Writing Freelance – Is It For You?

Table of Contents

Introduction

Writing freelance is probably the dream of all writers out there. As a matter of fact, freelance writing has become a huge industry that has been growing rapidly in the past two decades.

It’s a great way to make money and travel the world while doing what you love, while the clients pay the freelance writer as an independent contractor, avoiding paying any payroll benefits.

The freelance writing industry is booming, and it’s not hard to see why. It offers a great way for anyone to make money from home, even if they have no previous experience or qualifications.

The best part? In theory, you can take your skills anywhere in the world – there are no limits!

But it’s not as easy as it sounds…

Every professional writer probably at some point in his/her life considered whether to work for a company or go at it along writing freelance. There are pros and cons to both positions.

There are many benefits of freelancing such as flexible hours, working from home, no commute, no dress code to follow, and so on.

But there are also some disadvantages such as lack of job security, fewer benefits than full-time employment, no paid holidays or sick days off.

Let me spell out the #1 pros and cons of both work styles.

PROS of Writing Freelance

#1 reason to work as a freelancing consultant: MONEY. Consultants usually make more per hour than payroll employees. Yes, as a payroll employee your job is ready for you waiting when you show up for work every day. You do not need to go out and chase your next customer. But are you making as much as you should? Perhaps you do and perhaps you do not. Something to think about…

CONS of Writing Freelance

#1 disadvantage of working as a freelance writer: SECURITY. You make a lot of money WHEN you do work. But working 2,000 hours a year like a payroll employee may not be possible. Like the joke about the unemployed guy who brags that he makes $2,000 an hour BUT – he can work only one hour a year.

#1 reason to not work as a freelancer but as an employee: SECURITY. Payroll employees do not have to market their services and do not have to worry about where their next paycheck is going to come from.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS of Writing Freelance

MARKETING. Are you good at marketing yourself? Can you work a room or join a crowd, make easy small talk, win people’s trust and not be embarrassed about publicizing what you do at every opportunity? If you are comfortable with all that you should consider consulting. Otherwise, stay with your company.

DISCIPLINE AND ORGANIZATION. Are you a good organizer? Does your desk look clean and tidy? Do you plan your days and weeks ahead of time? Do you use an organizer? Do you go to your appointments always early? Can you shut down the TV or not go to that movie when you need to finish an assignment? Then perhaps you should consider consulting. Otherwise, stay with your company.

TOLERANCE OF AMBIGUITY. Can you absorb ambiguity well? Can you stay calm and not panic when you don’t know where the next check is going to come from? Can you be patient and tolerant when your customer gets flustered and creates unanticipated problems? Can you think fast on your feet and improvise at the last second and still make it look like you’ve got a plan for every contingency? Then perhaps you should consider consulting. Otherwise, stay with your company.

SELF ACTUALIZATION. Is it important for you to “create” and “build” something, to leave a legacy of good works of which you are the principal author? Do you enjoy the limelight? Do you like taking full credit both for your failures as well as your accomplishments? Do you think being your own boss is a great achievement in life, no matter how much you end up making? Then perhaps you should consider consulting. Otherwise, stay with your company.