What’s one of the biggest obstacles keeping aspiring freelancers from making the leap?
Figuring out how to transition from full-time employee to freelancer – safely.
Unless you’re already financially independent, can live off your spouse’s income…or you have a rich uncle who’s willing to bankroll your new venture…quitting your job tomorrow and starting your business from scratch is not an option.
To ensure your success you have to become a “chicken entrepreneur.”
A concept popularized by best-selling author and entrepreneur Michael Masterson, the “chicken” approach to entrepreneurship may not be sexy. But it works consistently and often remarkably well.
Where many books and programs encourage folks to make bold and giant leaps, Masterson promotes a conservative yet aggressive plan. His approach recognizes that you must have all your ducks in a row before you make a move that could jeopardize your family’s financial future.
In the context of a freelance business, being a chicken entrepreneur is all about keeping your job (and a steady paycheck) while you work this business to (a) ensure that it’s something you actually enjoy and (b) ensure that it can support your financial needs.
It’s about minimal investment and minimal risk. That way, if you aren’t able to make a go of it after a reasonable amount of effort, you can try something else and you won’t have lost too much in the process. Plus, you’ll still have your job and your paycheck.
I can already hear you: “OK, Ed…but how am I supposed to build a freelance business when my full-time job soaks up so much of my time every week?”
Find the time. Wake up an hour or two earlier every day. Use this new time to work on promoting your business and to work on paid projects. Or, if you’re a night owl, commit to working an hour or two every night (instead of watching TV). How about Saturday mornings for 4 or 5 hours? Yes, it will be tough at first, but you’ll soon get used to the workload. And as you land work you’ll get more motivated to make the sacrifice.
Stay connected. Get a business domain name, a website and a real email address. Then, have all your emails forwarded to a BlackBerry device. That way you can get back to clients and prospects during breaks at work.
Keep an updated schedule. Develop a simple spreadsheet with your current projects, due dates and current availability. And keep it current. This will help ensure that you never over commit yourself.
Chicken entrepreneurship is not easy. But if you’re really committed to launching a successful freelance business, it might be the only (and the best) way to get there.
Are you currently in your “chicken” phase of freelancing? How do you find time to promote your business AND get project work done?
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I just made the transition myself a couple weeks ago! I didn’t realize it, but was going by the chicken entrepreneurship method as well. It was so difficult to juggle both jobs and a family – I was easily working 60-70 hours a week, with not more than 4-5 hours of sleep a night. It was TOUGH, but I’m glad I did things this way… it helped me to build up a bigger clientele, and get that six months of savings in the bank that “they” say you should have before taking the leap.
I know that I didn’t spend as much time marketing myself as I should have – most of my time was spent on client work (I’m a web designer). BUT, I made do as much as I can. Working early mornings, late nights and weekends was necessary in order to fully transition to full time freelance status.
Now that I’m on the other side of the fence, I’m so glad I made the leap (and wish I made it sooner – I most definitely reached a burnout point at the end… something you really do need to be careful of, because it’s just exhausting – physically, mentally, emotionally… all around! and not good for your health). But, sometimes you “gotta do what you gotta do” and all that.
I don’t think I would have done it any other way, though – I’m glad that I took the safe route and finally made it through!
Selene,
Thanks for your comments — and congrats on your achievement! Making the leap is not small feat! I agree that the safe route is not necessarily the easiest…but in the end, it’s the best way for most of us. Not just in terms of limiting our risk, but you can’t put a price on the personal growth you achieve when you take the road less traveled.
All the best to you!
Ed
Thanks for the congrats, Ed! You’re so right on the personal growth and achievement – This is by far the biggest thing I’ve ever accomplished (after being a Mother, of course, LOL), but it’s been a huge boost just getting to this point. Now to keep it up…
I’m one of those people who made the leap to freelancing without taking the safe route. I didn’t have any steady gigs waiting for me, just a couple of “possibles” and an optimistic/bullheaded entrepreneur’s spirit. And a seething loathing for my corporate job.
That said, I see the wisdom of the chicken route. The one thing I would recommend adding as a #4 bullet is to save as much money as you can prior to cutting the Umbilicus Corporatus. That gives you the freedom to have a couple of lean months without scurrying back to the 9-5 world.
This sounds familiar. For me, it wasn’t so much “chicken” as a matter of following the law. When I moved to Germany to stay near my daughter after my ex couldn’t cope with life in the US and went “home”, I had to give up successful businesses that had taken me a decade to build and start over in a salaried job – no “regular” job, no visa. So for nearly three years I was simply not allowed to be independent.
Like most prisoners, I planned my escape, doing so carefully over those years. I looked at options that would facilitate the lifestyle I wanted, then I talked to successful friends in that business to find out how they worked. Step by step I built a reputation and a modest clientele, so when the dot-com bust hit and my employer started shedding jobs I persuaded the authorities that self-employment was the only way for me (a fib since I had job offers, but I didn’t want office life any more). For the most part things have gone well since then, with a steady demand for services and great partners. But building the business slowly over time where I could afford to experiment with different approaches gave me a low-risk opportunity to learn that was very valuable in the end.
Kevin – That’s a great story! Good reminder that if going solo is your goal, you need to start planning and laying the groundwork now. I think many people give up or lose interest early in the process because the end goal seems so distant. So out of reach.
But you need to use your displeasure with your current situation (or your excitement for doing your own thing) to fuel that passion. Because it won’t always be easy. In fact, if you have a full-time job, it’s going to be VERY hard most of the time. So you need that inspiration to keep you going. And you need to keep going, even when you’re not inspired. Because the results from that action WILL inspire you.
Thanks for sharing!