I sought after colleagues that have been successful in this field. The scarey thing to happen next was to make that leap of faith and take that first step out as a freelancer. Coming from a full time job in the coporate to being self-employed was a feeling I cannot describe. So for others who are thinking of doing the same thing I want to share some insight I never heard anyone say nor did anyone ever warn me about.

Your idea of starting up is less than you think

For the first time I never thought I would appreciate couponing and looking for ways to save money and make my money stretch where as before I used to take my salary for granted. As all my overhead and start costs I thought I needed were running through my head at about 120MPH I soon came to the realization that all I needed to get started was enough to cover bills and basic nessessities. So what did that mean? A little bit of a change in lifestyle. Now what I am about to tell you please do not get discouraged becuase remember to tell yourself this is only temporary and that you will move forward from here, it is only temporary for now.

My first days and months as a freelancer

In my first days and months as a freelancer I nearly made about 10 times less than I made when I was in corporate. Currenlty I have not made up my former salary yet, but I have to tell you it has been worth the experience and the indepenedence of being self-employed. As a result of my new venture you can ask my family but I have never felt this happy in a long time.

Like I said in the beginning my lifestyle has changed, my income is not where I want it to be yet, but my savings has been better than ever. What do I mean you ask? I have learned to make my money do things I never thought I could ever do with less. I know that doesn't sound very attractive or exciting, but it has taught me that when you are in the financial wilderness you will make it happen no matter what it takes. Here are a few things I have been thankful for. I work from home, I can go to my kids school when ever I like to visit them. I have the opportunity to attend all their events and even help their school staff. I can run errands inbetween my appointments and I can have all my holidays off!

I love the payback

As I find myself working like no one else so that later I can live like no one else I noticed the importance of taking personal breaks and even spending it with the family. There is no waiting in rush hour to and from work, I am home with dinner ready every evening for the family, kids have their dad at home all the time. The challenge is to stay discipline, it can be very attractive to stay in this mode. What keeps me moving is this payback no one really mentions while feelancing. So to keep the play back time for me I look to gain new business monthly.

When the money is good you can stop if you want

I am completing my first year as a freelancer and now have established good cash flow. When theres that mojo you feel when bills are being covered and you can feel the frequency of your work this is where you can build the passive income. It is a great feeling when you reach this point as it comforts you and makes you realize you are doing something right.

Routines are made to be broken

I get up early every day and start my work as if I walk into my former coporate office, As I find my self juggling my clients and doing family stuff inbetween I have to remind myself that I don't work at a coporate office anymore, the feeling of working from home can get too comfortable. So I do somehing different to brake routine to keep that momentum going.

People cannot beleive how much you do in one day

When I worked in a coporate enviornment getting my tasked down were a chanllenge as the phone used to ring every 5 minutes, co-workers coming in and out of my old office, employees distracting you from your work. I used to come home with knowing I didn't complete my work and would spend the rest of the year trying to catch up before you go on vacation. It got worse when I moved up into senior management spending a lot of time ansering emails, juggling spreadsheets, than what I used to spend doing the fun creative stuff I enjoyed. The difference now is I can cut all that stuff out and now do the stuff I enjoy doing and it doesn't even feel like work any more.

you actually gain weight

I used to walk over 10 miles at my old job running around a large campus, now I just work from home not having to go any where when I don't have appointments. I used to go to the gym when I had membership when I was in coporate so most feelancers are always challenged in this spot to keep moving and get excersise.

You need to get yourself an HR appointee

This sounds funny you ask? This is true. Since I enjoy being self employed and the feeling of not working at all you can find yourself working more hours becuase it don't feel like the normal 40 hour work weeks, 8-5 jobs. My wife comes into play and brings me down to family when I loose track of time. You need that HR appointee figure or else you will burn your self out.

I got my weekends back

I don't work weekends! I repeat I don't work weekends. I leave my weekends for family and for things I have always wanted to do but I was never able to becuase of my former coporate job. I get chores done, we go to church, the kids know that the weekend is family time and they look forward toward their fridays cause they know we got something plannned. I could never do this before as I used to have to go in on the weekends sometimes this happend more frequent than I ever liked.

Your window of discovery happens

My choice for freelancing has taught me how to be independent and to let go of a salary that was nice, but the coporate environment sucked the life out of you, by the time I earned my salary I was always too tired to use it, or was working too much to do anything. I have discovered that being independent is peaceful, I couldn't have done this without any support and encrouagement, the first step is always the biggest one to take, but once you take that step your just keep on moving forward. I didn't think I would be able to survive, but now I have discovered that I am living!

Rene Gonzales
Owner
Virtual-Enterprises