Kioshana LaCount Burrell - Freelancing 101: How to Create a Career You Love in any Economy

Freelancing 101

How to Create a Career You Love in Any Economy

Kioshana LaCount Burrell

Copyright 2019 630Indigo Publishing, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage or retrieval systems, without express written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote passages in brief.

Other works by this author:

Network to Increase Your Net Worth

30 Days to SpeakLove Self-care Action Journal

Effortless Abundance: A Guide to Living an Abundant Life, Effortlessly

The Truth about the Job Market

Its no secret that the job market is more volatile and unpredictable than ever these days. Depending on where you live, the unemployment rates can fluctuate from a reasonable 7% to as high as 25% and even the most qualified jobseekers may experience issues identifying positions that fit them.

Even when youre able to find positions that you want, it can feel practically impossible to get your foot in the door. With the rise of applicant tracking systems (you know, those pesky resume robots), well-suited applicants are often excluded from the interview pool before anyone ever actually sees their resume. Companies everywhere are cutting costs and downsizing like theres no tomorrow. For many companies there really is no tomorrow; even the Fail-proof companies are seeing bankruptcies and buyouts more often than ever in the past 100 years! If you dont already have a steady, stable job with a well-established company then you definitely picked the wrong decade to be unemployed in. Even if you have a stable job theres really no telling if it will be there next month, or even next week.

So whats the solution? What can do you? You cant just magically change the economy and make the job market better; you probably wont get a lot done by writing a letter to your senator either. You could continue applying for jobs left and right, going on interviews and working for companies with the knowledge that you might be downsized at any given moment. Or you can try something different. Believe it or not there is a better solution. It requires a lot of work and dedication, but its a lot better than being unemployed.

You can create your own job! I know, that sounds a little funny when you just look at it like that but its the truth. Specifically Im talking about freelancing.

Though there is a lot of chatter about the rise of the gig economy over the last few years, the truth is that freelancing is not a new concept. People have been working for themselves for millenia; even in ancient Rome the army hired mercenaries to go into battle when there werent enough soldiers. Mercenaries were freelance warriors; they werent employed full-time by a particular nations armythey just worked for whoever was willing to pay the most.

Hopefully you dont have to do any paid fighting any time soon but the spirit of the mercenary and the idea of contract work carries on thousands of years later in the form of freelancing. By becoming your own boss and establishing contract relationships you open up a world of money-making possibilities while completely abandoning all of the negative aspects that come with a typical, 9 to 5 job.

In this book were going to explore the many options you have should you choose to become a freelancer. Were going to talk about freelance work in a way that allows you to learn the essential techniques regardless of what field you choose to freelance in, be it business, graphic design or even housekeeping!

Why Become a Freelancer?

S o whats so great about freelance work exactly? Well, let me start out by giving you an example of the type of person freelancing is NOT good for. If the following paragraph describes your life then you can stop reading this and just go back to what you were doing.

Do you enjoy getting up early, every single morning and wading through miles of traffic to get to work? Do you find it exciting seeing the exact same people every single day, five to six days a week with absolutely no variety or change? Are you your boss best friend? Do you look forward to answering to your boss and having to meet his or her deadlines constantly? Do you enjoy never seeing your family members during the day or always having to miss out on events like school recitals and soccer games? Is it fun to make poverty-level wages and live paycheck to paycheck so that you pretty much have no variety in your life because any big expense could make your bills come crashing down on you?

If you answered yes to any or all of those questions then freelance work probably isnt for you. If you did freelance work youd be your own boss; youd be taking your career into your own hands and having complete control over your life. And the truth is, that lifestyle isnt for everyone. If you fall into that category no worries. Its okay.

But, if you didnt answer yes to all of those questions you might be the type of person who could have a lucrative career freelancing. Get comfortable, grab a pen and a pad of paper so you can take some notes and get ready to explore one of the most rewarding and lucrative ways of making a living in the 21 st century.

Does freelancing mean you will get rich overnight? No, it takes work and dedication. There are a number of obstacles that you will have to overcome, but the rewards will be substantial if you are willing to put in the time and effort. The possibilities are endless. There are opportunities for any person to break into the lucrative career of freelancing. All you need is diligence, patience, and tenacity to pursue it and make it happen. This book will show you how.

F REELANCING ALLOWS you to be your own boss. This means you make your own hours. Making your own hours does not mean loafing around all day. It means having the self-discipline to set aside a certain amount of hours that you work each day. But, as the boss, you get to decide what those hours are. That way you can pick up the kids from school, have lunch with the spouse, go to the gym during the day when its not so crowded, and never have to make that horrible rush-hour commute.

It also means you have the ability to exercise certain freedoms such as wearing what you want. Does your current job have a dress code? How does sitting in your pajamas all day sound; what about just spending the day wearing your favorite pair of worn out jeans and that T-shirt from that unforgettable 1980s rock concert? If you are an independent agent, like a freelancer, then you decide the dress code.

B EING A FREELANCER means that you get to set your own prices for what your time is worth. You get to determine your own prices based on your costs and your time. You dont have to pay yourself a minimum amount or charge a certain amount; you have total control over what kind of money you can make. Instead of waiting years to get a raise you can adjust your own prices. As you become more proficient and widen your client base you can double and triple your earnings as you see fit.