Flexible schedules and the ability to work remotely are two job aspects that certainly appeal to modern employees. However, some people choose to go a step further.
They decide to become their own boss and chart their own course in life. These people might be considered freelancers, small business owners, or consultants. But the one thing they have in common is that they effectively work for themselves. Here’s a basic guide for working for yourself.
In order to get into any of these fields, there are several things that you need to consider. Your current skill set, personality type, and interests all have an effect on your path.
Like most people going into business for themselves, you might want to work as a consultant offering your years of expertise in a field to companies in mutually beneficial arrangement.
You alternately might take your skills as a writer, photographer, performer, or artist online or to local businesses in order to obtain freelance gigs.
Or perhaps there is a product or service that you’d like to either create and/or sell, one that fulfills a need that’s not already being met by the current market.
Therefore, you have decided to fill this existent hole in the market. In any case, self-employed workers should be able to create a valuable product that they can effectively market to others, even if you yourself are that product.
That’s why regularly taking classes, keeping abreast of new developments in your field, and occasionally updating your technology are all worthwhile investments.
Just be sure that you thoroughly investigate the field you’ll be working in before you make the switch. Otherwise you could easily underestimate your anticipated salary and sell yourself short.
Or you might discover your supposedly original idea isn’t and it has to be reworked before it’s marketable. A business plan also comes in handy, particularly if you plan on running your own company rather than working as a freelance or consultant on behalf of someone else.
You should be able to recognize your ideal customer as well so that you can plot your advertising and social media campaigns accordingly.
It’s additionally a good idea to keep tabs on your finances. This is especially true if your business plan includes launching a product or company.
However, freelancers and consultants will need to do the math in order to figure out how much money they will need to make per month to maintain a sustainable salary.
They might also need to figure out what this sum comes to by the hour or possibly by the word or project.
You’ll additionally need to set aside time every day to work on your current projects and/or look for new gigs. You may even want to set up a fixed work schedule if you find that you’re having trouble completing your assignments on time.
Don’t forget to take breaks and occasionally reward yourself for all your hard work. Otherwise, you can burn out rather quickly and find yourself longing for the days when someone else had to make all the hard choices.
When it comes to finding any job, networking tends to be a crucial step. My working for yourself: a basic guide means that attending events like tradeshows, business conferences, and conventions is mandatory.
It could also mean joining up with business related or professional organization on a local or statewide level. But perhaps more important than networking is having an active social media presence on places like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other relevant sites.
This can help you find new gigs as you move along in your career. But don’t discount the usefulness of more traditional methods like advertisements and personal, word-of-mouth references.
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And while you’re working you’ll want to keep traveling, right? Check out my other course, Mastering The Sponsored Media Trip and discover how you can travel via sponsorship!
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