fulltime work+freelance
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- monkeyshine
How many of you do it? How do you plan, talk with clients, etc?
I've been doing freelance in addition to full-time job because I'm preparing to make the leap into freelance full-time. I'm worn out. When some big, stressful thing happens at work, it screws up my tight freelance schedule...and then freelance clients get pissed and I can't afford for that to happen. whoooaaa is meee!
- thepod0
i have the same thing going on too. it's not easy, but so far my freelance clients have been cool about it. i actually work on freelance during my lunch hour, on my laptop...and make calls to clients. i do the bulk of my work on friday and saturday nights...late at night. it's worked out so far, but right now i'm swamped. hopefully in the long run it will be worth it if i can get away from working at my "day job"...which i hate.
- woodyBatts0
i'm glad this post was made, i'm in the same boat myself, i have recently relocated from baltimore to NYC, and am working on building up a collection of clients here. Are your day jobs in the design field as well?
- MrBixler0
Idle Hands Are The Devils Playthings. Keep working team!
- auricom0
my full-time gig is retail so it allows me to get most of my freelance work done on my days off or nights. most of the time i don't go into work till 1 so the night before is when i get most of the work done.
plus my clients are pretty cool so it's all good.
not to brag or anything, but this is the coolest setup i've been in, got the full-time gig for benefits and extra cash from freelance.
freelance is the way to go in this city, no one wants to hire anyone due to taxes and benefits, so grab them as a client and charge them a hell of a lot more then what they gave you as salary. sounds weird but it works.
- monkeyshine0
Yes, I work for a small ad agency in the day...and the environment is a little dysfunctional and chaotic so sometimes I come home feeling like a spent larvae!
I'm really having to work on my communication skills. Seems like to be successful one has to be constantly communicating with freelance clients...and some of mine call me every day on my cell and want hand-holding.
One thing I have learned is that doing this makes me painfully aware of my weaknesses.
- Danski0
I too work full-time as in-house designer/developer/interface guy and freelance as the same plus illustration.
I basically don't make a secret of my arrangements with my clients - I let them know that I'll be working on their projects evenings and weekends. They're cool about it provided I don't start laughing at their deadlines.
- Blofeldt0
sounds as if you're in the hardest part. If you keep going you'll be able to quit your job and have a nice group of loyal freelance clients. Hang in there!
- auricom0
but that's good daniel son.
practice makes perfect. there are tons of great books out there for getting started in the freelance realm. hit up a Border's bookstore if you can and just spend a day perusing around. meeting with people from the local AIGA chapter helped me out, plus my retail job allows me to meet many of the designers in the area.
- BonSeff0
i freelance drunk. and it shows in my award-winning work™
- thepod0
i am the interactive design supervisor [what a dumbAss title] for an e-learning company during the day. if a client calls me on my cell and i can't pick up, i'm usually able to get back to them soon after. but i do alot of it through email.
- jox0
I do a couple of freelance gigs every year, on the side of my firm's projects. But it's not like I make any good money out of them - it's more to friends and family etc.
My people have some freelance gigs on the side as well, and I don't mind as long as they aren't working with it during office hours.
- thepod0
i also do alot of work for family and friends, and referrals from other clients. so for right now, i don't have to pound the pavement for clients.
- ldww0
i worked full time, and freelanced at the same time. one client i did freelance for over a year and they just hired me full time... so i guess it pays off to work every beathing moment.
- monkeyshine0
It's good to hear from you guys. I don't mean to sound whiney. I'm happy to be working. I've just been a little freaked out at how busy I've been and trying to keep up with clients. I can't afford to lose clients given that I'll need them in January when I'll be full time freelance.
- spendogg0
I have a full time design job which is awesome - i also freelance whenever something cool comes up - i also do little jobs for the clients who usually have cool job now and again to keep them on the hook. in this biz you always want to have as many client contacs as possible. right now i have 3 freelance jobs on top of my regular job and they all know that my work will be done when my regular work day is done, and they are cool - as long as the work rocks.
- jox0
Busy is good. It proves that you're good at what you do and clients find you important. :)
- unknown0
luckily I have a cool boss otherwise id be fucked...
I always have one or two freelance projects on the go.
not easy + the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit infront of a computer screen
- vwsung18t0
yeah, a lot of people seems to be in the same boat. everyone i work with at my fulltime job does freelance on the side. I'm just starting out, so I don't have that many clients. Most of my clients now are just a friend of a friend type of deal.
I try to finish my work at my fulltime job quick so I can work on my freelance work but most of the time I spend it here on NT.
I need a better job, I'm not getting paid anything here, not ebough to live off, just doing it for experience.
- TwinLobe0
I've been working full-time for the past 8 years and doing freelance on top of that for the last 4. (I always have at least 2 extra projects on top of a 55-hour a week schedule...)
For me it's definitely worth it because I'd also like to start my own thing within the next couple of years.
Here are a few words of advice that I've gleaned here & there:
1. Be honest with your freelance clients - if you have a crazy schedule, be honest with them & plan realistically.
2. Maintain client relationships - Let them know that you're interested in future work, drop 'em a Christmas card every year...
3. Don't discount the value of your full-time job - Even though you feel ready to go out on your own, don't forget that valuable things can be learned in the workplace (for any level person). Budget, scheduling, presentations, and production are all areas that can be improved.
4. Don't jump ship too quick - Be extra cautious about the financial risk in doing your own thing. Don't do it unless you can make at least the same pre-tax income you were making at your full-time job. Just because you have 4 freelance gigs lined-up doesn't mean you'll have ANY in 6 months -- instead think about assembling a team of collaborators to handle the extra work-load.
5. Hard work will pay off! It seems crazy at times, but maintaining a busy full-time/freelance work load WILL pay-off in the future -- just hang in there for a little while...
Hope this helps when you're pulling the all-nighters -- it's definitely helped me keep my priorities straight.
Cheers!
- monkeyshine0
twinlobe, that is excellent advice. thanks! In addition to the being honest with clients about schedule, I'd also add: don't take on more than you can bite off at a time.
I'm in that situation now. I've been so anxious about this upcoming freelance life that I am reticent to say no to anyone who comes knocking. Hard lesson learned is that its better to say no now and still be able to approach the client later, rather than pissing off client now and never being able to get them back.