How to Effectively Transition from a Corporate Career to a Freelance Career

More people than ever are making the transition from working at a company to working for themselves in a freelance career. Some of these freelancers set up an LLC, but in actuality they are working for themselves rather than being part of a larger company.

Not all of the people who transition to freelancing are successful as there are plenty of places where an individual can fail. One freelancer could have problems finding work at the appropriate rate while another could have had their skills nullified by new software or technology. What follows are tips for transitioning from working in a corporate environment to working for yourself.

Do Not Quit Your Job Immediately

One mistake that many people make when transitioning to a freelance career is quitting their jobs too early. What many of these people do not realize is that it might take months to make a living wage freelancing.

Working a few hours per day on your freelance gig can help you develop clients who will be your base when you do decide to quit. There is also the possibility you’ll decide not to leave your current job as your skillset might not be in demand like you thought it would be previously.

Once you are making enough money to quit your current job, take a few months before doing so to build up a nest egg financially in case the freelance life doesn’t go as you planned.

Take What You Can Get at First

Freelance writers or web designers that leave a big agency might overvalue their skills. Great writers and web developers can make copious amounts of money, especially if they work closely with a content creation company. But as a freelancer you will not be able to charge agency rates for websites or content when you are first beginning.

Take assignments at rates below what you think your work is worth in the beginning. Most companies and websites have no problem paying more for higher quality work if you ask for a pay increase after you complete your first few projects successfully.

Look Into a Freelancer Platform

There are a few different freelance platforms that you can use to build a client base. Upwork is the most reputable because it connects clients and freelancers on millions of projects yearly. Be aware that freelance platforms are going to take a percentage of the money that you make.

Connecting with the client outside of the platform after a few successful jobs is something that most clients have no problem doing. Building these relationships is essential since Upwork takes up to 20 percent of your earnings when you first start out.

Filling out as much as possible on the site and encouraging clients to review you can help bolster your reputation. Taking proficiency tests, such as the grammar and language tests, can help you find work, but finding work is not guaranteed.

Cash in Those Favors

People want to believe that they started their own home based businesses without any help. While this is true in some cases, it is much easier to start a business yourself if you have some help from those who might owe you a favor.

Such people could be former clients or friends whom you know need the help of a freelancer. Do not be too proud to ask for a favor—the worst the person could say is no. Reach out to people on LinkedIn if you do not have their email information or if they have changed their email addresses.

Consider asking your current company to contract work out to you since they already know the quality of your work. If you are leaving on good terms, many companies will accommodate you because they understand your desire to work for yourself.

As you can see, simply quitting your job and expecting money to come pouring in during the infancy of your freelance career isn’t realistic. Use the above steps to get yourself going in the right direction. Freelancing allows a sense of freedom that very few professions can offer.

The post How to Effectively Transition from a Corporate Career to a Freelance Career appeared first on Growmap.

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How to Effectively Transition from a Corporate Career to a Freelance Career

Why You Should Not Be A Freelance Photographer

As a professional photographer, one of the worst things you can do is be a freelancer.  That is, just as you should banish the phrase «day rate» from your lexicon, so too should you banish the word «freelance» from the word set you use to describe yourself.

Words not only have meanings, they insinuate something about whomever they describe. An entire chapter on language was included in the book MORE Best Business Practices for Photographers, titled «A Linguistically Accurate Lexicon», for that very reason.

Consider the characterization of a person of the female gender. The word «girl», «woman», «lady», «chick, «madam», and «doll», all carry similar sentiments to «boy», «man», «gentleman», «dude», «sir», and «guy» for a person of the male gender. The disparity between saying «that boy over there» versus «that young man over there» is not lost on the recipient of that characterization, nor is «please help the chick with her luggage» versus «please help the lady with her luggage» in a hotel lobby.

Fast Company recently wrote an article about the value in stopping calling yourself a «freelancer» (12/3/15, «Why I stopped calling myself a freelancer«), and I commend it to you.

What can you do?

Avoid introducing yourself using that word. Don’t say «Hi, I’m a freelance photographer», or even, «I’m a freelancer.» Instead try:

• I’m a professional photographer
• I produce photography on assignment for a range of clients
•  I’m a photographer
•  I’m a photojournalist
• I’m an independent photographer

When asked «oh, who do you work for», I would avoid «I work for myself», and instead try:

I work for a variety of clients in the…

•  News business
• Industrial sector
• Public relations area
• Magazine industry
     …etc.

When someone tries to then re-characterize you as «oh, so you’re a freelance photographer?» The answer is «no, not really. I work independently for a variety of clients, and the word «freelance» just doesn’t speak to the broad spectrum of services I offer, not just for covering a story or making images, but all the production and organization involved in making the final results possible.»

Avoid using it in your LinkedIn profile, your resume, CV, or biography. Describe what you do instead. Don’t use derogatory shorthand. Saying «I’m a freelancer» is derogatory compared to «I’m a professional photographer», almost like calling saying «get the guy a coffee» when what you should have said was «get the gentleman a coffee» instead.

Another point from the Fast Company article was that «freelance» connoted cheap or low-cost,  something I don’t think any professional photographer would want themselves characterized as. You want to be considered a «premium» — as in:

•   «he’s an amazing football photographer…»
                             or 
• «she’s an incredible portrait photographer…»
                             or 
• «he’s a wonderful wedding photographer…»
                             or 
• «she’s a stunning storyteller with her images from around the world…» 

For anyone whom you hear described as above, you are immediately going to have a perspective in your mind that they are not «cheap» nor «low cost.»  in the chapter I reference previously, I talk about Jenika, a baltimore luxury portrait photographer, who uses the word «luxury» in all her language about what she does. So, who would you rather hire, a «luxury portrait photographer», or a «portrait photographer’? Whom do you think will produce a better result? Or, better yet, who would you rather your clients perceive you as?

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Why You Should Not Be A Freelance Photographer