Becoming a Freelancer: Assessing your Readiness to Be your Own Boss and Tips for Getting Started

Who hasn't dreamed of being their own boss? Answerable to no one and free to choose how and when you work, freelancing is an appealing career choice that continues to gain popularity largely because freelancers and independent contractors offer businesses a flexible way of managing their labor needs and employing specialized workers at a low cost. In fact, as this article* published on American Express OPENForum suggests, the amount of income spent by small businesses on contract workers now stands at 12% - more than double what it was nine years ago. But becoming a freelancer is also a business choice that requires planning, commitment, financial and professional discipline-- as well as the wherewithal to essentially find a new job each day and handle the peaks
and troughs of cash flow. If freelancing is something you have considered, here are some tips for assessing your readiness and suitability for running a freelance business, as well as some steps to get you started.

Are you Ready to Become a Freelancer?

Here are three very specific considerations to becoming a freelancer that you should factor in before making the leap:

1) What have you got to offer? - All freelancers typically have a specific competency or skill-set that is established and in-demand. Step back and assess the market for your service. Can you identify potential clients? Do you have a portfolio, track record of previous projects, or "clients" that you can use as reference points? If the answer to any of these is no, then you are probably not ready to freelance. Alternatively, you might want to take small steps towards freelancing by researching and building a potential client base (and perhaps even do some part-time consulting for them), or building your portfolio while you are still employed full-time. Another question to ask about your "product" or "service" is how diversifiable it is. Will it survive and endure potential market shifts and changing client needs?. For example, if a client contracts with you for graphic design services to support their print design needs but they find over time they need someone with Web design skills, could you diversify or re-train to meet their needs?

2) Can your finances support you choice? Few freelancers hit the ground running with a healthy pipeline of clients, and while the costs of starting up a freelancing business can be low, you will need a financial cushion to cover your cost-of-living and start-up expenses. If you are able to fall back on savings, or have a partner (or spouse) that can support you during the first few weeks and months - then freelancing might work for you. If not, then once again, you might consider doing it on a part-time basis in order to establish a steady set of clients and a base of savings to work from.

3) What are you looking to get out of freelancing? - Becoming a freelancer requires a great deal of self-assessment. Understanding what you want to gain from going freelance is one of the most important steps to take, simply because the waters are so utterly new and uncharted. This requires being honest about your needs, motivations and expectations, and how much you are willing to endure to make freelancing work for you. A useful way to do this is to look at the pros and cons of freelancing versus those of a salaried, full time position. This *article from *Freelancer Crowd balances out the pros and cons in a quick visual that might help guide your decision. If you're still unsure, read Taking the Plunge - Tips for Getting over the Fear of Starting a Business and get tips for using preparedness, planning, and financing to help you succeed in starting your own business.

Getting Started as a Freelancer

If after reviewing your motivations, finances and marketability, you find that you are ready to become a freelancer, there are a handful of things you should know right off the bat. As a freelancer or independent contractor, you are now responsible for paying your own taxes, Social Security, unemployment taxes, workers' compensation, health insurance, and other benefits. You will also have to enter into contractual relationships with your clients that are quite different in nature to regular employer/employee relationships and obligations.

To help freelancers get started, the government has developed this online guide from Business.gov: How to Become an Independent Contractor - which includes information and resources about getting started (including templates for a standard client agreement); finding business opportunities, and operating your business within the law. These two earlier articles also can shed some light on making the adjustment from employee to freelancer and business owner:

• *Becoming an Independent Contractor: Part 1 - Taking the First Steps- Tips for understanding your tax obligations; an explanation of what expenses and deductions you are entitled to; and tips for making sure you are not misclassified as an employee by clients.

• *Becoming an Independent Contractor: Part 2 - Contractor as Business Owner - Five steps that you will need to follow to stay on top of your responsibilities as a new business owner including, registering your business, getting a business license/permit, and so on.

Good luck!

Additional Resources

• Need Help Starting a Business? Get the Right Kind of Advice & Take Control of Your Start-Up!

•  *The Bare Bones That Every Freelance Contract Should Have (www.designinformer.com)

• When Something's Got to Give - Outsourcing Options for your Growing Freelance Business

*Note - Hyperlink directs reader to non-government Web site.

Message Edited by CaronBeesley on 01-14-2010 10:17 AM

About the Author

Caron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer, and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the SBA.gov team to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start-up, grow and succeed. Follow Caron on Twitter: @caronbeesley