getahead Guide to Career Advancement
Taking the Entrepreneurial Plunge
guidance for freelancers and small business start-ups at sba.gov.
Flexibility — With Limits
Things to Consider When Launching a Project-Based Creative Career By Katie Alice Walker
T
ired of working for the woman or the man? Think you’ve got what it takes to develop a freelance- or project-based career?
If you’ve got the creative chops, you’re interested in making your own schedule and you’re not afraid of taking on some risk, then a freelance or project-based career in creative services — such as web design, graphic design or communications services — might be for you. When you’re starting a project-based career, you might think of yourself as a freelancer, which Merriam-Webster defines as “a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer.” But while that might be true at first, ultimately what you’re doing is creating your own company. Most of the “freelancers” we talked with don’t consider themselves freelancers: They’re self-employed solo practitioners who run their own businesses. Read on for their tips on working on your own.
Plan, Plan, Plan “It’s good to at least start out working under the safety net of an agency or an existing business,” says Helen Johnson, web designer and owner of HLJ Creative. “I was employed for about 12 years before I finally decided to start my own business,” says Johnson, who launched her own business three years ago. “During those years, I was able to work at night and on the
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weekends and start building a client base. When I went out on my own, I had work from the get-go. Also, I learned a lot about my trade, business and human relationships while employed.” Once you’re confident you have the creative experience you need, planning is the key to success at every point. It might mean planning to figure out exactly how you’ll take the leap and leave your 9-to-5 job, or planning for the financial side of your freelance work. “When you start your business, make sure you have a nest egg — or focus attention to garnering a long-term client to ensure your financial stability,” says Kiosha Gregg, owner of Digitize Marketing, which she started four years ago. “Prospective clients can sense desperation miles away. Even more importantly, it’s so much easier to be effective and creative when you are not stressed about money.” You’ll also want to determine a fair pricing structure for your services. Think beyond what your salary once was. Instead, think about how much your competitors charge per hour or project — and don’t forget that legitimate businesses and freelancers save, plan and file taxes. There are also a lot of legalities involved, from registering a business name to preparing contracts for clients. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers plenty of
getahead: guide to career advancement
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One of the greatest attractions to freelancing and project-based work is flexibility. Whether you’re after more time with your family or traveling when you’d like, it’s important to realize that working on your own schedule has its perks and downsides. Just because you can work whenever you’d like doesn’t mean that you should. “Set a daily agenda and goals to accomplish,” says Joseph Lemmons, a graphic and digital designer. Part of what’s luring you to be a freelancer might be the idea of erratic, freedomfilled hours and creative nights — but that could turn out to be a disconnect when the rest of the world still expects you to deliver on a 9-to-5 schedule. Even if you discover that you’re more creative at night, keep in mind the flow of the regular business day and plan accordingly.
Sharing Ideas Creative people are often fueled by others in their field, and seek their ideas and energy in brainstorming to keep their creativity flowing. “It was — and is — super easy to get wrapped up in finishing projects, meeting deadlines, keeping clients happy and drumming up new business,” says Lemmons. Responding to RFPs, writing proposals and meeting with clients can eat up your days, but it’s important to stay involved in your industry’s professional organizations and stay in touch with other contractors. For people running one-person operations, working at home can get boring. Some creative entrepreneurs have found that setting up shop at a co-working space like SOCO on Gervais Street in the Vista can be helpful. “At times, you can get isolated people from other people who do what you do, which is why I love occasionally working at SOCO in the Vista,” Johnson says. “SOCO originally started as a collaborative workspace for freelancers, designers and creative types; an office for people that had no real ‘office’,” says Greg Hilton, a partner at SOCO. “Working at home twitter.com/freetimessc
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is good for two days before you go crazy — and coffee shops are highly unproductive places. We realized pretty soon, though, that the value for SOCO was the community of designers, developers, makers and entrepreneurs that we were building. They started sharing ideas and projects and some even started building things together.” SOCO currently has 35 members who pay a range of fees depending on how they use the space. Hilton notes that members quickly began asking for opportunities to learn and connect, so SOCO now hosts numerous design, development and startuporiented events. Co-working has been so well received, in fact, that SOCO has plans to soon open a second downtown Columbia location.
Commit, Deliver — And Make Sure it’s a Good Fit If you want to have a project-based career, you have to deliver what you promise on every project. It’s the key to your paycheck — and to more business. “Don’t just talk a big game with your clients, deliver it,” Lemmons says. “You should be able to accurately describe to them what they need, how you can deliver it and when you will do so — and then do it. Never agree to something you aren’t 100 percent sure you can deliver. Don’t make excuses and be honest, because everyone knows that life happens. So when it does, be honest, move on and make things right.” When it comes to business, a freelancer’s reputation is everything. Are you known for delivering the work the client requested? Are you known for completing projects on time? Creatives who are known for delivering excellent work within the agreed-upon time constraints succeed and find that their clients recommend them to other potential clients. But beware of committing to projects that aren’t a good fit for your skills, time constraints or workload. “I’ve had to let go of the pressure to take on every client,” Gregg says. “I now realize how important it is to gauge whether potential clients are a good fit for my business, if our personalities match and if their expectations are reasonable.” March 25-31, 2015