Being a freelancer is not like working in any other 9-5 job. As a freelancer, you’re not restricted to the 4 walls of an office space. You can work anywhere and at any time you want to.
Although there are about 1.4 million freelancers in the UK, not many people can wrap their minds around how a person can work and make money from home. They all believe that a “real” job is one that has to be in the office. As a result, freelancers get looked down upon.
If you’re not a freelancer and know someone who is, here are 5 things you should never tell a freelancer.
- “Freelancing is not a real job”
This is the first thing many people say to freelancers. The fact that someone works at home does not mean that they are not working. The home is just a space, an environment. Work is not defined by the place you’re doing the work.
The real work happens on the computer where the client’s projects are being attended to. They have to make sure that they offer the best services, they send emails, spend hours trying to do everything according to the specifications of the clients.
Freelancers spend hours trying to give the highest quality and put in their creative genius. They give advice and outline strategies to meet their client’s needs. So what they could have done in an office, they do it at home. What matters is that the work gets done.
- “Freelancing is easy”
A lot of people think that freelancing is easy. Just because freelancers carry their laptops and work anywhere, some people think that being a freelancer is just a breeze.
The truth is that there’s more to freelancing than meets the eye. Those who work from home do more than just deliver orders. They pitch to clients, post on social media, market their products and services, send emails, create products and maintain their blogs or websites. And most times they do all these tasks alone. Unlike an office job where you’re assigned to one specific task, freelancers have to do a lot of tasks to keep their businesses up and running.
- “It’s a waste of time”
Most people think that freelancers work from home only to be paid peanuts at the end of the day. That’s absolutely not true. Many freelancers are earning a good income. Many are earning even more than their employed counterparts and are on their way to growing a profitable and comfortable business.
- “You’re only a freelancer because no one was willing to hire you”
This is a major misconception and I am not sure why. I will speak for myself and say being a freelancer was a lifestyle decision. I didn’t want to go back to the job I had prior to becoming a mum, and I wanted to stay home with my kids, so working from home was the only option for me. Working from home gives me that opportunity to dictate my own terms and live the life I want to live without being subject to anyone.
- “You can’t build a future with freelancing”
There are many people who made a great career working from home. Some have made millions from it. What some people don’t understand is that they believe that working in a 9-5 is the highest level you can achieve in life. But freelancers like me believe that running their business will give them the opportunity to earn more and build a lasting empire. The freelance life is also more stable unlike working in a 9-5 where you are worried about not getting a bonus or promotion, or afraid of getting fired!
Are you a freelancer or self-employed person? Feel free to rant in the comment section about annoying comments or questions people have asked you.
This is such a good post. I’m not freelance, but I’m considering it and I’ve already had a few people say similar things to me about my future career choice. My dad works for himself and I’ve seen him struggle at times, I understand how it can be.
Thanks Jessica. Many don’t get it..
Reblogged this on Shivangi Reviews.
brilliant post!!! loveeee it! 🙂
Thanks..
I could never go freelance, I’m so unmotivated. Must be hard to get everything done and for work not to run on all day when there are distractions.
Yea it is hard Gemma.
I’m really wrestling at the moment thinking about a career change so this is such a timely post this read!
Ah good it is. Good luck with whatever you decide Emma.
My partner does some freelance work and he works from home part-time. I can’t believe some people would even think the statements above – they clearly don’t understand, you need to be extremely motivated and hardworking to work freelance!
Em
http://www.emsmixedbag.com
Yea true..
nice article something am thinking i would in the future
http://gracemungai.com/
Thanking you..
OMG, This!! My mum is the worst – she keeps asking me when I am going to get a proper job
Lol..I can relate..
I think being a freelancer is the best thing! Until you’ve done it yourself, you’ll never truly know!
Yea true that.
I freelance on the side so I know its a real job and makes me money too so I wouldnt never say anything like that but even if I wasn’t I dont think its polite to look down on people whatever their choices. Great post
Thanks Anosa..
This is a juicy topic, when I was a freelancer in London many moons ago, one thing that P’d me off was when people on hols etc would call me up in middle of day (i/e not at lunch) and want to hang out. They assumed that as I was not in an office, that I was readily available and not, you know- actually working. I dealt with that by just not answering friends’ calls/emails unless I was made aware it was an urgent situation ( :
Yea I get the random calls for chitchat a lot. I ignore them too..
It’s shocking some peoples attitude to working from home is and that they would even say things like that.
Yea it is..
I’ve been freelance for over 20 years now. And, I’ve earnt more as a freelance marketing consultant than I ever did when I worked full time in a office (even though I was a senior marketing manager, working directly for a board director in a PLC). I have a constant struggle though with people who don’t get it.
Best to ignore them Fiona. They will never get it..
All these things must be so frustrating! I admire freelancers, it must take so much determination.
Yea it does..
I bet you get so fed up I can only imagine I was self employed for 9 years working from home so have heard many similar
Yes I do..
I don’t freelance yet but I am hoping sometime in the future. Freelancing takes a lot of determination
Yea it does..
Thank you for this post Stella, I get all these and more from people who probably put less hours in than I do.
Thanks for reading Emma. It is so frustrating..
I work from home so I can 100% relate to this. The amount of times I get asked, when you going to ger a proper job? It really is so annoying! xo
Yes..Very annoying xo
I feel so incredibly fortunate that I have never, ever had any of these statements directed towards me (or at least my face!). Gosh, people are so judgemental!
Yea they are..Lucky you.
Yep, heard all of that, well thankfully except for #4. Even when I worked full-time, I still used to accept other projects as a “freelancer”. Those who say things like that usually don’t know what they’re talking about 😉 x
Yea they have no clue..
Working for self is great and has great flexibility too.
I think most people feel that way because of the money bit but honestly it is something everyone should consider doing.
Yes it is Moji. Thanks hun xx
God it makes me so mad as well, freelancing if anything is more difficult and far more time consuming than a 9-5 job. Not only do I work several jobs but I also run my blog. I never stop working. Sharing on Twitter hun xxx
Thanks Ana xx
Thanks for the advise, I’ve been thinking of freelancing.
Thanks for reading Sara.
Great post thanks. Lots of very useful information for anyone considering freelancing.
Thanks Ann.
Thabks for your sharing 🙂
Thanks for stopping by..
I am trying to learn how to freelance currently so I can quit my 9-5 it is so hard to be deft motivated and find the right niche.
You will get there. Just keep at it.
Thank you I will check it out
I understand how it can be.
Thanks John.
I had to quit working due to medical issues and ended up on disability. Anyone who is on disability knows it’s not enough to live on. I became a freelancer to supplement my income and I am hoping to get to where I can get off disability by making enough money working from home. As a freelancer people don’t understand how much it takes to do the job.
Yea many have no clue. I hope it is going well Stacey.
I am 24 I decided to quit my job in august. I am now freelancing I know I am growing but its very difficult. Also because I am trying to find a job to.
Freelancing can be very hard especially in the early days but it does get better.
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I have had people tell me (pertaining to work) “you can do that anytime”! My response, if it could be done anytime I would not be trying to do it now.
True that Taneka. Some people can be so annoying.