The rise of freelancers 

Freelancers were disappointed when the government introduced IR35 and most felt unsupported by the government. It bought a degree of uncertainty which still remains in place today. Despite this recent months have seen an increase in freelancers. Individuals have decided that now is the time to pursue their dreams. 

We have been introduced to some wonderful freelancers and small businesses. It’s exciting to see people’s plans, see their dreams come to life. But is an increase in freelancers a good or bad thing? I guess it depends on the person and the industry of the freelancer. 

The rise of freelancers has inevitably been due to high levels of people being made redundant. But this doesn’t need to be a bad thing. It’s an opportunity to collaborate with some awesome people. 

Is becoming a freelancer right for you?

The reality is that only you will be the one that can answer that question. We can, however, give you some food for thought to help you decide. 

Being a freelancer, and essentially being your own boss, allows for flexibility. You can diversify and in all likelihood, you are probably pretty good at adapting. 

Being a freelancer allows you to do what you love doing. To potentially not have that Monday morning dread is a great thing. However, it is also important to consider the opposite. 

Work being done or delegated is solely down to you. You have to put the time and effort into each and every project. You have no holiday cover, aren’t paid for time off and it can sometimes be lonely. 

There are a lot of resources out there

Something we have noticed recently is there are a lot of coaches out there. But it doesn’t mean they are all great or the right fit for you. If a business coach is a route you want to go down do your research. What is their experience, do they know your industry? Look for reviews, see how active they are. Are they putting information out there to help you gauge their style?

It is also important that you look at their credentials. Are they qualified to give advice? A good example of this is if you are a UK company would you use a Spanish lawyer? Or go to a vet for a broken arm? We certainly hope you wouldn’t do either of those things. But our point is the same – don’t just take someone else’s word for it. Do your research. 

If a business coach isn’t the right choice for you, or perhaps it isn’t within your budget take a look at our article on start-ups where do you start and what are your obligations. 

I was a freelancer 

Sometimes the best people to talk to, to give opinions are the ones that have been there and done it. I started out as a freelancer back in 2015 and I am not going to lie it wasn’t always plain sailing. Establishing yourself and finding your first client takes time. It takes a lot of dedication, a lot of reading, researching and the ability to learn. 

Thankfully in 2018 myself and Kate became K&K Business Consulting. This allowed us to pool our resources, to learn from each other but also maintain that sense of freedom that being employed doesn’t give you. 

I am not saying I didn’t enjoy being a freelancer. As a freelancer it allowed us to start K&K Business Consulting. 

Some more positives about being a freelancer 

Sadly this last 6 months we have seen many people being made redundant. However, some people have seen that as a good thing. Whilst businesses might not be able to afford an employee their finances might stretch to a freelancer. Contrary to popular belief (from some businesses) freelancers are cheaper than employees. This is because businesses don’t have to pay into pensions, holidays, tax, sickness and so on. Kate talks more about this in our blog “is hiring a virtual assistant right for you”. Whilst that article is based mainly on VAs the true cost of an employee paragraph gives some very helpful general insight. 

You don’t have to limit yourself to working with clients in just one country. A lot of freelancers work virtually and this truly does open up the possibility of who you can work with. So whilst one country might be going through hardship due to an emergency you can refocus your attention on another. Of course, this example doesn’t work for COVID but there will be other situations it does work for. 

As I said above freelancers often work remotely. Prior to COVID hitting, I was doing exactly that and have been since 2015. So whilst other people took time getting used to working remotely I was already an old hand at it. The virtual element also opens up doors for you in terms of travel. If you are a freelancer in the right industry all you need is your computer and a secure WIFI connection. You can read more about being a digital nomad on our blog of the same name. 

Still need more information?

We can honestly say we love working with freelancers. We love hearing ideas and seeing how they can be put into action. It’s because of this we started up our Facebook Group – Business Advice & Start Ups. So if you need any advice, tips or want to meet a group of like-minded individuals head on over to our new group.