Freelancing For Dummies

Susan M. Drake

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781118069639
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

Are you ready to fly the corporate coop and become the boss of you? Do you dream of busting out of the cubicle wasteland and finding greener pastures as a freelancer? If so, you're in good company. The U S Department of Labor estimates that nearly one-fourth of the American workforce is self-employed and that number is sure to increase over the next decade. But do you have what it takes to succeed as a freelancer, consultant, or contract employee? Do you even know what it takes to make it on your own? Here's your chance to find out.

A total guide to starting and running a freelance business, Freelancing For Dummies is for anyone thinking about striking out on their own, or who's already decided to make the move into self-employment. It's also an excellent resource for established freelancers looking for ways to jumpstart their businesses. Written by a top corporate communication consultant, it features hard-won tips from a slew of successful freelancers, including an accountant, a wr iter, a computer trainer, a graphic designer, a market researcher, an event planner, a medical trainer and others who share what they know about how to:

• Organize your home office and budget your time
• Create the ideal working environment
• Evaluate jobs and projects
• Land new business and manage client relationships
• Manage your money and pay your taxes
• Stay positive and manage the emotional uncertainties of self-employment

Here's your chance to take the leap from employee to boss with minimal stress and minimal sweat. A survival guide to building a successful freelance career, Freelancing For Dummies features:

• Self-assessments to gauge your skills and personality
• Critical "Get in, get out" information
• A gold mine of checklists, tear-out sheets, and sample forms
• Top ten lists
• War stories from freelancers who've made it

Do you long for the freedom of being your own boss? Relax and let expert Susan Drake help you make the transition to becoming a fulltime freelancer.

Part I

Getting Ready to Go It Alone

In this part . . .

**IN a DROPCAP**

B efore you ride off into the sunset on your gallant steed, consider whether you’re cut out for the freelance life and then take some steps to ensure your success.

This part describes the characteristics of a freelancer and gives pointers on how to ease your transition to the freelance life.

Chapter 1

Are You a Born Freelancer?

In This Chapter

Defining yourself as a free agent

Making sure your personality fits

Creating your own job description

Assessing your skills

I n times of old, knights traveled the countryside, hiring themselves out to fight battles on behalf of various kings and countries. These brave warriors carried weapons called lances. freelancers.

If you think you want to work for yourself, you’ll probably discover that you’re one of a growing number of brave hearts roaming the business world looking for Camelot. This chapter explores what makes a freelancer tick and helps you decide whether you want to join this merry band.

Describing the Footloose and Fancy Freelancer

The wonderful world of freelancing can be described as any work situation that lets you define the following:

What service you provide

How you accomplish your work

How and how much you will be paid

Given the perks of working in a corporate environment, why do people break loose from that world and take up freelancing? The following are just a few reasons:

To make more money

To work fewer hours

To have more fun

To escape from stress

To have greater freedom

Whatever your reason, if you’re cut out for it, working for yourself can be a real joyride: fun, exciting, and, as a side benefit, profitable. Of course, you may or may not realize the benefits you set out to gain, but you may enjoy others you never expected.

Seafood, mascara, and gold forks

When I talked with freelance public relations professional Lauralee Dobbins, she was preparing to spray paint some forks gold. It may not sound like a typical freelance assignment, but Lauralee has built a successful business on getting things done, no matter how unusual they are. Like so many self-employed people, Lauralee was “downsized” from her corporate position. She’d been considering freelancing for awhile and considered this a great time to leap from the nest. “It’s a good time to be at this sort of work,” she says. “It’s more socially and financially acceptable to not have a corporate title now. In the past, you could hardly get a loan or establish any credibility, but today, it’s perfectly okay.”

After indulging in a three-day vacation in between real work and her new life, Lauralee came back to discover her first project awaited her: planning a fresh seafood festival. Her next project, writing a beauty book, required her to repeatedly test different mascaras on each eye. On any give day, you may find her one day running a PR campaign for an upcoming tax referendum, participating in a bean bag toss to raise money for the blind, or writing and selling corporate profiles for a specialty book.

Being prepared to take advantage of opportunities seems to be a common trait among successful freelancers. “I tell people I have a small PR firm, but my real job is that I’m a get-stuff-done person.” It’s no surprise that Lauralee says work “falls in her lap;” her willing attitude gives it a sizable push.

Reviewing the Various Types of Freelance Work Arrangements

Freelancers go by several names, and they work in a variety of ways.

Free agents/self-employed people: Free agents/self-employed people may work on an hourly or project basis, taking projects or pieces of projects for several clients. The length of projects varies from an hour to months at a time. These freelancers may charge an hourly rate or agree to a certain amount for the entire job. Writing a brochure, planning a meeting, and setting up accounting records are examples of work that a free agent may do.

Contract employee: Contract employees accept project work under contract and usually work on-site in a company’s offices, sometimes even commuting to an out-of-town location each week or month. Jobs are generally limited in their duration. For example, a computer programmer may accept a project working full time for a corporation for three months until a special project is complete. Fees may be hourly or for an entire project. Examples of contract work include developing a software program, developing a training program, or designing a building addition.

Consultants: Consultants work for a variety of organizations, spending time assisting with a particular area, such as human resources or operations. Consultants may be specialists or management generalists. In some cases, they work on a retainer, meaning that they are guaranteed a minimum payment each month for a certain length of time and are paid additional fees if they work more than that minimum. Under these arrangements, the employer may choose ...