Cup of Inspiration

Today, April 15^th, kicks off National Freelance Business Week. This week brings awareness to what freelancers can offer.

Freelancing goes back centuries. Those who have chosen to pursue freelancing careers offer services in a variety of ways. Those who love dogs may choose to offer dog walking services. Those with a creative mind may choose to offer graphic design services. I am learning every day more about the wonderful world of being a virtual assistant.

Freelancing can be stressful and thrilling at the same time. There are several reasons to pursue a freelance career, but there are other things to keep in mind.

The normal career route is to pursue employment for an established company, receive a paycheck with benefits, and years down the road move into retirement. With freelancing, there may not be that steady paycheck. There certainly are no insurance benefits or paid time off. Sick days mean just working through the illness. You are the department head of everything, including marketing, bookkeeping, IT, etc. Of course, you can outsource some of this work out, perhaps to another freelancer.

However, as a freelancer, you have more control over your workload. You set the price and hours. You can pursue a particular niche in the market that interests you most. The more work you do, the greater your reputation spreads, you may very well have an easier time obtaining clients.

Freelancing is not for everyone. You may start off as a freelancer right away in your career. You may be like me, pursuing a freelance career later in life after gaining valuable skills working in the corporate world. You may choose to pursue a little bit of both worlds, partly for a company while maintaining a side freelance business. There is no one set path.

This week, if you are a freelancer, celebrate your career decision. If you know a freelancer, give them some support. Help them get the word out about their services and consider how you can throw some work their direction yourself.