Why choose freelancing?

A common question among people who are considering freelancing is why one would even go with the profession. Many think that it's risky being a freelancer, which is true to a certain extent as being a freelancer is close to starting up your own business.

As a freelancer your success is based on how much work you put into your work. You don't have a boss or any colleagues to blame your own shortcomings on. While some see this as a downside since it means that all risk goes on you, I personally love it since any success you gain is based a 100% on your own effort.

One can actually adapt a similar mind as one would before starting up their own business. Make sure that you plan properly before trying to get customers. This way you can prevent broken deadlines and unclear orders from the customer.

So starting up in freelancing might not be the easiest task but it has it's upsides which makes it all worth it. For starters, you set your own schedule. Personally I don't work 9-5 or so. If I am free when I get an order in I tend to get it done as fast as I can, this way I can clear up my time for other things. Now if I already have orders stocked up, I simply start once my morning coffee is prepped, usually around 6-7 AM. I then work for two-three hours which usually clears up the rest of the day. If I have any remaining orders or get more during the day, my next "shift" tends to start around 1 PM and last until 3-4 PM. Now this is quite close to being a regular 9-5 schedule but with a longer lunch. The reason for this is that my orders come in during the night, due to the fact that I live in Sweden and about 70% of my customers are from the US. But I could do all the work at late evenings if I wanted to, it's all up to me after all.

Now a second really good thing with being a freelancer is the salary. I know there are some freelancers who struggle with paying their bills, however this all depends on how much work you're willing to take. After all, the amount of orders you get depends on how the quality of your work is. If you're known for delivering high quality work in a short time, you're bound to get a lot of orders. Because if it's one thing that will decide how much success you have as a freelancer it's your reputation. A good reputation leads to a high salary while a bad reputation leads to a low or non-existant salary.

A third amazing thing with being a freelancer is the one thing most freelancers forget, the possibilities you get from your work. Most of us have probably experienced the tough situation of searching for a job. It can be quite a killing experience for many, especially for the ones that are younger without a bunch of work experience. That's where freelancing can open new paths for you.

Personally I am involved with LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and such. I am quite open about my work and have quite a good reputation as a translator and copywriter. This has led to a lot of job offers dimping down in my mailbox and in my e-mail.

Yes, being a freelancer and marketing yourself as one will get you job offers. Companies that are in the same or similar field as you will get their eyes on you, especially if they lose clients to you. They will then realise the advantage of having someone like yourself in the company. I have so far not accepted any of these offers as the salary tends to be about 25% less than what I make from my freelancing but if I ever want to settle down and have a more solid salary then I know I wont have to look far to get one.

On top of that, being a freelancer is something you can actually add to your CV (curriculum vitae). If you have a lot of experience as one and actually made a good income many employers will see this as a huge plus on a CV. Why? Well being a freelancer means you're ambitious, driven, smart, self going and that you don't limit yourself to what an employment office offers. This is a huge plus that can actually be a deciding factor if an employer has to choose between you and someone else!

So why choose freelancing? After reading this, why would you not choose to be a freelancer?