Why designer’s freelance ? “ fun or fear?

It has been my experience that designers freelance for one of two reasons: for fun or out of fear. You need to decide what “f” word is motivating you. It was the fear factor that drove me into freelance. I was employed at a small interactive firm that laid me off due to an economic down turn. I tried to find a full-time position that paid as well as my last one, but there where no job opportunities in my area.   For fear of loosing my house, my car and the shirt of my back, I had to find paying freelance clients and fast. Fortunately, I had been freelancing on the side for several years and I was able to convert some of my part-time clients into full-time revenue streams. For any Web designer wishing to freelance in the future, that is what I recommend. If you are working full-time right now, either inside the interactive field or in another discipline completely, I highly recommend you start to build up a small base of freelance clients. This makes the jump into full-time freelance less difficult and not as overwhelming. That way you can be as motivated by the fun factor as you are by the fear factor. The problem with starting freelance full-time or “cold turkey”, is that you do not have enough business to sustain even a modest income. There is nothing more stressful than trying to find new clients simply because you have too many bills to pay. It is much better both for your mental health and your bank account if you build up a small base of clients first. By acquiring a list of clients and potential clients before you go freelance full-time, you can achieve the following:

• Build your project management and creative management skills.
• Give yourself the confidence and experience necessary to be successful.
• Build a network of client connections.
• Decide if you can handle the headaches of freelancing full-time.
• Learn how to better manage your finances.

By doing a little freelance on the side you can learn a lot about what being a full-time freelancer is really like. I think it is crazy when I read get-rich-quick advertisements claiming to give people everything they need to open their own profitable business in thirty days or less. It’s never that easy. Being self-employed is not for everyone. If you can not manage your own time or your part-time freelance clientele, or you have trouble with self-motivation, then starting a freelance Web design business may not be for you.