Just recently I suggested that two of my besties start freelancing… to which they answered UGH. But you CAN find freelance jobs you love if you think about the Venn diagram of what you like to do and what people need!
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Why Should You Freelance?
If you are considering jumping into the freelance game, you might wonder why people are freelancing. Here are some reasons you might consider freelancing…
Time Freedom
If the pandemic taught us nothing else, it is that time is precious (and sometimes long!)
As a freelancer, you pick when, where and how much you work. Freelancing allows YOU to claim your time and work effort. (more about this later!)
Money Freedom
When you have the ability to make money at your own discretion life becomes a lot more fun. And NO! I am not talking “bro culture” and making millions of dollars and renting lambos to look cool… I am talking making money doing what you love to do!
Additional Resource :: How To Make More Money As A Freelancer
Work Freedom
As you read about my besties, think about what you love to do and how you can make it into a freelance gig!
I have whizzy-wigged my life into a super fun and interesting combination of blogging, making videos, doing art and one freelance client.
I wish I had known sooner that my work life could be one long series of doing things I love!
Note: I have heard SO MUCH that you shouldn't take something you love and make it your work because it would be spoiled. I think that this is part of puritanical culture, thinking that work doesn't count unless you are miserable. Stop thinking that right now!
Case study… Besty #1 – Rebekah
Okay, let's start with Rebekah. She is working at a job she HATES… and has been for about 8 years now.
Signs at work are that things are not going to get any better, she is grossly under-paid and she has been actively working on her side hustles (a couple of Etsy stores, affiliate marketing and some high end marketing coaching).
That said, she is a single mom with two kids still living at home and can't just “jump” without a clear plan for making money and then being able to get reliable health care… can we just fix this healthcare thing please?!?!
Anyways, about two years ago Rebekah figured out she LOVES using Canva to make social media graphics and journals.
Oh and she is my marketing besty so she is GREAT at marketing and can help businesses make more sales. BUT she got super burned out DOING marketing for companies.
So here is Rebekah's Venn Diagram of what she loves and is good at…
So when I suggested she do freelancing to make more money, she was NOT HAVING IT! She did NOT want to do marketing outsourcing. (my friends are super special, but a little high maintenance!)
But then I reminded her about Fiverr, where she could make Facebook graphics for small businesses!… whoo whoo!
We went and checked and Fiverr.com … you just need to type in what you like to do to find out how much you can make doing what you love…
Next you want to check and see how much you can make doing it… remember that there are usually three different levels of service so don't freak out when you see the first (really low) number!
Sooooo…. $75 total divided by 21, that is about $3.50 a post. Not bad! But this person has higher end ones where she could make as much as $6.66 a post.. whoo whoo.
Now, the thing that Rebekah brings to this is super special… she could do Facebook posts that are actually helpful at selling things. THAT is her super power that will make her different than all the other sellers out there!
Case study… Besty #2 – Barb
Okay, now my friend Barb, who can be a little spicy. She is an author, ghost writer and book coach. Oh and she edits books.
While she doesn't mind editing books, it pays quite well, but it isn't her favorite thing to do…sigh. (so why is she doing that?!?!?!)
So I asked her, “what do you like to do?” And she said read books (in kind of a snotty way… like she was going to stump me… ha!)
So remember that editing things she doesn't like that much… it is all about grammar, etc. BUT, there is a kind of editing that is called developmental editing that is… wait for it… reading books and making sure the story lines make sense… BAM, who is winning now!
So Barb's venn diagram looks like this…
And the thing about Barb is she has a lot of book contacts AND knowledge of book marketing and writing business books so all she has to do is tell people she is ready to help and the offers will come rolling in!
Freelancing FAQs
So now that I have sold you on the concept of being able to do work you love, any time you want, what is the catch? Here are some things that might be bothering you right about now…
Why Would Someone Pick You?
Okay, let's talk about why someone would pick you out of the sea of freelancers available in the world (literally the WHOLE WORLD!)
So if I was going to freelance, I would use a Venn Diagram that looks like this…
I LOVE making art AND I good at marketing, VERY good at marketing. So I could coach people about how to promote themselves on Blogs or YouTube (NOT social media because I am bad at that). I am also going to be doing some courses on Skillshare to teach people how to do magazine collage.
Oh, and I live in the US so people in the US will be more likely to hire me.
Focus on YOUR strengths and what you bring to the party!
First off, draw two circles like my venn diagram (I LOVE venn diagrams so much!) Put what you love to do on the left side and what you are good at doing on the right side.
Then figure out a product or service that you can sell combining those two things.
What If You Are “Too Old” To Work
I no spring chicken (I am 55!) and most of my friends are in their 50s or 60s. I have heard horror stories about them trying to find a “real job” and getting aced out of the job market because they were too old.
That doesn't really apply to freelancing!
When someone hires you to do a specific job, they don't really care about YOU, they care about getting the job done!
As an older person you have SO MUCH EXPERIENCE from different career paths that you can share with your potential clients!
What If You Have Kids
Say you have performed the cardinal work sin of having kids and wanting to spend time with them instead of working all the time.
Freelancing is great for this because you can set your own hours up front and do the work when you want to, instead of being on the clock.
Note: As a 1099 employee in the US, your client is legally not allowed to set times or locations of your work! This is how most freelancers are paid in the US.
So what kinds of people with kids does this work for?
- New Moms with baby-babies
- Nursing Moms
- Homeschool Moms
- Moms who want to do the school pick up line
- Moms who want to attend soccer practice
Functionally, you can do whatever you want!
I am a grandma and take my granddaughter Emmy all day every Monday… I am the boss of me so I can arrange my time any way I want! That said, I work on Saturdays, but Saturdays are not special to me, Mondays with Emmy are special!
Do You Like People?
It can feel like all the freelance gigs are on the computer, and yes, most do have that kind of component. BUT… I am here to tell you that there are A LOT of entrepreneurs who are introverts and who would love to outsource talking to people!
Here are some things that you offer to freelance as a people person…
- Return phone calls or make appointments
- Call their database to check in (great for Realtors!)
- Follow up on sales leads (my gal Michelle did this for me!)
- Contact podcasts for speakers to be interviewed
- Call to verify appointments
I am sure there are a million more things, but you get the idea (you people-y person!)
I KNEW people hated talking on the phone… here are the results for Fiverr.com for phone calls (only 125 people are even offering this service!)
Do You Have To Have An “Official Business” To Freelance?
Many people, when they think “freelancing business” are freaked out! Do you need a license? Are there rules? Do you have to pick full time or part time?
Freelancing is basically about offering your services in a manner that you and your target clients agree on. You can do an hourly rate, charge by the piece or by the project.
When you are offering freelance services you are just doing specific work for your ideal clients!
I understand if you have only had full time jobs that this might be a bit scary but there are only a couple of things to do…
First off, get a business checking account and don't “co-mingle” your personal banking with your business banking. Any bank will be happy to set you up with a business account!
The only other real consideration (in the US) is how you report any income you earn … report it ALL on your taxes!
Generally your client will give you a 1099 form at the end of the year if you make over $600 (report the income even if you make less than that!)
There is a place on your taxes to report additional income, put your earning there. Oh, and put at least 25% of your earnings away to pay taxes at the end of the year!
Doing Work You Love By Freelancing Wrapup
Okay, that was a LOT! But honestly, it is super easy to get started. Pick what you like to do and then tell people you are available to do it… that is about it!
I KNOW, that sounds super simplistic, but I really want you to understand how I got ALL of my freelancing work over the years.
I told people that I did that kind of work, talked to them a wee bit about how we could work together and then just started!
If you have ANY questions, email me at [email protected] and ask. I don't have a course to sell or coaching or anything else, I will just point you in the right direction!