If you’re one of those people who hates everything to do with the commute, office life, annoying co-workers and so on, then you’ll likely have thought, at one stage or another, “is there a way I can survive without all those annoyances, yet still have enough money to, you know, live?” Well, the answer is yes -- you can become a contractor or a freelancer, and be in charge of how you spend your time and still make a good income (indeed, many contractors end up making more money than regular employees). But it won’t necessarily be easy. Below, we take a look at a few tried and tested methods for making the transition more straightforward.
Have a Cushion
You might be eager to get your autonomous life underway, but it’s recommended that you have a little bit of patience before making the jump from employee to solo-worker. That’s because it’s much easier to become a success if you have a financial cushion behind you. When you’re first starting out, you won’t know for sure how successful you’ll be -- having the equivalent of six months salary in savings will take some of the pressure off.
Find Your Working Groove
You’ll be a self-starter if you’re thinking about making the transition to freelance worker, but sometimes, even people who are determined to be a success get caught out by the change in lifestyle. It won’t be the number of hours that you work, but how productive you are when you’re working. Many people leave the office environment only to find that, while it wasn’t all that enjoyable, at least they worked well there. So it’s important that you figure out where and how you work best. It might require a little bit of trial and error, but it’ll be worth it.
Work with Others
One of the underrated aspects of being a traditional employee is that more or less everything is taken care of for you. You just do your job, and receive a paycheck -- nothing complicated! When you’re not an employee at all, it’s up to you to take care of all the tasks that, say, the HR department of your company would usually manage. To save time, and ensure they’re done correctly, look at working with outside companies for your core duties, such as your accounting. You can learn more here about what such a company can do for you. It’ll free up your time, and make sure that you’re fully compliant with the law.
Treat it Seriously, Give it Time
You’ll hopefully have “the fear” that’ll help push you towards success, but there might come a time when you think you’ve got everything figured out, and slow down a little. You have to resist this impulse! Your freelance/contracting success will be closely tied to how seriously you take it. Don’t take anything for granted! You’ll also want to give your venture time -- success won’t come overnight. It might be a struggle, but it’ll be worth it in the long run.
