10 Benefits of Being a Freelancer
According to a statistic from WebsiteBuilder.org, 43% of the United States’ working population is expected to leave their day job and transition to being freelancers in the years to come. The probable reason why that’s projected to happen is that there are many advantages in freelancing. These advantages, according to long time freelancers, can improve a person’s wellbeing and security. So if it’s in your plan to become a freelancer soon, we support you in your decision. The ten freelancer benefits we’ll discuss with you here are the reasons why you should strongly consider indulging in freelance work in the future.
10 Benefits of Being a Freelancer
No Need to Travel Everyday
Many of us don’t like the fact that we have to wake up early every morning to arrive on-time at our respective workplaces. We assume that you feel burnt out traveling every morning to work. But, if you’re a freelancer, that will never be the case. Being a freelancer doesn’t require you to work in an office building or business premises. That’s because you’re not associated with a company or organization that mandates its employees to be present in the workplace each day. That said, there’s no longer any need to commute daily, which also eases the strain of your daily budget expenses. Commuting itself is costly. According to Business Insider, Americans spend $2,000 to $5,000 a year on commuting.
Work Anywhere You Prefer
As mentioned earlier, you don’t need to work in an office building or company premises in freelancing. That means you have the freedom to work anywhere you prefer. You can freelance at home, at a coffee shop, at a cafe, at a restaurant, or any place that you find comfortable. Plus, you don’t need to wear corporate attire or uniforms. You can even wear your pajamas or simple house clothes while you’re working if that makes you more productive. For as long as you like the environment where you’ll be working, then there’s no problem. You don’t have to deal with irritating workplace gossip and hectic working environments anymore.
You Can Choose Clients Freely
In freelancing, you have absolute control who you are going to do business with. If there are clients who are considering hiring you, you can refuse them courteously if you see that their offers aren’t good enough. Other than that, there’s a big chance you’ll avoid clients that are too demanding and have unrealistic expectations, saving yourself from a lot of hassle and stress. That said, since you can choose clients freely, you also have the freedom to work on projects that you’re comfortable doing.
You Can Negotiate Your Service Fees
Freelance services have no fixed prices that every freelancer must follow. In that case, you have the power to negotiate the costs of your service fees. You can discuss with your clients about increasing your pay if their projects are complex and have a large scope. If the case is you’re the one sending a proposal to the clients, you can even set your price outright. Just remember to negotiate reasonable service fee prices to your clients, and make sure that they’re on par with your experience and skills.
Multiple Income Sources
Freelancing can potentially earn you more money than your current job. How so? Well, it’s simple. Freelancers can accept as many clients as they want, for as long as they can manage. The general analysis is that if you have more clients, you have more projects to work on, which directly indicates that you’ll receive income from multiple sources. In terms of finding more clients, you can easily achieve that by posting your profile on sites for freelance work and other online platforms for job hunting.
No Company Rules to Follow
Whichever company we work, a long checklist of rules is always present, and we are obliged to follow them. Sometimes, certain company rules are hard to observe, causing stress among employees and lowers their work morale. But if you’re a freelancer, there are no dreaded company rules. The only rules you must follow are the instructions of your clients concerning their projects and the agreements stated on your contracts with them. Simply put, you just have to do your job, and you’re good, no rules will be broken. As simple as that.
More Opportunities for Growth
Throughout your freelance career, you’ll encounter a variety of projects that’ll test and enhance your skills. You might also meet clients who can refer you to other clients who have urgent need of your services. A freelance website for one allows you to reach your target clients with ease. Also, being a freelancer can enable you to have time to enroll in training programs that augments your capabilities. Those things that we’ve mentioned are opportunities for growth, and there is even plenty more. Freelancing is sometimes stereotyped as a career path with fewer opportunities for growth, but it’s the total opposite. Because freelancing gives you more independence, there’s freedom in taking advantage of as many opportunities as you want.
Work at Your Own Pace
Being a freelancer doesn’t require you to follow a strict work schedule or shift schedule. You can start working for the day at any hour you want. Early morning, noon, afternoon, evening, or midnight, the choice is yours. You can also take as many breaks as you wish. The only condition is that you must communicate with your clients from time to time and finish your tasks/projects before the deadline.
You Can Choose any Rest Day
Our respective rest days are the days we look forward to the most each week, and there’s no doubt about that. In freelancing, you can choose any rest day you want. You have full control if you want to change it every week or every month. There’s no weekly work schedule that you must follow. You only need to inform your clients when you rest day will be for the week.
You’re the Boss of Yourself
This particular freelancer benefit pretty much sums up freelancing as a whole. In freelancing, you’re basically on your own, and you’re your own business. No supervisors, no managers, and no CEO, only you. In other words, you’re the boss of yourself. You have full control of everything, especially your schedule. This is the most likely reason why many employees are quitting their day jobs and shifting to being freelancers.
Transitioning to a freelance career is admittedly not an easy decision. It has its fair share of risks as well. But everything we do has a risk, right? So if you believe you have a future in freelancing, go and grab it. Start preparing your profile and portfolio and submit them to various online freelance platforms and prospective clients.
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