I am trying to transition from my job to freelancing and having some challenges.
June 3, 2011 10:18 AM Subscribe
I am trying to transition from my job to freelancing and having some challenges. Any advice or insight would be helpful.
I will try to keep this short... I am an event planner at a small company and am trying to develop a freelance business. I am hoping that I will be able to quit my job and freelance full time, and thinking the transition will take about a year.
My primary responsibility at my current job is to plan and run multi-day events, which are mostly out of town. We do about 6-8 events each year.
I have met a successful freelance event planner in St. Louis who has more work coming her way than she can handle, and she is attempting to pass the jobs she can't do or doesn't want on to me.
The challenge is that the two times she has tried to pass events on to me, they happened to be at the same time as events out of town for my company. As the only operations person at my company, I can't miss the programs... they're the focus of my job. I could probably get some flexibility with hours, work days, etc. in between programs, but running the programs is something I have to do as long as I work there.
The event planner emailed me today about a program in November that she can't do - she wants to know if I'm interested. It's the same day I leave for a week long program out of town. It kills me to turn it down... each opportunity that comes my way is an opportunity to build my freelance business, and this could be an annual event and lead to other work... but I don't see how I could do it and my full time job as well.
I also hate to turn it down because here's someone trying to help me get started and hand me business. This is the second time I would be saying no - and I fear that at some point, she will just start calling someone else who is actually available.
If I could quit my job and start doing freelance full time I would, but I am not in a financial position to do that with no actual clients to count on. I am not sure how I can get a freelance business off the ground if I am turning down jobs before I even get started. I should be taking anything that comes my way to get my name out there... but I also have to hold down my real job until I am earning enough to quit.
As it is now, it looks like I will have to turn down the opportunity - or approach my boss and ask for someone else to run the first couple days of the program, and risk him lecturing me about how my priorities are mixed up.
Thanks for any advice or insight.
I will try to keep this short... I am an event planner at a small company and am trying to develop a freelance business. I am hoping that I will be able to quit my job and freelance full time, and thinking the transition will take about a year.
My primary responsibility at my current job is to plan and run multi-day events, which are mostly out of town. We do about 6-8 events each year.
I have met a successful freelance event planner in St. Louis who has more work coming her way than she can handle, and she is attempting to pass the jobs she can't do or doesn't want on to me.
The challenge is that the two times she has tried to pass events on to me, they happened to be at the same time as events out of town for my company. As the only operations person at my company, I can't miss the programs... they're the focus of my job. I could probably get some flexibility with hours, work days, etc. in between programs, but running the programs is something I have to do as long as I work there.
The event planner emailed me today about a program in November that she can't do - she wants to know if I'm interested. It's the same day I leave for a week long program out of town. It kills me to turn it down... each opportunity that comes my way is an opportunity to build my freelance business, and this could be an annual event and lead to other work... but I don't see how I could do it and my full time job as well.
I also hate to turn it down because here's someone trying to help me get started and hand me business. This is the second time I would be saying no - and I fear that at some point, she will just start calling someone else who is actually available.
If I could quit my job and start doing freelance full time I would, but I am not in a financial position to do that with no actual clients to count on. I am not sure how I can get a freelance business off the ground if I am turning down jobs before I even get started. I should be taking anything that comes my way to get my name out there... but I also have to hold down my real job until I am earning enough to quit.
As it is now, it looks like I will have to turn down the opportunity - or approach my boss and ask for someone else to run the first couple days of the program, and risk him lecturing me about how my priorities are mixed up.
Thanks for any advice or insight.
Freelancing can be tough, and having an actual job with benefits and stability can be worth quite a bit more than you think if you haven't done the independent thing. Could you sit down with the freelancer in St. Louis and just discuss the ins and outs of doing that sort of thing on your own. Perhaps while she is busy, she is barely scraping by. She might have some good advice for you. Also, you may just want to wait until an event comes up that does work with your schedule at your current job -- see what it is like doing one on your own, before you give up on the current gig.
Also, is the focus of your current employer event planning, or is that just what you do there? Would there be a conflict of interest?
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 10:35 AM on June 3, 2011
Also, is the focus of your current employer event planning, or is that just what you do there? Would there be a conflict of interest?
posted by This_Will_Be_Good at 10:35 AM on June 3, 2011
I do freelance but a completely different industry. Nonetheless, I may have suggestions that may translate to your business, too. I made my jump ~2.5 years ago FWIW.
I absolutely agree that you need to have at least a few months savings locked away, 3 to 6 months worth. Don’t get carried away, though (I delayed starting for longer than I needed because I kept upping the amount, to infinity and beyond. Look at your finances now and calculate how long it will be until you have a certain amt of $ saved up and plan to jump then or at a different time point, depending on the recommendation of your friend. You may be able to leave really lean if you need to when you start out.
• Talk to your friend to know when is it the “high season” or too much work for your industry (for example, I could probably work round the clock 7 days a week October- December in my industry, so September would be the best time to start). You may already know your industry or your friend may …get that info and plan to work like crazy in those months.
• Do tell your friend your plan as to when you can accept projects (I think you are correct, your friend may stop offering at some point).
• Don’t stop there, before you jump reach out to colleagues in other companies (as others mention, provided you haven’t signed a noncompete, etc.) - Igot a lot of work when I started from a former work colleague who went to another company.
• Can you get a list of companies that do what you do or need your services? I got some work by sending out email letters of introduction when I started.
• I don’t know if it will translate and work in your industry, but I got a lot of work through people who found me on LinkedIn. It is free – set up a detailed profile, make sure you put contact information in there, and make it obvious you are freelance or independent.
I’m leaving this one off the list because I really don’t know if you specialize in a niche industry or not. But the medical communication industry (conferences for continuing med ed, international conferences, etc.) are plentiful; I’d try to find a list for those companies and send them a letter of introduction, too.
Make sure you are charging enough. That was a mistake when I started. Calculate your “hourly” rate now and multiply it by 2 to 3 at minimum.
I don't know if this will help, either, but eventually you have to let go of the rail and jump. Fear will motivate you to find clients, but if you know you have a paycheck rolling in like clockwork every 2 weeks, there is litle to no motivation to find clients.
If you are deeply afraid of "but I will have no clients and starve," it does not need to equal a plan for the rest of your life. I started with the plan "can this work" with a 6 month timeline, and if it did not I was going to return to work fulltime.
Feel free to memail if you want (different industry, different ideas).
posted by Wolfster at 10:54 AM on June 3, 2011
I absolutely agree that you need to have at least a few months savings locked away, 3 to 6 months worth. Don’t get carried away, though (I delayed starting for longer than I needed because I kept upping the amount, to infinity and beyond. Look at your finances now and calculate how long it will be until you have a certain amt of $ saved up and plan to jump then or at a different time point, depending on the recommendation of your friend. You may be able to leave really lean if you need to when you start out.
• Talk to your friend to know when is it the “high season” or too much work for your industry (for example, I could probably work round the clock 7 days a week October- December in my industry, so September would be the best time to start). You may already know your industry or your friend may …get that info and plan to work like crazy in those months.
• Do tell your friend your plan as to when you can accept projects (I think you are correct, your friend may stop offering at some point).
• Don’t stop there, before you jump reach out to colleagues in other companies (as others mention, provided you haven’t signed a noncompete, etc.) - Igot a lot of work when I started from a former work colleague who went to another company.
• Can you get a list of companies that do what you do or need your services? I got some work by sending out email letters of introduction when I started.
• I don’t know if it will translate and work in your industry, but I got a lot of work through people who found me on LinkedIn. It is free – set up a detailed profile, make sure you put contact information in there, and make it obvious you are freelance or independent.
I’m leaving this one off the list because I really don’t know if you specialize in a niche industry or not. But the medical communication industry (conferences for continuing med ed, international conferences, etc.) are plentiful; I’d try to find a list for those companies and send them a letter of introduction, too.
Make sure you are charging enough. That was a mistake when I started. Calculate your “hourly” rate now and multiply it by 2 to 3 at minimum.
I don't know if this will help, either, but eventually you have to let go of the rail and jump. Fear will motivate you to find clients, but if you know you have a paycheck rolling in like clockwork every 2 weeks, there is litle to no motivation to find clients.
If you are deeply afraid of "but I will have no clients and starve," it does not need to equal a plan for the rest of your life. I started with the plan "can this work" with a 6 month timeline, and if it did not I was going to return to work fulltime.
Feel free to memail if you want (different industry, different ideas).
posted by Wolfster at 10:54 AM on June 3, 2011
(I've been a freelancer for 5 years and on and off for 5 years before that. I do a lot of informal counseling of new freelancers, students I've taught in the past, and professionals.)
So first: Awesome! This is a big move and a lot of people are really happy they did it.
Here are some things I noticed:
and thinking the transition will take about a year
This was the first thing that stood out to me -- you didn't mention what made you think it would take about a year.
Most successful freelancers I know take anywhere from 2-5 years before they're on solid ground. Until that happens, they need backup -- a place with free rent, or another job, or whatever. It seems like you're well aware that you still need resources while you get started.
I also hate to turn it down because here's someone trying to help me get started and hand me business. This is the second time I would be saying no - and I fear that at some point, she will just start calling someone else who is actually available.
I've run into this situation before. My advice is to ask her for advice. If she's a freelancer, chances are she's been here before and would love to help you out/get to know you beyond just "here's a job, and if you don't take it, I'm going to offer it to someone else." She probably likes you so far and wants to help.
In general you can only benefit by getting closer to your peers and even competitors. For example, I try to meet with every one of my competitors in person. Usually we grow closer and we end up referring work to each other. But with peers, that bond is even stronger -- you can come out and say, "I need help with my crazy situation" right off the bat, and usually you'll get the help you need.
If I could quit my job and start doing freelance full time I would, but I am not in a financial position to do that with no actual clients to count on.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with your assessment. In fact, I would look at expanding your timeline in order to make failure less likely. Many first-time freelancers work on a short timeline, and when things don't work out, they blame themselves, the market, their job, etc. It would suck to be someone who just needs 4 years, and feel like a triple-failure getting there because you thought you'd only need a year.
I am not sure how I can get a freelance business off the ground if I am turning down jobs before I even get started.
Sure, you've had a few you've turned down. But you'll be turning down work long into the future for other reasons, too. And you'll probably feel a tinge of guilt about that, too. I feel like every year I come up with a new, but valid, reason to turn down a big job. So this is probably good practice for you.
You have to freelance on your own terms, not someone else's. No guilt there. You can do it, but you've got an up-front problem that you'll need to work around.
I should be taking anything that comes my way to get my name out there...
No, you shouldn't. People who do that seem much more likely to fail as freelancers. You get some skeezy clients and crappy gigs that way.
You are already putting your name out there by building relationships with people like that other freelancer. You're off to a great start. Now if you can just 1) talk this specific situation through with her and 2) find more people like her, that'd really help you out.
Good luck and I hope this works out for you.
posted by circular at 11:54 AM on June 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
So first: Awesome! This is a big move and a lot of people are really happy they did it.
Here are some things I noticed:
and thinking the transition will take about a year
This was the first thing that stood out to me -- you didn't mention what made you think it would take about a year.
Most successful freelancers I know take anywhere from 2-5 years before they're on solid ground. Until that happens, they need backup -- a place with free rent, or another job, or whatever. It seems like you're well aware that you still need resources while you get started.
I also hate to turn it down because here's someone trying to help me get started and hand me business. This is the second time I would be saying no - and I fear that at some point, she will just start calling someone else who is actually available.
I've run into this situation before. My advice is to ask her for advice. If she's a freelancer, chances are she's been here before and would love to help you out/get to know you beyond just "here's a job, and if you don't take it, I'm going to offer it to someone else." She probably likes you so far and wants to help.
In general you can only benefit by getting closer to your peers and even competitors. For example, I try to meet with every one of my competitors in person. Usually we grow closer and we end up referring work to each other. But with peers, that bond is even stronger -- you can come out and say, "I need help with my crazy situation" right off the bat, and usually you'll get the help you need.
If I could quit my job and start doing freelance full time I would, but I am not in a financial position to do that with no actual clients to count on.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with your assessment. In fact, I would look at expanding your timeline in order to make failure less likely. Many first-time freelancers work on a short timeline, and when things don't work out, they blame themselves, the market, their job, etc. It would suck to be someone who just needs 4 years, and feel like a triple-failure getting there because you thought you'd only need a year.
I am not sure how I can get a freelance business off the ground if I am turning down jobs before I even get started.
Sure, you've had a few you've turned down. But you'll be turning down work long into the future for other reasons, too. And you'll probably feel a tinge of guilt about that, too. I feel like every year I come up with a new, but valid, reason to turn down a big job. So this is probably good practice for you.
You have to freelance on your own terms, not someone else's. No guilt there. You can do it, but you've got an up-front problem that you'll need to work around.
I should be taking anything that comes my way to get my name out there...
No, you shouldn't. People who do that seem much more likely to fail as freelancers. You get some skeezy clients and crappy gigs that way.
You are already putting your name out there by building relationships with people like that other freelancer. You're off to a great start. Now if you can just 1) talk this specific situation through with her and 2) find more people like her, that'd really help you out.
Good luck and I hope this works out for you.
posted by circular at 11:54 AM on June 3, 2011 [1 favorite]
: "I am not sure how I can get a freelance business off the ground if I am turning down jobs before I even get started. I should be taking anything that comes my way to get my name out there... but I also have to hold down my real job until I am earning enough to quit."
Sorry, no, that really isn't how it works. Event planning really isn't something you can do after work and on weekends, you know? You have a client, you just don't want to serve them because you have a job. The two are not compatible. You either quit and go for it or you stick with the job. There is no safety in freelance; that is the nature of the beast. It's pretty much always exactly this scary.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:55 PM on June 3, 2011
Sorry, no, that really isn't how it works. Event planning really isn't something you can do after work and on weekends, you know? You have a client, you just don't want to serve them because you have a job. The two are not compatible. You either quit and go for it or you stick with the job. There is no safety in freelance; that is the nature of the beast. It's pretty much always exactly this scary.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:55 PM on June 3, 2011
Have you thought about teaming up with a partner (or a trusted assistant) who would be available to pick up the slack physically at events where you can't be due to your job? Much of the work of event planning can happen in your off-hours, and if the main issue is simply not being able to be two places at once, find someone great who can "be you" when you cannot.
posted by Scram at 4:00 PM on June 3, 2011
posted by Scram at 4:00 PM on June 3, 2011
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