Five Myths about Freelancing | Freelance Work, Freelance Jobs, Work from Home
Five Myths about Freelancing
There are many misconceptions about the freelancing industry; many of these myths could possibly deter any prospective freelancer from entering into a new freelance business venture. In this article we will expose some of these myths and reveal many truths that established freelancers would rather remained hidden.
1. Freelancers work cheaper - This is the number one misconception in the freelance world. A very high percentage of new freelancers believe that they need to position themselves below the prices quoted by larger companies. This is simply not true, many freelancers provide a level of service far above that which is received from large corporations, and in these situations the price quoted to the client should reflect this.
2. Freelancers only tackle small projects - This is another myth, and one that is often promoted by established freelancers who do not wish new entrants to the freelance arena to try for the larger projects. The only limitation on the project size you accept should be the customer's delivery deadline. Put simply, if you can handle the project in the time the client has specified then there is no reason you should not bid on it.
3. Freelancers are often short of work - This is yet another popular misconception, usually spread by unskilled or unprofessional freelancers who are finding it difficult to attract new clients and establish repeat trade. There is in fact a shortfall of qualified freelancers in almost every area of freelance work.
4. Freelancing is easy money - This is probably the most damaging myth of all, so many new freelancers enter into in this new business venture without a sound idea of what it takes to run their own company. Freelancing for an extended period will mean that you will need to deal with corporate accounting, customer relations and marketing as well as a host of other lesser business related skills; all of these are unlikely to be part of your current skill set. This means that freelancing is often harder work than simply accepting a paycheque from accompany every month. Ask any established freelancer how much of their working day the actually spend working on client projects and you will be shocked to hear that this can be as low as 60% of their actual working time, with the remaining 40% being spent administering their business.
5. Freelancers produce inferior work - This is an interesting myth, and in some ways it can be true in the modern freelancing environment, although this is mainly due to a large quantity of fundamentally unskilled individuals winning projects on price alone. As a respectable freelancer you will find that this works in your favour, as many clients will initially buy on price, receive inferior or shoddy workmanship and then begin to seek quality work at a fair price.
So there we have it, several key myths that surround the freelancing industry debunked. For many people becoming a freelancer offers them the freedom to work the way they want when they want, which can outweigh the extra work involved in administering their business, dealing with clients and sourcing and work.
