Making the Transition – Pt.1
Making the switch from full-time to freelance can happen for a number of reasons, and can be a very difficult decision to make. This video series will discuss the transition and provide resources for making the switch.
The first video in this is series is “Why”… There are various reasons for making the switch to working for yourself. This video discusses them, and provides perspective on how to approach the decision.
Other Topics we will cover in this series are(in no particular order)
How to make the transition, Building client Relationships, Freelance Resources, Maintaining Cash-flow…etc.
Reasons why I haven’t “jumped ship” yet:
#1 – Family responsibilities
That’s the strongest/most important reason I haven’t switched my title to full-time independent designer.
Of course there’s a pull on my soul telling me “get out now” and “you can do it” – but like you said, making decisions based on EMOTION alone is never the right choice. Sometimes we have to suffer through things in order to reap the joy of what comes after.
Thank you for being an encourager and speaking truth.
Tru dat! Thanks for taking the time to read and post Kyle
This is a timely series for me. I started freelancing right out of college and after a few years took a full-time design job for the security of a paycheck. After almost 3 years with my current employer, the desire to be independent has once again reared its head.
I agree with what Kyle wrote about not making decisions based on emotion alone. That doesn’t lend itself to making wise choices about one’s career or responsibilities.
Thanks for the video. It’s got me thinking about the important underlying issues surrounding this decision. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.
It is good to approach the decision over time (if possible), and even ease into it if you can… which we will talk about in the next vid.
thanks for the video Aaron, im excited about this series! Great idea!
See what Kyles saying, when you have a family you have to take that as #1, always!
Me living child-free i was able to jump in and the my initial stage of gaining some capital was only based on my willingness to bust ass working and live close to the bone so i could keep re-investing in my business. I think a big thing newcomers have to consider is that freelancing *IS* running a business. It may be a one-woman (or one-man) operation, but it is a business and it is WAY more work/responsibility than most day to day jobs.
Liz,
Thanks for watching and taking the time to share your insights. I value your thoughts on this topic a lot since you, are always providing great insight based on your experience.
I couldn’t agree more with what you said… being your own boss… means you are the boss, and have to do all the boss stuff as well as all of the designery stuff as well.
This is some great stuff Aaron. Looking forward to seeing the rest. One of the things I really like about John O’Nolan’s blog is his checkpoint posts where he holds himself accountable for his goal and accomplished that he set out.
I can see that being good and bad on the whole Transparency thing.
Great job!
- John
John!
Man I haven’t caught up with you in a while.
Something I will touch on later is project milestones… John O’Nolan has a good point with that.
Thanks for commenting send me a message and let me know what you have been up to
I’ve received a lot of kind words about those review posts – I will have to do more of them in 2010!
Great stuff btw Aaron, looking forward to watching the rest!
Great series Aaron!
Freelance for myself or owning your own business takes strength and passion beyond belief. The transition for me went something like this. I worked for 2 small agencies and they made me hate my own talents! That was enough to push me on my own and offer what I love doing at a pace that I can keep up with. I love helping people and that’s what it’s all about.
“Freelance want’s you, you don’t want Freelance” If you do you’re crazy..
Making the leap is inevitable. If it’s meant to be it will happen sooner or later, so just wait for it
yeah man freelance is quite the undertaking… but it can be so rewarding as I am sure you know..
Good perspective on helping people… can’t go wrong there
I can remember doing the switch myself, then going back to working for agencies when I realized that even though you call yourself “independent” when you go freelance, you’re still dependent on sales consistency. Being everything (the wiz kid designer or SEO, the salesman, the web analytics guy, the account manager, the CRM guy, the web hosting guy, the bookkeeper, etc) isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
My recommendation to people watching this series is to think about WHEN you’ll be financially stable enough to pay all your resources for 2 months with zero sales.
Your resources, part-time or full-time, should include a small army of sales people, an account manager, and a support person to handle all the easy web hosting and CRM tasks. Having a business partner who is a Type-A kick butt business person so that you can be behind the curtain making all the magic happen is also a plus.
Looking forward to the next video/post!
good insight Steve!
thanks
~ Aaron I
This comes as excellent timing for me as well. I’ll eagerly be awaiting the next post.
Recent cut-backs at my full-time job have really got me thinking about going fully independent. I have been doing web work on the side for about 2 years now (and maybe only 10-15 clients) but it has really helped me get a glimpse of what fully independent will be like. Getting the regular, consistent cash flow is what scares me – especially with a wife and 2.5 kids. I really love what you said about making sure you have a positive, valid reason for wanting to go independent… for me, I think I need to focus less on my feelings right now and more about the passion for the business side of things that I know I have. You’ve inspired me to really think about the WHY over the next few days.
Thank you!
Just discovered your site. Considering making the transition soon also. Well done, Aaron.
- Tracy
Family responsibility is huge for me, with 3 kids and a wife who stays home with them. But I still freelance almost as much as my full-time job because for me, I think its the next obvious step in my career journey.
I’ve worked in-house for a Fortune 500, for a 2-man start up, and with a small/mid-sized firm. The next logical move would be for me to go on my own. But I question that decision every day. I’m not dissatisfied with my current job, I just think it’s time – either do it now (or soon) or not do it at all. It’s something I have to at least try. Whether I fail or succeed, I don’t ever want to look back on my career and regret not trying it.
Back to work!
I actually was doing a lot of freelance throughout college and post college. I was really building a great client list… however reality set in and I really needed the “full-time” work, so I started with a company.. and this company made me sign a no compete clause. I hate that I had to abandon my clients! Especially when I really want to have my own agency one day. But like you said… a steady paycheck and health insurance sure is nice… especially when the bills come every month
Oh one day, Lord willing.
Thank you so much for doing this series! It is so encouraging.