Some people feel like being a freelancer doesn’t command the same respect as being a business owner or an independent contractor. There is a misconception that freelancers don’t have real jobs, or they don’t know what they want to do. Forbes estimates that in four years, 50% of the population will be freelancers.
All of these titles represent independence to me. You choose the work you do instead of doing the work you are given. Anybody who pays their bills as a freelancer knows it’s truly work. It is not hanging out and watching Netflix all day. When I first quit my day job, I introduced myself as a freelancer. I did do work for different companies, but I also had my own clients. This was my business model and it worked for me.
I listened to a talk by Seth Godin about being a successful freelancer, and he was speaking about acting like a professional. This really made an impression on me because while I was performing like a professional in the quality of my work and my relationships with clients, I wasn’t viewing my own business with the confidence and structure of a professional. It wasn’t about being called a freelancer or business owner, it was about my own insecurities of the path I had chosen.
This made me think about the areas of my business I wasn’t feeling so boss about. I made a list and I decided to become more knowledgeable in those areas, like marketing. I read books and took online courses until I felt confident enough to run and promote my own business. So, I invested money in software that I had been putting off, and I upgraded my systems for accounting. In the end, I had so much more to offer my clients and felt more confident about my pricing. I was a professional. Thank you Seth Godin, thank you very much.