Instigator Blog - Latest Comments in Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Turning Winds — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:25:36 -0000

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

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Mary Ann — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:32:57 -0000

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.

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Ben Yoskovitz — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:38:08 -0000

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

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Dina Santorelli — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:31:18 -0000

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

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

women police — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:31:02 -0000

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.

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Fort Lauderdale divorce law — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:26:15 -0000

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

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

online payments — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:22:25 -0000

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.

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

digoxin lawyer — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:18:28 -0000

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.

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Estetik — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:16:12 -0000

Interesting!

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Data Entry Services — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:59:32 -0000

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.

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Ben Yoskovitz — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:03:51 -0000

@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!

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

$311151 — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:07:56 -0000

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!

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Chris — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:25:04 -0000

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!

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Ben Yoskovitz — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:22:57 -0000

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

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Matt Keegan — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:17:23 -0000

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! :-)

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Tim Gilmartin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:21:50 -0000

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

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Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Ben Yoskovitz — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 09:56:56 -0000

@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.

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

jeff zbar — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 21:15:37 -0000

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...

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

susanreynolds — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 11:55:06 -0000

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....

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

A little peek into business interaction in Second Life
http://susanreynolds.blogs....

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Hawaii real estate news — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:44:01 -0000

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.

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Ben Yoskovitz — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:02:19 -0000

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.

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

JC Carvill — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:19:34 -0000

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

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Ben Yoskovitz — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:29:51 -0000

@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.

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Tracy — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 06:57:57 -0000

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.

Re: Exposed: The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Sanjay Kumar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:28:00 -0000

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.