DISQUS

Cory Miller · 2 years ago

Ben, I'm thoroughly loving your blog and articles as they are SO appropriate to what I'm going through right now. I started doing freelance work about 8 months ago and it's been such an eye-opening experience.

I'm wrestling with many of the questions you're addressing. Keep them coming, please!

James Chartrand - JCM Enterpri · 2 years ago

Yes. This post is right on the money!

I'll add two two definite cons to being a freelancer: the isolation factor and getting others to take your job seriously, like friends and family who think freelancer=always available.

A huge pro? Increased self-confidence and self-esteem.

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

Cory - Glad you enjoyed this post and others. This was the last (in my head) in a short series on freelancing...I tend to go in spurts that way, but maybe I'll have something else to add on the topic soon!

James - I did mention the isolation factor, but I'm glad you provided a link.

"Getting others to take your job seriously" -- that's a good one. It's the same with startup entrepreneurs; people who aren't startup entrepreneurs don't necessarily "get it." I often get asked, "What do you do again? Something with computers right?"

sciencebase · 2 years ago

Interesting list Ben. Regarding the first pro of freelancing, you get to be your own boss...you will have realized by now that you actually end up with half a dozen bosses all clamoring for your time and dedication. It's hard work!

I wouldn't swap it for the world though.

db

Robyn · 2 years ago

Ben, you really give the whole picture of freelancing so that if a person is considering it they see the whole picture - the pain and the pleasure both!

Joy · 2 years ago

I knew lots of people who are doing freelance work and I can say that most of them experienced these pros and cons. On the other hand, they get like 50% more than those who are not doing freelance work, so I guess for me it's worth the risk.

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

@David: Yup, lots and lots of bosses. But I know how you feel about "not swapping it for the world." It's why "having no boss" is not quite the right way of describing the pro that freelancers know they gain...

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

@Robyn and @Joy: Thank you for the comments, I appreciate them. I think every freelancer WILL at some point in time face the pros and cons I've described, in the positive and negative lights I've painted them. But, those that survive, as Joy points out, can succeed much more than they were as employees.

compassioninpolitics · 2 years ago

Outsourcing or virtual assistants seems to solve your first disadvantage.

Isolation is huge!!! The upside is that if you don't like working with someone as a freelancer, you don't have to work with them long-term or on a 40 hour basis.

Lack of health benefits can be rough.

It doesn't seem like you own your work under either scenario. (the #4 under disadvantages)

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

Nathan - in terms of owning what you do - the difference between a freelancer and a startup entrepreneur is this:

* When you do a freelance project and it becomes hugely successful, you rarely benefit from that, because you don't own any piece of it.

* But as a startup entrepreneur, when your business becomes successful, you do own a piece of it.

That's a significant difference. In the first scenario you're creating wealth for others, in the second scenario you're creating wealth for yourself (and others: partners, investors, etc.)

Anne Wayman · 2 years ago

Ben, great list...re owning your work... while it's true you don't own the work you do for clients, freelancing does allow me, at least, to also work on my own stuff... it's all a balancing act!

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

@Anne: I think that's an interesting point. I wish I had put that as a "pro" because I do think many freelancers go the freelancing route in part to be able to work on their own projects.

Freelancing helps foster a mentality that you can do things on your own (your own side projects), which is certainly a pro. Although I know many people with full time jobs who also do work on the side; but scheduling it is harder since full time jobs are typically 9-5.

Jon Ward · 2 years ago

My own history: 10 years freelance copywriter; 8 years co-owner of an ad agency; 3 years branding consultant. In every case, I was building knowledge that clients got for less than it was worth.(And living the 400-Hour Work Week) The issue I see is not so much which business structure to use, but how to take full ownership of one's own IP. For me, the answer has come to be: create knowledge products. It's absolutely the most exciting and rewarding step so far. Long term, I look forward to sharing what I learn from it with others.

Teri Fitzgerald · 2 years ago

Excellent article! I have always been my own boss, and I cannot see it any other way. I can be proud of myself, and my mistakes are my own to learn from. Such freedom! I will definately steer folks in this direction if they have questions about the pros and cons of freelancing. Thanks Ben...

Enjoy!

Teri
~

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

Jon - Yup, I agree with you. As a consultant, freelancer or business owner running a service business, you don't own the IP you create. It's difficult to re-monetize, and you don't benefit as much from the success of the projects you work on. You're a mercenary.

Selling knowledge product or building a startup that sells a product means you "build it once and sell it a million times" versus "build something new each time and sell it once each time."

Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

Shawn A. Hessinger · 2 years ago

As a guy who does a little of both I'd agree with most of the points here. I think the real question is which approach is better for what you're trying to accomplish. As Anne points out, some of the benefit in freelancing lies in being able to manage your time to allow for side projects which may include some personal entrepreneurship. The trouble is that you must be able to make enough money to be able to take that time. Some fulltime employees may find they would have to work much harder freelancing to make the same money and that a steadier work schedule gives more opportunities for side ventures. It depends on the situation and the job.

Sharon Hurley Hall · 2 years ago

Great article, Ben. You make a good point about your client being your boss. I have to say that in spite of the cons of freelancing, I love it. One of the advantages of getting to work on a wide variety of topics is building up new areas of expertise and finding new things that I can use in my own writing - and it's a great help with trivia games, too.

Download Music · 2 years ago

My biggest problem is managing myself. Despite all the self motivation and the insecurities, it is difficult to get up and go when the project or the client simply saps your enthusiasm. This happens more often than one would think. The great charm that starts it all off, pales after a while.

Commuting time to be billed is not easy for most clients to digest but some compromise is always possible.

Ron from Breakup Quotes · 2 years ago

One con of freelancing is, it is Boon for people living in developing countries, but when people in Romania or India are willing to some free lancing job for 1/10th one would charge by someone from a developed country, it becomes a threat.

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

Thank you for all the continued comments.

@Ron: Price pressure is always a concern; whether it comes from developing countries or elsewhere. I'd still say that most people prefer to work with someone in their backyard, even in this ultra-connected age we live in. There are other disadvantages to working remotely across time zones, cultural differences, etc.

Veggie Plaza · 2 years ago

I am right at that point in life where I am debating just that. On top of deciding whether to just freelance versus have a full time job, there is also the decision on what to freelance on :) I could be a web developer, an seo/internet marketing guy, a business process management consultant and a consultant on a variety of other software apps. The decision on what exactly to do is never easy. Your blog is useful

Rick · 2 years ago

I think that the benefits greatly outweigh the cons to being a freelancer. I think that most everyone would choose the path of a freelancer if given the option.

The Franchise King · 2 years ago

Nice post!
I feel the best part about free-lancing is the FREE-dom.
Joel Libava

laura · 2 years ago

Yes!! I just quit my corporate job and starting free lancing. My old boss actually hired me to do some work for them, and at a higher pay to me!!

Carl Mercier · 2 years ago

Freelancing is definitely not for everyone. I know people who tried but simply could not motivate themselves to do anything.

Working from home is known to lower motivation for some people. I know it does for me. Thank god, we have a real office now and I'm at least twice as productive!

Paul · 2 years ago

I like your post. I believe in freelancing very much. I used to freelance alot of part time jobs. You make good money.

Arizona Egg · 2 years ago

Freelance is great as long as you know how to manage your time, while you manage yourself manage your time, if you understand what i mean. Since your fate is truly in your own hands the only way to be successful is to be a driven person. So if you are not self motivated, freelancing is not for you. As for me, i enjoy freelance work because I love to dictate my own schedule. You never know when Google takes over the world and we lose that freedom so I cherish it while I can get it...

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

Thank you for all the continued comments...

@Carl: I wonder how many people start working at home, eager to get their freelancing careers on the move, only to find their motivation sapped from being at home?

@Arizona Egg: You mean, Google HASN'T taken over yet?

The Franchise King · 2 years ago

Ben,
In my franchise consulting business, I certainly could choose to work from home..But I don't, and I won't. Distractions like:
Walking our large Airedale Terrier,cleaning,doing a load of laundry or 2..{Wife works too" etc. would mess with my day. Jewish guilt, I guess.
Anyway, I love your blog, and have added you to mine, under- Links 2 Check out.
I lease an office, and love it!
Joel Libava

The Franchise King · 2 years ago

Ben, {Off topic}
The marketer in me is always on the prowl for cool ideas, and how the franchise industry can utilize them. About 2-3 times a year, an internet stunner is found by myself. I found this yesterday, after following a link to someone who commented on one of my blogs.

I suggest you and your readers take 10 minutes or so, and watch and interact with a bit of cool marketing from our techy friends in Japan. It will take a few minutes to figure out what is being "marketed." But I trust you will.....Take a 10 minute break..today!

Directions:

Go to- http://thefranchiseking.typepad.com

Scroll down until you see the WOW! in my sidebar.

Take a 1 minute look at it, and then click the WOW! box.

Enjoy, and comment.

Cheers,

Franpro

lornadoone · 2 years ago

The pros of freelancing are attainable, but they’re goals not givens.

I thought the whole post was really well thought-out and made a ton of sense, but that sentence alone summed up both the pros and the cons for me!

Armen · 2 years ago

This is an awesome post, Ben! I mean, really! It has really given me some food for thought.

Stumbled for sure.

Alex · 2 years ago

The problem with freelancing, is there is only one of you, and there are only so many hours in a day. If you want to make real money, you have to have something you can sell again and again, besides your time.

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

@Alex: Thanks for the comment, and I agree - unless you can significantly increase your hourly rate. I think what freelancers need to do is transition from selling their time to selling their expertise. Hhhm...there might be another freelancing-related post in there somewhere.

Sanjay Kumar · 2 years ago

Another "con" can be: making sure you get paid. Contractors and freelancers often have this problem -- clients are happy with the work, but stretch their payment terms out, or they're unhappy with perfectly acceptable work, so they withhold payment. Unfortunately, part of your job as a freelancer is also to manage the business. Fortunately, there are great tools to help manage these aspects of the business.

Tracy · 2 years ago

I feel being a freelancer has been great for me as a single mom trying to raise my daughter. It gives me the opportunity to base my life around hers, yet still make a good living to provide for her.
The case of camaraderie is the hardest part, but with a good network of friends this too can be avoided most of the time.
I do want to state that though I love it, freelancing is not for everyone, some people may just not have what it takes to be their own boss whether they want to or not.

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

@Sanjay: That's a very good point. Getting paid CAN be tough. I did mention this offhandedly in the post (about "collections") because I've been there many times - chasing down people who owe me money. It's a difficult thing to do especially with clients you want to keep, and especially when you've just started out in the freelancing world.

JC Carvill · 2 years ago

You make it sound like such a great life...LOL...my friend is a freelancer and she tells me all the time about how hard it is sometimes. I will have to tell her I saw this...she'll feel like she isn't alone!! Thanks

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

JC - Hopefully I provided a reasonably balanced view, although this is skewed somewhat negative. Generally though, I find much of the content online about freelancing is extremely positive, which is nice, but not entirely true to the real world of freelancing.

Hawaii real estate news · 2 years ago

Great post. I really enjoyed reading it and I love the picture!! I am all for the no boss get. They get in the way and hold a truego getter back.
Late.

susanreynolds · 2 years ago

Great insights, Ben, as usual. And being self employed for more years than I'd like to mention I've had my share of most of both downsides and upsides. I'm shielded from the health care concerns and real red ink stress by having a well employed spouse, so know my experience isn't entirely typical.

But I do have a couple of new things that are really working for me this year - who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

a.) I use twitter as my virtual water cooler, inspiration-fountain, breaking news source and quick answer-giver during a very long workday and b.) I use Second Life to attend business Meetings, lectures, seminars and provide networking with other professional people who are spread around the globe.

In fact I've written about both and will leave a couple of links below. Always great to read these posts, Ben, and the helpful comments are a real plus!

twitter as watercooler:
http://susanreynolds.blogs.com/artist/2007/11/t...

ZDnet's Howlett makes a uturn on Second life
http://susanreynolds.blogs.com/artist/2007/08/s...

A little peek into business interaction in Second Life
http://susanreynolds.blogs.com/artist/2007/11/c...

jeff zbar · 2 years ago

I've worked from home since 1989, and in almost 19 years, I've amassed quite a few tales of woe and success stories alike. Chasing bad debt, and being here when the kids get home. Suffering slow cash flow and cutting loose on a Friday to take a mini-vacay with the family. The stories - on both sides of the coin - are abundant. But though we want to become chief home officers and work for ourselves, like someone already said, unless you hire a virtual assistant to handle the 'business' of business (like accounting, bookkeeping, marketing, prospecting, etc.), then the business end must be handled. These are among the pros and cons of freelancing. But I gotta tell you, cashing that client check never gets old. Nor does being there when the kids get home. And man, at 2pm, that hammock strung beneath the two shade trees in the front yard sure looks good...

Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago

@Jeff: I wish I could have a hammock near my place, but the 4 feet of snow outside my window say otherwise...damn weather.

Anyway, the pros and cons are clear, as long as people go into it with their eyes open I think they'll end up alright.

Tim Gilmartin · 1 year ago

The pros of freelancing are obvious, having the automomy of being your own boss that everyone craves.

Take the chance with Frachise Direct.

Visit us at:

http://www.franchisedirect.com

Matt Keegan · 1 year ago

Keep beating the anti-freelance writing drum, Ben! I need some help knocking off the competition. I try to "go negative" as much as possible, warning people that food stamps, welfare and a home foreclosure or car repo is in their future. It's bad out there, man! :-)

Ben Yoskovitz · 1 year ago

@Matt Keegan: Ha! I'm happy to help ... don't forget my commission checks though...

Chris · 1 year ago

Right on with the pros and cons of freelance. I think that depending on the individual that is considering going the freelance route it's definitely important to consider the cons because they need just as much attention as the pros. The cons of freelance could sink your freelance career real quick if your not aware and prepared for them. For someone considering a freelance career I'd ease into slowly before going all out as you might discover that you actually like having a traditional job and doing the freelance stuff part time!

Barbara Saunders · 1 year ago

I agree with the general spirit of this post - however, I think what constitutes a downside or problem varies by the individual.

There is a whole industry targeted to people for who "too much self-discipline" is precisely the problem. People who are highly motivated to work and feel as if they spend most work hours twiddling their thumbs and being perplexed as to why their coworkers are crying busy.

I know several people who have a nominally full-time job, a consulting practice, and a side business running all at once. They typical complaint - the "full-time" job is about 50% face-time and forces them to work at a slow, unproductive pace.

People like this often end up "freelancing" out of necessity - the job is a bottleneck. Likewise, I will never get the "isolation" thing. My freelance work has me interacting with a huge variety of people all over the world, including the kindly folks at my neighborhood coffee shop.

In my opinion, jobs have only one advantage for a person like me - benefits - and that's a logistical problem I hope to solve soon!

Ben Yoskovitz · 1 year ago

@Barbara: Thanks for the comment. To each their own of course - if everyone was the same, and had the same experiences, life would sure be boring, eh? I'm glad things are working out for you in the freelance world!

Data Entry Services · 1 year ago

Now that's a realistic take. I've hired and fired a few that wanted to do data entry at home over the years. The ones that lasted (some for 10+ years) had a realistic view. The others wanted a check but didn't want to work.

Estetik · 1 year ago

Interesting!

digoxin lawyer · 1 year ago

I think working in an organization makes one more disciplined. As mentioned by you, there is no certainty of projects in freelancing business. It all depends on what kind of freelancing job a person is doing.

online payments · 1 year ago

Too much of stress involved in day to day work. It is great to be a freelancer only if the services you are providing are in DEMAND.

Fort Lauderdale divorce law · 1 year ago

There is nothing absolute in the world. Change according to the changing times.

women police · 1 year ago

I've worked as a freelance writer and feel there is pressure of deliverables even if you are your own BOSS. Ultimately what you get in return counts depending on your expectations.

Dina Santorelli · 1 year ago

I LOVE this post. I've been working as a freelance writer for... well, forever... and this really hit the nail on the head.

Ben Yoskovitz · 1 year ago

@Dina: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the post, thank you for stopping by and commenting.

Mary Ann · 8 months ago

What I like about being a freelancer is that you basically have the potential of making as much money as you want to. The thing is, you will have to put in the work, the hours, and the frustration it takes to get there. As a freelancer, the extra work you do is reflected in the amount of money that you make, the client list that you build, and your own success. When you have the necessary skills, talent, and passion it takes to make it in this business, then it is not impossible to become a successful freelancer.

Turning Winds · 1 month ago

So true about freelancing. You must learn how to manage and discipline yourself.