The Truth about Freelancing

“How’s the freelancing going?”

It’s what I’m asked most often by friends who work cushy, full-time roles. I look at them, with glazed eyes that are accompanied by bags that can carry half a kilo of hybrid tomatoes, and say — it’s alright; can’t complain!

I can’t complain because this ‘career’ path was and continues to be a personal choice. I used to have cushy, full-time jobs myself. Some I loved, others (at the start-ups) I loathed. So, complaining means admitting that I may have made the wrong choice. And while I’ve been wrong on plenty of occasions, being right or wrong about my chosen profession and the way I put food on my table, is a matter of pride.

So, does Freelancing suck?

I subscribe to more than four weekly newsletters diligently penned by freelancers, who can convince every burnt-out, loss-making freelancer out there that coming over to this side is good. No, scratch that. It’s great. It’s something you should’ve done a decade ago. They also, very kindly, share their best practices and tips on how to make more money, get better-paying clients, and more. But ah, for a fee.

Why?

Because freelancing alone doesn’t cut it.

And they know it.

I know it too. And that’s why I’m not gatekeeping anything from you — whether you’re an aspiring freelancer, a seasoned one, or even an industry biggie.

Because the truth is this. 👇🏽

Freelancing is f*ck*ng hard.

You’re your own boss. Sounds like a dream, right?

LOL.

It also means that you’re responsible for your business development and sales. You’re the HR team and the Finance department. You also get to be the Ops guy and the IT lady. You’re your boss and your employee.

You set your monthly targets. This should cover:

• living expenses — rent, food, utilities
• savings and investments — stuff ain’t cheap, guys. Inflation is real, and it’s a powerful motivator AND a demotivator. Think short-, mid-, and long-term.
• emergency funds — you never know when your leg, or worse, your laptop, will break. You need to pay for your insurance now
• payouts — if you’re using interns and/or premium tools, good luck!
• f*ck-you fund — although this term is reserved for the ‘I’m finally financially free’ kitty, I’ve christened the 6-month-living fund to the F.U. fund. You best have one or start one

I’m sure I’ve missed plenty of categories here. I’m not the best Finance department. Mea culpa.

You need to figure out what type of freelancing works for you, and your goals.

I picked writing. To be honest, it isn’t a pay-lord. So, I added SEO and Social Media to the mix. This combination is kinda okay. If you want to do better, throw in Performance Marketing.

Then again, some clients frown upon generalists. They go with the half-known ‘Jack of all trades, Master of none’ quote, and hold on to it, not knowing that the final part of the saying includes ‘…but better than a Master of one.’

Now, for the gigs.

You will be tempted to take up everything — blogs, ad copies, emails, whitepapers, slogans, obituaries, and whatever’s in between. And you will take it all up. Only to eventually realize

• you don’t enjoy writing for a lot of these
• they pay peanuts. This is a combination of many factors — the complexity of work, the industry you’re writing for, your experience, clients taking advantage of you (this one’s the biggest factor, tbh), the entry of AI, and a bunch more.

You’ve taken up too much work that’s ill-paying, and while the deadlines, workload and bills are mounting, your self-confidence, personal time and mental + physical health are plummeting. You’re burnt out. Your soul has been on a tanning bed for too long.

The worst part? The illusion of time off.

What I miss the most about a corporate job is the PTO, as my European and American counterparts say.

In India, we just call these leaves.

Sick leaves, privileged leaves, bereavement leaves, adoption leaves — all paid for.

As a freelancer, you’re your boss. So naturally, you can grant yourself all the leaves you want to, right?

Remember that you have no team. You don’t have someone who you can CC on an out-of-office message and say that ‘Kishan will handle any queries in my absence.’

Of course, you get to take time off. You can inform your clients in advance. But, it’s not pretty. If you’re a freelancer, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

You want to be available at all times because you’re the whole team. The boss, the employee. The HR intern, the Finance hire, the IT lady, the Ops guy, the writer-provider.

And the customer (client) is king. Well, not really, but they’re paying you for your availability.

Freelancing is also freeing.

Once you wade past the cesspool of projects that make your brain shudder, and not in a good way, and you get past the trauma of dealing with clients who will almost literally tell you that they’ll pay you 25 paise per word in 2023 (and you’ll agree because you won’t know any better), things get better.

You start to understand the system. You slowly cut off 💩 clients who pay 💩. You carefully pick your projects based on how much time you can commit, how much workload you want to take on, and most importantly, what the ROI is for you — this need not always be monetary. But make sure it’s monetary 90% of the time. You have bills to pay.

You find a niche, or you don’t. Jack of All Trades is great, Master of One is also pretty cool. But what you truly find, is your footing. You realize what you’re great at, and what your growth areas are. You easily say no to stuff that doesn’t add value to you and your goals. You realistically understand your schedule, and how much you can take on. You don’t over-commit. You slowly but surely become your boss — the kind of boss you deserve.

You track your payments and bills diligently. You know exactly which clients and projects are your reliable money-makers, and you do what it takes to keep them happy. You know which clients bring in bonus money, and you’re grateful for these booster opportunities that help you buy that standing desk that you don’t need, but want. You negotiate in your favour, and you aren’t afraid to let a client walk away.

You’re solid gold, baby!

Because you know your worth.

And it’s definitely more than 25 paise per word.

Making Freelancing work for you.

• A niche may or may not work. It depends on the type of freelancing you take up, and it may require you to have a niche. As a writer, I prefer to be a generalist. So far, it’s worked in my favour.
• Add complementary services. Beyond content writing and copywriting, I offer editing, proofreading, SEO and social media services.
• If you have a comfortable full-time role that gives you a great work-life balance, make freelancing a side-gig, till the full-time role becomes a side-gig. I’d hold on to both if I were you. I love money.
• Do research. Ask other freelancers what they charge, how they reach out to prospects, and what their overall process is. Don’t rely on the internet for this information, because most often, it’s either toxic waste or sunshine shooting from a unicorn’s derriere.
• Make your money work for you. Have a practical goal, and then find ways to grow it. Track expenses and look for ways to minimize them. Save and invest for your present and your future. Hire only if you must.
• Learn to say no. This comes with time and practice. You will be tempted. to take on every project and client that comes your way, thinking you will find the time to juggle them all. After all, volume matters, right? Nope. Focus on quality instead of quantity. Look for a few gigs that consistently pay a sizeable chunk each month, instead of settling for ten-to-fifteen clients who each pay your WiFi bill’s worth of money.
• Figure out your trade-off. This is when a client can offer more than money. For example, if your goal is to be a published author, you may want bylines from reputed publications that may pay less or not even pay. The trade-off for me? Building my brand by being associated with a renowned name.
• Know that ‘getting there’ is not impossible. But it does take time. Patience and perseverance are underrated.

“It’s just another job”.

At least, this is how I feel. I’m a money-lover, and my dream has been to be a trust-fund baby. That said, I’m not one to slack off or deliver less-than-stellar when I work. This puts me in an excellent position to pass the following judgement -

Freelancing is as much a job or a career as any full-time job.

It’s just harder, in some aspects.

No surprises there; people usually get paid for performing one job function. A freelancer is the whole company — from the founder-CEO to the coffee machine maintenance man — running on the paycheque of one person.

It’s as rewarding and enjoyable, as exhausting and tear-jerking, as it reads.

That’s the truth about freelancing.