If you are looking to start a home-based business and you have a skill like web design, graphic design, event planning, or writing, then you have the option of providing your services as a freelancer. A freelancer is a skilled professional who is self-employed, and is not committed to working for one particular company or organization. Before deciding whether a career as a freelancer is for you, there are a few benefits and drawbacks of the freelance life that you may wish to consider.
The best way that I can describe the benefits of being a freelancer is to simply say that freelancers enjoy an enormous amount of freedom. Freedom to choose which clients to work with, which projects to work on, when and where to work, and more. Since freelancers often have more than one project going at a time, there is plenty of variety in their day-to-day work. As self-employed professionals, freelancers also enjoy the freedom to do business their way. Each freelancer chooses his or her own unique way of attracting clients, interacting with actual and potential clients, getting the work done and delivered, and getting paid. While freelancers must shoulder all of the responsibilities of running a business, they are able to call all of the shots when it comes to things like customer service and satisfaction without having to defer to anyone’s corporate policy. They can instead choose a course of action based upon their own ethics and values.
As wonderful as the world of freelance work is, there are things that can make it unappealing to some people and impractical or a poor fit for others. While freelancers are secure in their jobs in that they are self-employed, there is no guarantee that there will always be a steady flow of work. If you are considering freelance work, you must evaluate whether you are in a position where you can weather the income fluctuations that come with the territory. Also, freelancers do not receive benefits like health care, vacation pay, and retirement planning. Anyone considering a career as a freelancer must decide whether they can do without employer-provided benefits and do things like purchase their own health insurance, set up their own retirement plan, and make the finances work so that they can enjoy vacations from time to time. A final consideration is whether you are comfortable with handling all of the aspects of running a business such as soliciting work, handling client questions and complaints, and making sure that you get paid.
Freelancing can be a wonderful home-based business for many skilled professionals. If the benefits of becoming a freelancer outweigh the drawbacks, they you may want to make a go of it and enjoy the freedom that comes with freelance work.
Photo by mzacha on morguefile.com