Are you tired of your 9 to 5 regular job? Lately, maybe you are not getting any time to fulfill your other commitments. Then you think of quitting your regular job and become a freelancer. The only thing that comes to your mind is that finally you are going to get a desirable work style. However, before you jump into the freelance bandwagon, remember that a freelance job is not “a bed of roses”. You will have to face many thorns as you tread the freelancing path. It is better that you start understanding freelancing challenges and become aware about the challenges that you will have to face in a freelancing job. This article will help you to get some insight about the challenges a freelancer has to face and how you can solve them. After all, it is always better that you are well prepared to meet the challenges.It is true that in a freelancing job, you will be your own boss. You can also choose your own working hours. However, you will have to exercise self discipline as a freelancer. You will also have to put up the hard work more than your 9 to 5 job. Here are some ideas which can help you to become prepared for your new job.
Lower Pays
While in a regular job, you have been enjoying the benefits of a regular fixed salary; your freelancing job does not promise you any such benefits. Most probably, as an entry level freelancer, you will have to work for lower pays. Only after gaining experience, you can ask for a higher pay. At first, you may feel little uneasy about this factor as you are used to a fixed salary at your regular job.
No Employment Benefits
Another challenge you will have to face is the absence of employment benefits. As a regular employee of a firm, you need not worry about employment benefits like health insurance, accident insurance EPF etc. However, as a freelancer, you will have to keep aside a substantial amount for all these expenses. Even, if a private insurance agency can provide you coverage, it will be highly expensive. So before leaving your regular job and opting for a freelancing job, you must be well prepared for such challenges before you.
Establish Your Name
If you think that opportunities will come in search of you the very next day as a freelancer, then you are mistaken. A freelancer will have to search for opportunities first. He has to establish a name in the market. He will have to go through many hurdles before he is able to carve a niche for himself. Many a times, he may have to face clients, who make him work again and again. It may take several revisions of the same project before the work gets approved. He will get only the money once for the project. The client will not pay for the rework he has been doing.
The Freelancer Has To Oblige His Clients
A freelancer cannot say no to any opportunity which comes his way. Sometimes a project may look boring to you. At other times the client may behave rudely with you. However, if you really want money, you have to accept the project, even if you did not like it. In a way, a freelancer has to oblige his clients by accepting the work and finishing it in time.
Work Fast
A freelancer should be able to meet the deadlines. He should also learn to do his job faster. Apart from finishing his projects in time, he may also have to make revisions and submit them. He should stop wasting time and procrastinating. By submitting the work on time, he will be able to impress the client.
Build Trust
The freelancer has to work hard to create a reputation for himself. Besides, he has to market and promote himself. The first thing he has to do after getting a work from a new client is to build up the trust. Once the client starts trusting him, he will start giving the freelancer more work.
Manage Finances
A freelancer has to manage his finances alone. He or she has to save money for the future. The nature of the freelancing work is that sometimes a freelancer will have a handful of jobs, at other times he will have to sit idle. So he has to keep aside some money for the rainy day ahead, and use the rest to pay his bills. In other words, he has to be careful about his finances.
Make A Work Life Balance
As a regular employee, you will have a set of jobs to perform every day. You go to office and work in a routine. A freelance, on the other hand, has to create his routine. He has to work as and when new projects come his way. A regular employee is able to maintain a work life balance easily. However, as a freelancer, it is very difficult to maintain the same. You may get phone calls even in the middle of the night. If you are not able to finish the work in time, you may have to stay awake till the wee hours to finish the work. All this may have a negative effect on your family life. So try to achieve a work life balance by setting aside some time. A work life balance is surely the key to success.Regular employees can avail leaves if they want to. In fact regular employees can enjoy benefits like a paid holiday, sick leave etc, but a freelancer might not enjoy such benefits. If they do not report for work for several days, they can be terminated even without notice.
Find New Clients
A freelancer has to make new clients himself. He has to promote himself and deal with new clients without any help. He himself has to talk about the work conditions and payments.These are some challenges which a freelancer has to face. Although as a freelancer you may feel the job is tough at the beginning, you will start enjoying it later on. By understanding these challenges, you will be much prepared for your new job as a freelancer.