This morning my accountant called. He wanted to remind me about the end of the tax year. At the end of this month, my fifth set of company accounts will be heading to HMRC. This got me thinking about freelancing. For me, the reality was different from the expectation and, while I absolutely love my job, there are things I could have done to make it easier.
So, in honour of my five years, here are five things I wish I’d done from the start:
Find your clan
Network to find colleagues, not clients (the best clients come through referral).
I missed my colleagues. I still miss some of them. I miss how much they taught me and how they kept me accountable. It took me a while to realise that there is a network of freelancers out there and we all want to help each other. A good place to start is @FHChat on Twitter (Freelance Heroes), it’s also worth joining IPSE.
Let it go
No-one can do everything well so outsource the stuff you don’t have the skills for. Free yourself to focus on doing the work and doing it well. Outsourcing for me included: accountancy, branding and website design but it also includes using specialist agencies for data tabulation, coding and, on occasion, charting. Your clan will be a great source of recommendations and advice.
Get the price right
For me this means fixing a price for a job rather than offering a day rate. It’s fairer. I charge more for analysis than charting; more for doing focus groups than organising them; more for preparing a workshop than running it. I do this because some of my skills are more valuable than others. I get a fair price and the client gets a fair deal.
Invest in yourself
Keep learning. Identify the things you want to get better at. Set aside a training budget and use it. I’ve only just started doing this and the benefits have been immediate. I’ve bought books (and read them), I’ve brushed up my SPSS skills (revisiting and improving old code) and I’ve done courses (2 so far this year both equally useful). Learning matters.
Give yourself a bonus
When you achieve your goals, treat yourself. The memories of the celebration will help you when your confidence wobbles (because your confidence will wobble). When the pubs were open we used to go to a nice bar and have a cocktail when I got a new client or had an important project signed off. These days I high five the dog and take the afternoon off – just because I can.
There you go. My five freelancing findings. What would you add?
