I was a freelancer for a while then I worked for the corporate “man” for a while then I went back to freelancing when I realized how little I wanted to be an employee. For me, freelancing was the brass ring of achievement. If you are thinking about being a freelancer, it’s important to consider how the world views freelancers and what this means for your career.

To be honest, I had never considered what others thought of freelancers before… until I saw a related question on LinkedIn a few months ago: Someone asked (and I’m summarizing here because I can’t find the question), “If freelancers and independent consultants are as good as they claim to be, why aren’t they employed by a company?”

This question surprised me because it demonstrated the age-old idea that employment is the ultimate goal of a lot of people and the freedom of entrepreneurial freelancing isn’t. 

And while that was on my mind, I was talking to a contact who had sent me a referral she pointed out that the referred business didn’t really view me as a valuable asset but as someone who could simply plug the gaps they had if and when they had them. (Which explains why they had me sign a contract but never gave me work).

What doesn’t help:

  • Is the many unethical freelancers who overrun the job boards with cheap bids (and then deliver work that has been blatantly stolen). This blog post from Harvard Business Review talks about an unethical freelancer: The Dark Side of Freelancing.
  • Add to the mix are the “just-trying-it-out” freelancers who are hanging out their shingle as a freelancer (but are really just testing the waters to see if they can make a living from it). I personally know of a couple of freelancers who have started work for a client and then disappeared because they got a “real” job.

With all of these scenarios going on, it’s no surprise to me that I’m periodically asked how long I’ve been doing this for and whether or not I’m full-time. And I’m frequently asked, “But what do you do for a real job?” Or “How do you possibly pay your bills?”

The answer that I give to aspiring freelancers who come to me for one-on-one coaching is this:

Freelancing is just like any other small business. You’ll be more successful when you jump into it with both feet and give it 100% and if you remember that successful freelancers sell their services over and over again.

This article, also from Harvard Business Review, Is Freelancing Right for You? has a great list of tips and strategies for the freelancer… but don’t miss that they, too, talk about short-term freelancers who are paying the bills and long-term freelancers who are in it full time.

How does this affect you? Very simply: If you’re going to be a freelancer, BE a freelancer. Don’t waffle. Focus. Sell. Run your operation like any other business. Be ethical. Raise bar on the freelancing industry. Proactively answer those questions that clients have about whether you’re around for the long haul or not.

Getting started as a freelancer? The work is hard – as is anything that’s worthwhile – but it is very rewarding.