More and more workers these days are swapping careers, bored with all the politics of life in an office whilst at the same time no longer getting the benefits that used to be associated with such fixed term job. For many folks the removal of the traditional ‘job for life’ system of twentieth century working life was more than enough to make the negatives not worth suffering along with.
Looking at it another way, freelance work can have some tough times too. There might be long time periods when the concept of job flexibility actually equates to little work at all. It mightbe a bad month when you receive no contracts or no clients to bid for. And as you do manage to secure contracts, if you are a home worker you will then need to make the discipline to work away on your own, for a deadline and without support. What do you do if your mum needs you, or your sons want to play, or your father is sick or the guinea pig needs to take a trip to the vet? These problems, expecially for portfolio workerswho work from home can clearly highlight the downsides of the consulting or freelancing way of working.
Therefore it is vital that you take a number of particular precautions to secure your freelancing success. Firstly, contractors or freelancersshould always get themselves prepared for those aforementioned shallow periods by setting aside some money when the going is good. This is of vital importance. No matter how good a freelancer or consultant you are there may inevitably be weeks when jobs are a bit harder to find. So save for a rainy day. Secondly, of course, try to make the rainy days as few and far between as possible. Be constantly pro-active in trawling for clients and contracts and always attempt to tee up the next job before the current contract has finished.
Which leads to a crucial part of contracting success – networking. For the small businessworker, getting out there and networking has to become second nature. Networking is different to advertising because it is free (well, kind of) but it is not possible to over value the importance of pushing yourself out there and making links with people. This can be done in a number of ways, from online networking via forums, job sites, industry-specific sites, social networking apps and business specific sites like LinkedIn to networking events in your area and in the real world at large.
Of real importance to small business owners are local organizations and groups, (for specifics look in the Federation of Small Businesses or FSB and other similar organizations) in your area and the get togethers and lunches that they organize dedicated to networking. Nationally portfolio workers
ought to also consider signing up to organizations such as the Institute of Directors and an absolute must are groups such as the PCG (the Professional Contractors Group) which support portfolio workers
when it comes to legal matters, tax and political influence, as well as promoting the consulting or freelancing
community to businesses. According to Tom Lutchens the Professional Contractors Group now has over 20,000 portfolio workers in its ranks and offers a seriously worthwhile networking opportunity.
Once you have easedyourself out there and secured the job, the next thing to keep in mind is that you will only be as successful as the feedback you get. As a home workeryou need a perfect reputation and it is essential that you never disappoint clients or give them half-hearted or late work.
This leads to the most importantdetail of being successful at freelance work- discipline. However you need to order your work, from computer software to personal organizers, you’ll want a system that deals with your new working style and allows you to get the most from your time. If you work at home ensure you have your own working area and specific hours when your family know you can’t be disturbed. Always do the contracts that need doing most urgently, not the contracts you want to do. Use carrots not sticks – reward yourself for finishing work successfully, maybe with time off or time with your family.
Lastly, ensure that your taxes are organized in the right way.There are all sorts of methods for deducting expenses available to portfolio workers- it is well worth using all of them. Similarly, research the multiple company options available to portfolio workerswhich save a great deal of money via an umbrella company. Many of these also cut down your admin and leave you to enjoy the free time your successful and new contracting or freelancing employment has brought you!
