This weekend I have been lucky enough to take part in the VI edition of Personal Branding Lab Day. It has been a pleasure to share the stage online with great friends and excellent personal branding professionals in Spanish speaking countries. Congratulations to the organization. This year the congress was focused on the idea of connecting the personal brand with the labor market. My presentation was “Why don’t you go freelance?”
Before entering the subject, I would like to clarify at the language level the differences between freelancer and freelance…In English freelance is an adjective (which complements a name) while a freelancer is a person who performs the freelance activity. And in this sense, a freelancer is a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Made this clarification, we move on.
We are living in very tough times. The global health crisis caused by Covid19 has caused an economic crisis of unimaginable dimensions. Most countries are having many difficulties and their economic indicators are frankly worrying. I talked about it in my post “Boost your personal brand in times of crisis” published a few weeks ago. The economic situation will cause considerable increases in unemployment and greater job insecurity in most countries of the world. Given this scene, being a freelance can be a good option. Faced with an increasingly global environment, with much more remote work, I am fully convinced that the freelance revolution will be unstoppable. Many professionals will leave, either by conviction or by necessity, to work for someone else to undertake an adventure as a freelance.
There are 4 pillars to establish a freelance project:
- Freedom: freedom is one of the great pillars of the freelance world. Being able to be free to work with the clients you want, in the place you want, with the hours that best suit you … If you really are a person who really values your own freedom, being a freelancer can become a great option.
- Authenticity: being freelance allows you to be totally authentic, to be really true to your style. It enables you to do things your way without having to copy or imitate other styles.
- Responsibility: undoubtedly one of the most important elements for your success as a freelancer. You must have high levels of discipline and be very responsible with all your obligations (legal, fiscal, project, in relation to your clients …). Refrain from being freelancers those who cannot offer high levels of responsibility.
- Own concept of success: as Maya Angelou said “true success is that you like how you are, you like what you do and you like how you do it”. Each person has their own idea of what success means. Betting on being a freelancer will allow you to fight for your own version of success.
In addition, being a freelancer can bring you great advantages:
- Have a flexible schedule
- Work where you want
- Work the hours you want
- Choose your clients
- Be your own boss
- The benefits are all yours
But be careful, being a freelancer can also have some risks:
- You don’t have a constant flow of customers
- Sometimes it’s difficult to reconcile work and personal life
- Attracting customers is not always an easy challenge
- It can also be difficult to price your fees and collect social work
- Many freelancers do not have social benefits
Being a freelancer can be a great opportunity. At a time like this, I am convinced that there will be more and more freelancers. Now, it sure is not a good idea for any professional. To be successful as a freelancer you must be good at your professional activity, manage your business well and also enjoy working alone. The people who get it usually earn a lot of money and they are also really happy.
IIn the next week post I will tell you the steps to follow to launch your own freelance project.
