I recently hit the year anniversary of my layoff, July 28th. I was sitting in the dentist chair and I remembered how scared I was that my life was changing in a major way. I no longer had a job, a job I’d had for the past sixteen years. I grew up there—I was just twenty-five when I was hired. I was forty-one when I was laid off.
So, if you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you’ll know that I made the decision to work from home. Freelance editing and virtual assisting were my two main niches. I am now looking at freelance writing as a possibility, too.
So what have I learned this past year?
#1 Fear is a part of the process. There’s no way around it. It’s a huge change. I’ve spent hours just looking for clients with the ever-present threat of not having enough money to pay our bills. I’m happy to report that that has not happened yet. But the fear is real. Just not going to an office was an adjustment, too. Most people say we’re lucky. And we are. But after twenty years in office work, I literally had to relearn how to work. There are always distractions and things I never thought about because I wasn’t home. Now, things are different. Not bad. Just different. I was scared that I’d never be able to make the transition. That I was so hard-wired for office work that my brain wouldn’t be able to rewire itself. Nope. Each day I felt better and more comfortable. I just had to give it time.
#2 It takes time to build up a clientele. I started out with three clients from when I was in preparatory mode (two years prior to my layoff, it was suggested that I begin thinking of an exit strategy). I spent a lot of time running ads and looking for other remote work possibilities. I didn’t care that they weren’t editing—as long as I could do the work, it was good. Unfortunately, apart from one interview, those didn’t pan out. I’ve been looking for author assistant jobs (also known as VAs or virtual assistants). I landed one right after my layoff that I am still doing today. I got lucky in that my client was willing to train me a bit. I also took on e-commerce and taught myself, to help her and also so I could use that knowledge in the future. And currently I have an e-commerce client that I approached and offered my services to. I am very excited about that. And finally, my work is paying off because I’ve had a few other VA opportunities open up. In the beginning, it felt like I’d never get there—and now, a year later, I’m doing really well. I think a bit of fear is healthy. It spurns you into action.
#3 It’s hard work. I knew that, abstractly. I also planned on working “regular” hours. Unfortunately, my workload and my natural body rhythms have made this a challenge. Currently, I am working basically afternoons because that’s my most productive time of the day. Some jobs have overflowed into nighttime, and that’s okay. I do not blow deadlines. However, I would love to get on a better schedule. As of late, I have worked more than I’ve done anything else. I released my book, Fireborn, and it was back to the grindstone. I enjoy being busy and productive. And I’m not afraid to work hard. Hell, at one point I had three jobs so I could pay off my school loans. While my health is not as good as it was twenty years ago, I’m still working as hard as I can.
#4 People will always have opinions. Oh, yes. Everyone had the best idea for what I should do with my time. And what kind of jobs I should take on. A lot of the freelance world has low-paying work, which isn’t horrible, but if you’re spending ten hours to make $10, well, there’s something wrong with that picture. I did begin with lower rates to get myself established—that’s pretty normal. However, I’ve started raising my rates so I am not devaluing my work. And a lot of people don’t consider working from home a job. But I have one question for those folks: If I’m being paid for a service, and I just so happen to be doing it from home, how is it not a job? It blows my mind.
#5 You have to put yourself out there. A year ago, I was terrified to approach anyone to try to get business. I’d break into a cold sweat, and I let a few slip by because I didn’t feel I was experienced enough. Now, a year later, I’ve been doing more approaching. Unfortunately, in freelancing, I’ve learned that you can’t wait for work to come to you. You may get a few clients here and there through sheer luck, but when it comes down to it, you have to start knocking on doors. And sell yourself and your skills. That’s how I landed my e-commerce client. I approached her. She never would have known I had these skills if I hadn’t. In freelance writing, same thing. You pitch article ideas to editors. They won’t come to you (unless you have a really specific niche that no one else has, but then again, you still need to put that information out there). So, yeah, more selling, less waiting.
So, yes, I’ve learned a lot. I am enjoying my freelance career very much. I’ve worked with some wonderful people, and I am getting repeat clients! That’s huge. It’s what I set out to do when I started this adventure.
Over to you. Would you ever try freelancing? If you are already a freelancer, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?