Today we welcome Rachel Gall as part of our Millennial Perspectives series. Rachel is the thought-provoking writer of the blog So-Called Millennial and the mind behind Rachel Gall Creative, a graphic design, publicity and social media strategy firm that designed the very header you see above!
The word freelance can conjure up all kinds projections of the imagination. For some it may mean sitting in front of a computer screen in your PJs twiddling your life away. Others may picture a super-human maverick with a Midas touch who can turn anything into a profitable pile of pure gold.
“Freelance” is either code for a highly ambitious mega-worker or synonym for slacker. At least these were the extremes of my thinking when it came to entertaining the idea of working independently. There seemed to be no middle ground.
The truth is it’s average people who are venturing out on their own with one-third of U.S. workers working outside of nontraditional 9-to-5 jobs.They don’t know exactly where they are going but they’re willing to utilize every tool they have, and willing to take a risk based on passion and fulfilling work. And millennials are primed to get in on the action with 7 out of 10 preferring to work for themselves.
Start with small steps
But how do you get from A to B in your freelance goals? First get rid of the mental red-tape that’s holding you back:
1) Not business savvy? Freelance is still a “win” for the creative types. The button-up shirt 9-to-5 office culture is slowly fading. You know, all of the formalities that make creative people (and introverts to boot) cringe with fear and inferiority. These days your portfolio speaks for itself. Yes, you heard me correctly. In elementary school were you the kid in class who always got their artwork displayed on the wall? Well think of it that way. According to Forbes, “creative types are winning from this shift to outsourced labor perhaps more than any other group.” Illustration and Photoshop jobs in particular showed a nearly 20% boost last year.
2) Define the skills and services you are offering honestly and clearly. One of the scariest things about going out on a limb on freelance work is that there will be some unforeseen barrier in the way. You can’t fall back on consistent income right away. It’s easy to imagine all kinds of red tape when starting out on your freelance work, when really it may be more simple than you think. Simplifying your vision is the best way to start out confidently. Know what services you offer, and do not offer. Over time you can add to your skill set and become more marketable, but to start by focusing on your strengths, not worrying about your weaknesses.
3) Keep your day job. Really, it’s ok. Check out Top 10 Myths About Freelancers, number 4 saying that it’s ok to keep your job and start a freelance business on the side. It’s not a cop-out, just a smart way to start side work on a trial basis.
Deb’s Story
One very talented friend of mine had been toying around with the idea of starting a photography business for years but there were too many hurdles stopping her:
-Not having all of the state-of-the-art photography equipment she thought necessary.
-Renting space for a studio was too much of a financial risk.
-With young kids at home, she didn’t want to start a business that would require her to do a lot traveling around, or outside of her immediate metro-area.
Eventually she realized she was getting in her own way and defined her business path on what she could do, and figured out ways to minimize or let go of the services she could not offer.
In the end her business Debi Emory Photography looks like this: She offers portrait photography in her metro-area only. She does natural-light portraits (no studio or fancy equipment needed). She offers package deals that make her service worth her time and effort. She set up a simple website linked to social media platforms like Facebook.
Guess what? She’s doing great, and she gets jobs flowing by word of mouth frequently. And the more confidence she has gained in delivering a quality product to happy clients, the more creative her work has become. She focused on her talent, and was honest about what she wanted and did not want to offer to clients. She figured out how she was marketable.
The moral of the story? At the end of the day she found a way to build a business that works for the talents and skills she does have, not the ones that she lacks. Since her business is gaining momentum she can now start dreaming about maybe renting studio space. Or maybe going out on a limb and offering illustrative photography for editorial pieces.
If you’re not sure where to start, take a small step forward by figuring out the unique vision of the work you want to offer. From there, watch as your clientele and business marketability slowly expands– not to mention your confidence.
What’s your take on freelancing? If you’ve done some yourself, how did you tackle your jitters?
The post How Millennials Can Get Past Freelance Jitters appeared first on Working Self.