10 Reasons Freelancing isn’t as Glamorous as it Looks on Paper
August 20, 2009 by Deb Ng
Filed under Freelance Writing, Work/Life Balance
Tell someone you’re a freelance writer, and what do they usually say? “Cool! Wish I could do that” or “Wow! I’d love to work at home”. Freelancing is fun for sure, but it’s also work. In fact, writing is just a small percentage of what we do to run a successful business.
Freelancers love their life, but we’re also realistic enough to know it’s not as glamorous as it looks. Don’t believe me? Check it out:
10 Reasons Freelancing Isn’t as Glamorous as it Looks
1. It’s Lonely
When you work by yourself day in and day out, it can get a little lonely. Unless you rent a space, there aren’t grownups in the next cube to talk or interact with. If you’re the type of person who likes to chit chat as she works or needs company and camaraderie, freelancing might not be for you. There are ways to break up the solitude, though. Many coffee shops, libraries and even parks offer free Wi Fi. Try taking your show on the road to one of these locations when the quiet starts to get to you.
2. Accounting
In order to run a successful freelance business, it’s important to stay on top of the books. Invoicing and keeping track of payments is (at least) a weekly event. Many freelancers also pay quarterly taxes so they’re not hit too hard on April 15th. Keeping track of money and setting some aside for taxes, social security, health care, etc. isn’t one of our favorite tasks, but it’s one that’s necessary.
3. The Job Hunt
Every day yields hundreds of brand new freelance jobs. Finding suitable opportunities and responding to them takes up a significant portion of our time. A quick search may only take a few minutes, a more thorough search sometimes takes a few hours.
4. It’s Ultra Casual
Being a freelance writer doesn’t always appeal to my girly side. I can put on some lipstick and pull myself together but who will see? While we don’t really work in our pajamas, most of us dress down unless we’re meeting with clients or networking outside the home.
5. Distractions
Freelance writers are focused. We have to be to avoid the distractions we encounter working at home or the local coffee shop. We have to be able to sit at our desks for hours and concentrate on nothing but our work. Sound easy? It’s not.
6. The Work
There are times we take jobs more out of necessity than desire. We might write about topics we don’t enjoy or take on tedious article writing gigs. We enjoy writing, we don’t enjoy every assignment.
7. The Clients
Sometimes we don’t exactly land dream clients, if you know what I mean. There are plenty of reasons why clients are demanding and micromanaging, and I respect many of them. Still, that doesn’t always make them easy to work with. Not every client is a dream client, but most clients are pretty great.
8. The Research
Think it’s just about writing? Wrong. We have to research too. That means going to the library, interviewing experts, doing internet research, taking pictures and more. Not all writing is “off the top of the head” writing. In fact, most isn’t.
9. The Famine
Freelancing is feast or famine. We have good months and we have bad months. We even have some very bad months. Even the most experienced freelancers experience dry spells. Make sure you’re prepared for when this happens to you.
10.At the Mercy of Others
When you freelance you’re always at the mercy of others:
- The hosting company with its server issues.
- The design people “who aren’t ready”.
- Clients and editors who like to change their minds.
- Other freelancers who have to sign off on their tasks before you can begin yours.
- The cable is out…
- The power is out…
There are things keeping you from your work, but it sounds like making excuses to complain about them. Sometimes other people don’t make things easy.
The Trade Off
Of course to freelancers, these are all minor inconveniences. We love what we do and even our worst day at home is better than the best day at the office.
What are some of the things you can think of – that don’t make a freelancer’s life easy or glamorous?
Great article and all of the points are spot on.
“Many freelancers also pay quarterly taxes so they’re not hit too hard on April 15th.”
AGH! This line gave me a heart attack.
If you are earning money as a freelancer and you expect to earn more than $400 in the year, you MUST pay quarterly taxes. It’s not a question of “not being hit too hard” come tax day, it’s a question of paying on time or getting hit with penalties and interest.
I know you’re not trying to spread misinformation, but this line does make it sound optional.
You’re right Rachel. However, many freelancers DONT pay quarterly taxes. Which is why I answered it the way I did.
I made over $400 last year, well over it and did not have to pay one single penny and did not file taxes every quarter! Even though I will be making more this year I was told to not worry about it since I didn’t have to pay last year and still got back money due to deductions.
There’s a lot of misinformation out there about freelancers and taxes.
If you paid taxes last year (whether or not you got a refund), you probably owe estimated taxes this year.
ok, the disconnect between you two might have to do with the situation between married/unmarried? If you have a married spouse who is withholding high, you often can–in theory- without fees- skip that quarterly muck a muck. Even if you have an LLC you can file together as married. . . Hope that helps. Accountant/husband isn’t around to verify.
Hey Allena – Actually Mr. Ng is an accountant too and he agrees with you.
Good post. I have to ask though, what’s up with this on the end of the RSS feed:
“I am a content thief. If you’re not reading this blog post through an RSS Feed you can pretty much assume I’m a slimy spam blogger and stealing content from someone else’s blog.”
I like it, but how’s it work?
It’s a plugin called “feed footer”. It allows you to put any text you want at the bottom of the RSS feed.
I’m intending to be a full-time freelance in a little over a year and this reminded me that there are specific considerations I’ll want to make before I take the leap. Ultimately, I think freelancing will be exactly what I’m looking for, but I should seriously consider these (and other) reasons why it might not be a good fit. Thanks for spelling these out for me.
Actually, when I say I’m a freelance writer I’m always asked “what do you write?” I think they’re envisioning the Great American Novel, or perhaps articles for Vogue?
My stock answer is “what is it you need to have written?”
Yup, if it pays… I’ll usually do it!
Lisa
Rachel.
Though I’m not a CPA, I’ve written for some CPA pubs. I’m fairly sure you do not need to pay quarterly taxes if you have enough additional withholding. (If you freelance on the side and have a job). You can also escape needing to pay quarterly taxes and you file jointly with your spouse, who has enough withheld to cover the quarterly taxes you would need to file.
However, that can be playing with fire if you guess wrong at the amount that needs to be withheld, or if the job goes away before year’s end (so no more withholdings).
Rules are different if you’re incorporated, as my business is (Full C, not Sub s)
Phil,
Sure, if you have a W2 job (or your spouse does) it’s a different story.
I just think it’s a bad idea to let people go around saying “I’m a freelancer! I don’t owe estimated taxes!” Can only lead to pain.
Ah – the peaceful life of the freelance writer.
Most people would refuse for the hourly wages that we actually get paid – for most of us it’s worse than teachers.
Re: No. 4 I have to admit that I do miss getting dressed up. It’s nice when I do have a face-to-face meeting with a client or a source and I get to put on nice clothes and jewelry. But when working at home, I’m usually in shorts or jeans, depending on the weather.
Me too! and as a result I over dress when I’m at a family dinner or out with the girls. I put on pearls for Applebees.
I’m just now testing the freelance writing waters, and I have a sense of the benefits, and really appreciate the potential con’s. Thanks!
Hey no problem, Dave. Any questions, ask away…
Good job!
This post should be required reading for anyone who is considering full-time freelance writing.
It’s definitely not all glamour, but I personally I wouldn’t trade it for a corporate job.
Thanks Laura, I’m with you. I may not be able to wear heels every day, but I wouldn’t trade it for a high priced cube job ever.
oops phil already covered this. sorry. scroll down allena.
It’s all good. We still appreciate the comments and input.