When do I know I am ready to go freelance, if at all?
Salaried work vs. Freelance creative work. These are two totally different work cultures. We will explore both in this article.
When do I know I am ready to go freelance, if at all?
Salaried work and Freelance creative work are two totally different work cultures and choosing between the two can be difficult. There are pros and cons to each work culture choice.
Ask yourself which of the two columns sounds more rewarding? Which of the two columns do I NEED in my life right now?
To illustrate the difference between the two work cultures I decided to write two “day in the life of” journals. Both will be about a creative doing their daily work but using two different work scenarios— one freelance and the other working at a company. As you read the two paragraphs, which ones sounds more doable, workable, enjoyable and interesting?
WORKING AT A COMPANY (Salaried)
6AM - It is a Friday, I woke up tired. Rolled out of bed and it is still dark outside. I grab something to go and head into work.
7AM - Stuck in traffic, but it is ok as I am listing to my favorite creative podcast. I’m still hungry so I stop by Starbucks and get a croissant.
8AM - Arrive at work. I have to scan my work badge at the door to get in. I see my favorite work buddy and we talk about the latest episode of Stranger Things. I ask if she wants to have lunch with me in the cafeteria today.
9AM - First meeting of the day. I talk with my manager about the project deadlines. I am working on two different company projects at the same time. So I bounce between the two as needed to reach the deadlines.
11AM - I take a bathroom break and talk with my other creative bestie that works near me. She is showing me some new digital artwork she is creating. I give her feedback.
12PM - It’s lunch time and I meet my friend at the cafeteria. My company provides reduced meal costs so it beats anything I can buy outside of the office.
1PM - Another meeting. This time it is more exciting. We are working on a pitch to possibly gain a new client. My boss puts me in charge of the presentation. I am nervous but a little excited to be recognized for my work.
2PM - The day is long and my back starts to hurt. The lights are bright in the office so I take a 5 min break to stand by the natural light of the window. It’s Friday so it is payday. I’m excited to see that check in my box. I really like how it is the same dependable amount I have come to rely on, I just wish it was more! Hoping to get a raise soon after my hit client presentation next week!
4PM - Time to wrap up and go home. I was glad to see my friends throughout the day and be able to get out of the house and interact. My work was steady bouncing between those two projects. Sometimes I wish could choose what projects I did but unfortunately that is not the case. I found one project enjoyable but the other one very dull as I am trying to make boring financial reports look more visually exciting.
5PM - Traffic is tough again but I make the best of it by stopping by my favorite take out place and getting something to eat for my husband and I. I go home knowing I do not have to get into work mode until Monday morning. I do not have to touch a computer and will enjoy the weekend hiking and going to a birthday party.
Next week may be different as I might need to stay late at the office putting together that client presentation. I am hoping I can get that done within my regular office hours but you never know what other “project” might have to be done in addition.
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WORKING FREELANCE
8AM - I wake up naturally from the sunlight coming through my window. It is 8am which allowed me to get a full night’s rest.
8:30AM - After some yoga/stretching I walk to my kitchen and make my favorite morning latte. I bring my laptop into the kitchen table and eat while looking at my e-mail for client communication.
9AM - I see that a client has some revisions from a project I submitted the day before. Not many changes but some small tedious ones. I get to work.
10AM - I finished the project and sent the final files. I notice there is another client needing a small project. I work on that project for the next hour.
11AM - I decide my back and neck need more stretching after a few hours at the kitchen table working. It is a lovely day outside so I decide to go for a walk with my dog on the trail.
12PM - Lunch time is a homemade salad. I save so much money by eating at home and healthier too. I decide since I went on a walk earlier that I need to have a “working lunch” and further work on projects while eating my salad. That way I can try to finish the day early.
1PM - I have to create an invoice to send to my first client that I finished the project for this morning. I go into my accounting software and fill out the invoice and send it. I also process a check I received in the mail from a client yesterday. I have to keep track of all my income and bills related to my business in my software or tax time will be overwhelming. The time I spend doing these small tasks are pretty much unpaid but must be done in order for me to get paid.
2PM - There is another client who did not pay their invoice from last month so I send them a reminder about it. Last month was an amazing month for income so I need to stay on the ball to make at least the minimum income this month, although for some reason this month is a struggle.
3PM - I was able to be very productive this morning so I am already done for the day! I might even have time to meet my husband for dinner and a movie.
7PM - I got an emergency email from a client saying the changes I made had a misspelling. Oops! I rushed to make some last minute changes and it made my dinner start later than I hoped and we have to skip out on the movie. This made me feel a little panicked on the drive home. I am hoping I can fix the mistake quickly before the project goes to print.
9PM - I am having a hard time sleeping because tomorrow my day is not as busy. I am a bit worried that my income might be lower than last month so I devise a plan in my head to find another new client tomorrow. I think I may attend that small business gathering in the next town over to see if I can network somehow. Some days the flexibility of my job feels freeing while other days the weight of making sure I bring in the right amount of income becomes heavy.
As you can see there is no wrong or right choice here. It really depends on the type of work and creative schedule you think you might thrive on.
Do you need to be around other people each day to feel creative? Do you just want to craft your own schedule? All of those will be interesting questions to ask yourself as you figure out of working for someone full-time or working full-time or part-time freelance is for you.
What if you decided to go freelance? How do you know when it’s the right time?
This chart is a rough guide in helping you plot out when you might make this important decision. (You can download the pdf directly here)
You will notice in this chart that the point where you switch to full-time freelance (and perhaps even quit your job) comes before you exceed your current monthly income from your non-freelance job or salary.
This may surprise a lot of people as most people think you should wait until you replace your salary or current income to move into full-time freelancing. This is not always the case, as sometimes devoting your full-time energy into your freelance business is what can help propel it to a higher month-over-month income growth rate. It’s basically a “chicken or the egg” type situation.
This chart also encourages you not to quit your main income source or salaried job until you reach a point of consistent month-over-month growth in your business.
I would define consistency as having average growth that exceeds a certain point for at least 4-6 months in a row. This ensures your freelance business will have consistency in growth and income before you jump “all in”.
Remember growth in your freelance business is not always a continual upward growth curve. There can be “down months” or months of decelerated growth. This is normal, but overall a good sign of growth is several months of consistent month-over-month income growth.
I get a lot of questions from design students about which path might work for them and if freelancing or salaried work is the right choice.
Hopefully this article helped you explore both of those options and gives you some further clarity on which one you might pursue. Let me know what other types of content or article topics you want me to right about next!
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Hey Lindsay.
I really loved this article.
You know for some reason the pressure that comes with being a freelancer just looks good to me😭. Like at the end of each and every day when you go to bed, you'll always remember that you're on top of things ✊🏽❤️