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Many freelancers start out just thinking that they’re going to make a few dollars on the side: they’ll work their day job and just put in a couple of hours writing articles on the weekend. But freelancing can tempt you to keep moving forward. You can earn a little more if you dedicate a few more hours to writing. Maybe if you add in another hour for marketing, you can land some bigger clients. Next thing you know, you’re freelancing full-time!
It doesn’t stop there, either. Many freelancers get the bug for working on their own and want to keep finding ways to increase their income. Freelancing full-time is a fast way to catch a full case on the entrepreneur bug. You start thinking about how you can expand your writing business: how can you attract bigger clients? How can you create products and other sources of revenue? How can you put more money in your pocket?
Many freelancers avoid calling themselves entrepreneurs. There seems to be an invisible line in the sand, that makes any freelancer who uses the term ‘entrepreneur’ a little less of a writer or a creative. Personally, I think that division is ridiculous. Freelancing is entrepreneurship, stripped to its cleanest form. The only difference in thinking of ourselves as entrepreneurs, as well as freelancers, is that we’ve chosen a term that broadcasts that we plan to build our business up beyond a few hours after work.
Are you a freelancer or an entrepreneur?
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Comments
09.29.09
Both! I'm consulting on a small scale now, but you can bet I have plans for scaling it up and out and doing what I do in a bigger way!
09.30.09
You make a great point, THursday.
The way I taught myself to generate cash for my startup is that I started freelancing, and learned to cope with either starving (literally) or getting another client. I also learned to manage terrible cash flow, and unstable clients by freelancing. And these are also the hardest parts of managing a startup.
I am not sure if I would have known that I could get through hard times in the startup if I had not seen, already, that I got through hard times as a freelancer. The difference is that stakes are higher.
Penelope
10.01.09
@Penelope, I think that freelancing is undervalued as a way to start a bigger business. I can name a tone of startups whose roots are actually consulting or freelancing — 37signals is a good example.
@Doniree, Sounds like you've got a good plan in place to keep your business growing!
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