It’s been about two months since I started freelancing. Here are some things I’d like to share.
- Getting paid is hard: I remember thinking that it would be different for me, but it’s not. Getting your clients to pay you is one of the hardest things to do. The enthusiasm they have for getting their work done doesn’t carry over to the cheque signing process. It slows down by about a factor of a million.
- My weekend’s pretty long:I go for movies at 11.00 in the morning. I go to the library whenever I want. I play basketball at 5.00 pm. I don’t worry about waking up early and being late for work. My time is my own. I love it. I also work on Saturdays sometimes. Heck, I even worked on a Sunday. But I have a true seven day weekend as well. Thanks Ricardo Semler.
- Being afraid is overrated: When I thought about freelancing earlier, I always wondered about the things I didn’t know like creating an invoice, marketing, taxes, finances, and a whole load of other stuff. You know what? It doesn’t matter. I learn as I go along and it’s fabulous. The first day of a freelancing assignment I created a Statement of Work. Next time, it was so much easier to do. I’ve even created a proposal for a prospective client. I also know how to create invoices now. (Okay, creating invoices is no big deal but it was for me.) Hey, and I’m getting that service tax thing figured out too.
- I get to meet people: The one thing I was sure that I didn’t want to do was to sit in front of my computer or be at home and be alone all day. In the last couple of months, I’ve met more friends and done more stuff (out of home) than I used to when I was working full-time. This has taken effort from me (to not sit and watch TV) but it’s been worth it.
- Being my own boss rocks: I love working for myself. Is it scary? Sometimes. But most of the time it’s a rush and I enjoy it. Plus, I get to choose what I want to do and it’s a pretty cool choice to have.
Amorphous 
Now this post seriously doesnt depict the hard work freelancing is. But then it also reminds me of all the other things I got to do once upon a time and which i dont anymore. sniff sniff.. A few more such posts or emails and I am going to turn into fellow fulltime freelance writer.
Yes, freelancing is hard work, a lot of hard work actually. But, it’s also a lot of fun and that’s what I was trying to point out.
PS: Don’t worry, I’ll keep working on you about freelancing full-time ;-).
Hi Percy. Enjoyed reading your thoughts on freelancing. As you know, I recently started a small business and like you, would like to work for myself full-time eventually. Hopefully, it’s only a matter of time before I can give up the day job!
I don’t have to worry about getting paid though because I ask for my fee up front! I guess it’s different with DogWalking!
I love your description of your time being a long weekend and being totally your own. I guess in my case, even if I was just working for myself, my time wouldn’t quite be my own, it would belong to my customers! At the same time, the customers would be mine!
Like you, I always wondered about the things I didn’t know like creating an invoice, marketing, taxes, finances, creating a website and all that. And you are right, it really DOESN’T MATTER! I thought that it would be too difficult for me but in following my dream, each and every day I take small steps to learn what I have to and I am amazed at how much I have learned so far!
Like you,I’ve met more friends and I’ve seen more places in my own hometown than ever before! It’s great!
Well done for following your dream Percy. I am following in your footsteps. To make the choice to do what you really love can only be a bonus in life!
Lots of love
Claire
http://www.urdogsbestfriend.com
Thanks for the comment Claire. You are running a business that’s doing well, me I’m just getting started. You have a website, I don’t. So, I’m the one who’s doing the following and not the other way around.
Hey I must say – very well done. really
Lisa