Freelancing certainly seems like one of the top options to start a home-based business when sites like Upwork claim that freelancing will become the workforce majority within a decade.
As a seasoned freelancer myself, I honestly don’t buy it. While freelancing can be great for the right person, I don’t believe everyone is cut out for it. If you want to become an entrepreneur and work flexibly, it’s not the only valid option.
3 reasons why freelancing may not be for you and what you might want to do instead.
1. You Don’t Like the Idea of Fluctuating Income
Freelancing and variable income go hand in hand.Freelancers are contract workers who usually don’t get to reap the benefits of having a stable income.
You get paid when you pick up projects. Even if you have a decent amount of clients, there’s always the chance that one or more of them won’t need your services one month or may decrease their budget.
There’s no way to tell when these things are going to happen which is why most freelancers experience feast or famine situations where one week, there’s a ton of work to do and the next week tasks are running dry.
You must be good at managing money if you’re going to freelance and have lots of savings as a backup.
2. You Don’t Feel Like Constantly Chasing After Work
Freelancers need to continuously pitch clients, network, and market themselves in order to bring in more work. Remember, work can run dry at any given time, so you always want to be one step ahead.
If you don’t like the idea of always chasing after work and applying for gigs, you may not like freelancing very must. Plus, it won’t be a good fit if you can’t handle rejection.
Everyone you pitch won’t hire you or sometimes even respond. You have to accept that and just keep trying.
3. You’re Not Organized or Great At Juggling Multiple Commands
Freelancers must be extremely organized. If you’re lucky, you’ll find one or two clients to hire you on a long-term contract but most freelancers have to juggle the needs and requests of several different clients.
You’ll need to be organized so you don’t miss deadlines or forget to email someone back. You’ll also need to be good at juggling all your client’s needs and requests. You must be vocal and communicate well set realistic expectations.
Clients rely on you to make their lives easier so will look forward to your organization and skill. If you can’t manage the burden, you won’t be able to deliver.
What You Might Want to Do Instead
If you don’t think freelancing is for you but are still interested in becoming an entrepreneur, you should consider looking at alternative business ideas and starting them on the side of your main job.
The great thing about freelancing is that you can make money quickly but for other businesses, you may have to start slowly as a side hustle and take time to build it up.
You can try creating or selling products, speaking, consulting, or consider turning any other hobbies or skills you have into a profitable business.
Summary
Freelancing isn’t for everyone and that’s okay. Instead of just looking at the benefits of freelancing, be sure to consider the drawbacks and all the work that goes into it before deciding to try it for yourself.
If you find that freelancing isn’t right for you, keep in mind that you can still start another type of business as a side hustle. Even if it takes longer to establish, it may be more sustainable and fulfilling.
