Comments on: What Does Your Freelance Writing Lifestyle Say About Your Freelance Writing Business?

By: Freelance Writers: How Other People Perceive Us : Freelance Writing Jobs | A Freelance Writing Community and Freelance Writing Jobs Resource

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:04:09 +0000

[...] that because we have no regular employer, we don’t actually have a job. Often times, having flexibility sometimes means people doubt you work very hard. It also means some folks feel you’re [...]

By: The Dark Side of Freelance Writing: When Clients Don’t Pay : Freelance Writing Jobs | A Freelance Writing Community and Freelance Writing Jobs Resource

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:28:50 +0000

[...] often talk of the benefits of freelance writing, extolling on its flexibility and comfort. Something we don’t cover enough is what I call the “dark side” of freelance [...]

By: How Much Would Your Freelance Writing Business Pick Up if You Got Out from Behind Your Laptop? : Freelance Writing Jobs | The #1 Online Writing Community for Freelancers

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:34:53 +0000

[...] throughout the years. I enjoyed not having to commute every day or have to talk to anyone. The lifestyle was perfect for me. Four years ago something interesting happened that changed the game. My career [...]

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:51:16 +0000

I think that as companies begin to embrace telecommuting for their employees a lot of the “pajama stereotype” they attatch to their freelance writers will go away. Working hard is more about the person that it is about the place – people slack off at the office all the time. People who work from home can be just as productive as those who commute, and they’re generally much happier in their jobs. All we’ve got to do as freelancers is make sure we don’t get lumped in with all those “make-money-working-from-home-doing-next-to-nothing” scams and our image should be okay.

By: LIsa

LIsa — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:41:31 +0000

tricky… didn’t pick freelancing to be a WAHM (didn’t even have a boyfriend at the time), and started out very businesslike with lots of business lunches, separate phone, professionally designed cards, etc.

Over time, got married, had kids, and am now much more casual.

Here’s why:

1. I used to work mainly in my local area. But now ost of my clients are not local. I never meet them, so it doesn’t matter what I’m wearing or what I look like.

2. I have an established reputation and a huge clipping file. I don’t need to impress people with my wardrobe or restaurant choice, since I can impress them with my client list and products.

3. I am now juggling a pile of responsibilities, and need every free minute I can get. No time for leisurely shopping for low-cost heels and office wear.

4. I can’t afford an out-of-my-home office or phone (financially or timewise).

5. As a woman, I’m less concerned than some men about maintaining the physical appearance of full-time employment. This is a cultural issue, and perhaps others have a different take.

Lisa

By: Raechel

Raechel — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:55:17 +0000

What P.S. Jones said is exactly me too. I keep business hours, have a business phone, dress professional to meet clients and keep my personal life out of my work. I chose this career path because I love writing and I love the flexibility of being my own boss. That being said, it’s a profession that takes a lot of confidence and hard work. How can I portray that I am a hard worker if my clients think I sit around all day in my PJs? How can I feel confident about myself and my abilities if I never even make the effort to get dressed? I have cultivated a professional image to my clients and to myself. I am a professional, I dress like one and act like one.

By: P.S. Jones

P.S. Jones — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:36:03 +0000

My freelance style is neither barefoot or carefree. I admit that I love the flexibility of freelancing and I am the envy of nearly all of my friends. However, you can’t be a “carefree” freelancer if you expect to meet your financial goals year after year. For me, that means that I probably work more than my gainfully employed counterparts. That includes marketing, networking and staying up on industry news.

I run my freelance business like, well, a business. My clients see me as professional (I hope!!) I have business hours, a separate business phone number and keep my personal life out of it. They don’t know whether I have kids, illnesses, etc. And I think that gives them more confidence in me than they would if they knew that often work from my living room in my pjs with my dog at my feet.

By: Anne Wayman

Anne Wayman — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:47:55 +0000

lol, great topic. I’m part of the fuzzy slipper crowd, although mostly it’s barefoot, shorts or jeans… EXCEPT when I go to meet clients or they come here. I clean up pretty well and do it for clients… heck, I do it for the public – to the post office and the grocery store etc.

I will admit that Trader Joe’s sees me more in jeans than in a business suit, but they sure don’t see my old torn t-shirts and ragged whatevers.