Going Freelance
- Started
- Last post
- 42 Responses
- forcetwelve
Hey all... quit work last week. Going to freelance for a while. Any advice for the first few months?
- MX_OnD0
work don't wank.
- skt0
Keeeep awaaaay from the traaactor.
- MX_OnD0
don't drink tea don't drink coffee cover your tin in yorkshire toffee
- honest0
buy that blue book advertised at the bottom of this column, tells you everything you need to know
- forcetwelve0
yeah — that's the first step! looks good.
- honest0
find a good accountant and keep receipts of everything you spend money on for work. a stopwatch wouldn't go amiss to keep your work life and private life seperate. Helps to let you know how long you've worked on stuff. Phone calls, emails and other bits of annoying admin are factored as WORK and not your private life. Draw a fine line or you'll get yourself divorced/split from partner, etc.
- jimeeboy510
read the IRS's self employment info:
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/sm…use a program like quickbooks to manage your invoices, estimates, income, expenses, timesheets.
if you don't know already, start using contracts
- XC010
approach all the places/studios you'd love to work for. don't rely on emplyment agencies (they are too slow) but it is worth having you name down with them. get a good accountant to help with tax and stuff, claim back all you can on tax
- forcetwelve0
cool. have a good accountant for advice, so thats great. thinking about freelancing to studios i know first, then as you say XC, hit up some new clients for work.
being untied to fulltime is nice for a change!
- jimeeboy510
i just started ft freelancing in june. be prepared for lots of ups and downs. keep hustling when you get the chance. keep searching for potential clients even outside of studios. a lot of times, studios just toss your applications away if your not referred. networking is about 90% of how you're gonna get projects.
- forcetwelve0
yeah you're right. i've got 3 weeks booked up already and then who knows. work on some stationery and folio!
thx for advice guys. always solid!
- dsc0
sounds obvious, but work on every job / project as if it's your last. I find most work I get comes from word of mouth and recommendations.
Plus, no matter how many clients you have or how busy you've been, as soon as you have nothing booked in, you shit yourself. It's quite hard to truly relax and take time out as a freelancer I find.
And lastly, always save for a rainy day.
Good luck!
- forcetwelve0
haha! yeah, i imagine i'll be shttng myself a bit!
thx mate.
- doddster0
there's been some real good points brought up here. I went FT Freelance at the turn of the year, and (touch wood) its going great. The bit about working as if every job is your last is very true. If you work damn hard, deliver everything (and more) on time/budget for your clients, you'll be suprised how willing they are to come back, and having regular clients is a dream.
You should definately try and keep some money behind (approx. 2 mnths salary) and also for tax.
Quiet spells can be scary, but you learn to deal with them. Last week I hit my quietest spot of the year - start of this week 5 jobs come in and you're sh*tting yourslf at how you're gonna manage them!
Best of luck anyway.
- spaniard0
nice work doddster
- Nairn0
Get up early.
Stay Hungry.
Write lists.
Work Like You Want It.
Keep some savings.Don't smoke weed. Full stop, probably - at least until 7pm, definitely.
* Lights up joint, contemplates doing nothing for another day. Forgets where he put list, spends savings on junk food, and goes off for a quick wank (thanks for the heads up, mx)
- BigDee0
I went freelance in the UK just over a year ago and its the best thing i ever did.
Some things i have learned...
Keep track of the cash. Set up a spreadsheet that calculates all your taxes etc and put that money into a new savings account. An accountant will help set this up. And as someone else said, never bin a receipt ever again! Its important to keep on this too. record your receipts every week or you will get lost in it all.
Network. Talk to your friends and family, ex colleagues etc, let them know what you are doing. Ive been busy year round and its all through recommendation.
Be nice. Sounds stupid but its important to maintain a cool head when an account manager who doesnt know their butt from their brain is telling you what has to be done. You never know where they will end up.
Stay in touch. A quick 'hello, how you doin' phone call or email keeps you fresh in peoples minds.
Set a decent rate and try to stick to it. You will have to be flexible sometimes, of course, but don't sell yourself short.
Practise your presentation on friends and family. Make sure you are comfortable with it. Put in a couple of anecdotes about projects. It helps when building a rapport with people. Prospective employers can smell fear and freelance is all about relationships!
Concept is king? Always, but you cant win them all. The beauty of freelance is the ability to walk away from an agency if it doesn't feel right.
Try to move around, produce work for different sectors. The variety keeps you sharp and you meet loads of people.
Buy a really good alarm clock. If you end up working from home, try to stay motivated. Im lazy as anything and a lie in often results in working late into the night unecessarily.
ABOVE ALL - ENJOY YOURSELF. After a while when the contacts are there, the work should flow. Work on new work for new people, for more money and no boss. Be under no illusion, it is hard work. But the rewards, both physical and mental are well worth it.
- doddster0
Thanks Spaniard!
Some excellent points there from BigDee - most of which I keep telling myself to do but never do!
Keeping regular hours if you work at home is really important, you'd be suprsied how quick cabin fever can set in when you realise you've only been in 2 or 3 room all week, and not actually seen any of the outside world!
- BigDee0
Stir craziness is a big problem its true. I always try and split my time so i spend 2/3 days with another agency and the rest at home. That way i get a couple of lie ins but i also get the social interaction i need.
I once shut the front door on a sunday night after a couple of cheeky beers and didn't open it agin till Thursday. The phrase 'you need to get out more' was never more appropriate! Still, runs like that will often be followed by a couple of light days when you go get hammered down the local!
- doddster0
yes, although the fact you aren't stuck to 20days holiday a year balances it out I reckon. I must of taken about 3 times that this year, so thats kind of the payoff!