What's freelancing about? Depends on which stage of evolution you're in, as a freelance pro. What I'm going to do, is list the stages of evolution of a freelance writer. The growing up curve, you can call it. By the end of this piece, you will have a very clear idea of where you are, what you need to do and if you're any good at freelancing.
Stage I - Baby Freelancers
So you just gave up that cozy job and you're shaking and quaking in your boots thinking about whether you'll ever see a single penny in freelance work. You review job postings, begin to write appications and scratch them out half-way, becuase you think you won't be able to do it. Now you're having second and third thoughts about eating crow and going back to beg your old boss to give you back your job...
How to get over this stage? Two things you can do to get your confidence back. Firstly, scale down your demands. If you're thinking about jobs which pay in dollars, start thinking about gigs which pay in pennies. Easy to get, requires no qualifications and it will keep the engine ticking while you prepare yourself to earn the dollars. Secondly, you can start networking. Believe me, it makes things a lot easier when you realize that you're not alone. Besides, you can get a lot of advice and job leads if you hang out online and make a few friends.
Stage II - Fishing For Stability
Assuming that you're already past the newbie pangs, this stage is a tumultous time. You can see the jobs, you can see the potential. You think you can do it, and you're starting to get responses from employers, if not actual work. One day you think you've found a great gig and the next morning, you bump into something even more lucrative. What's required here is an understanding of what you are good at, what you want to do and what's available. Finding the right balance, which satisfies all there criteria, is a tricky affair. Don't stop the penny work. At least not until you're onto the next stage. And yes, you can start buying the home office furniture.
Stage III - Less Searching, More Working
What you've been doing until now has basicaly been fishing for jobs. You've been spending more time searching for work than actually doing the work. This is part of the job description of a freelancer. But it's time now to scale back the job-hunting and focus on keeping a solid base of 4-5 clients very happy. You need to select the best employers, criteria being the long-term viability and payment terms. For example, an employer who lets you do as much work as you can handle on a specific subject, and pays you lump sums every fortnight or monthly based on how much you did would be a good choice, provided you're sure the employer isn't going to dissapear overnight.
This does not mean that you stop looking for new clients. An ideal situation would be one where you devote about 80% of your time to your regular clients and spend a couple of hours each day to search for and complete work for new clients.
Stage IV - Profit Analysis
I very much doubt if you have any idea, at this stage, of how you're doing, in terms of money. Are you making as much as you used to do when you had a regular job? Are you working harder than before? What happened to your medical coverage? And the paid holidays? Now would be a good time to write down all your expenses and calculate how much more you need to make than before, just to maintain your life-style.
There's a lot more which kicks in after this, including an online presence, setting the rates you charge and working for yourself. This would in turn include getting published, creating a portfolio, getting certified and turning yourself into the professional freelancer that you claim to be.
