Comments on: A Safer Way to Launch Your Freelance Business

By: Ed Gandia, Editor

Ed Gandia, Editor — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:43:37 +0000

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!

By: Writing Roundup, January 22 « Uncategorized « Jen's Writing Journey

Writing Roundup, January 22 « Uncategorized « Jen's Writing Journey — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:25:50 +0000

[...] A Safer Way to Launch a Freelance Business In an early episode of Friends, Chandler and Joey advised Rachel to quit her job at the coffee house so she would get “the fear.” “The fear” would be her impetus to find a job in fashion, her dream field. There is a lot to be said for necessity and its ability to motivate even the laziest writer. Here, Ed Gandia gives advice to those who want to build a freelance career while they still have the security of a regular paycheck. [...]

By: Kevin Lossner

Kevin Lossner — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:48:49 +0000

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.

By: Jake P

Jake P — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:28:49 +0000

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.

By: Selene M. Bowlby

Selene M. Bowlby — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:02:41 +0000

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…

By: Ed Gandia at The Wealthy Freelancer

Ed Gandia at The Wealthy Freelancer — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:01:53 +0000

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!

By: Selene M. Bowlby

Selene M. Bowlby — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:44:34 +0000

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!