Advice: Going from a full time job to freelancing

amother

Mon, May 13 2013, 12:32 pm

I really dislike working full time. Besides for the fact that I have a steady salary and insurance, there is nothing I like about my job or the fact that it keeps me away from my family so much. In the past few years, I have also been freelancing on the side and bringing in a little extra money. I am seriously considering quitting my job and expanding my freelance business but it is quite nervewracking; we really need my salary to help pay the mortgage and other bills, and I have no way of knowing if I will be able to get enough clients to keep us afloat.

I am looking for advice from someone who made the leap from a full time secure position to working freelance full time; anything you can tell me would be helpful!

anon because many people know that I am thinking about doing this.

TwinsMommy

Mon, May 13 2013, 12:44 pm

In 1999-2000, I had a hobby and a full time job. I hated the full time job, and the hobby was making more money per hour than the full time job. So, figuring there's no way I would turn the hobby into a real income, I took a part time job and did the hobby part time. that worked well until I got super ill and had to stop the part time job mid-contract. For a couple of months I couldn't work at all. Knowing I wouldn't get another job in that field anytime soon, part or full, I decided to make something of my hobby and I turned it into a work at home career. That was in 2001 and I never looked back. Best decision ever.

Assuming you're doing something other than, say, teaching underwater basket weaving, there WILL be clients-- you might just need some marketing help.

Health insurance is our only problem. When we both worked, we had health insurance through both of our jobs. Back in 2001, my husband still had health insurance through his job. But when he lost his job in 2008 we got stuck with COBRA ($$$$) for a while..... then we purchased our own insurance for a while (we both have pre-existing conditions-- the cheapest health insurance we can get is still over $1000 a month). He did get another job, but it pays a third of what he used to make and has no benefits. So now neither of us have access to health insurance unless we pay for it ourselves---- we did that for a while, but after years of that we decided to forgo health insurance for a while. I just can't justify going back to the "real world" to work a job I might not like as much, to make perhaps less money, just so I can have access to purchase health insurance at what might not even be a much more reasonable cost. So, we live without health insurance. There are actually people who tell me to stop working, because on my husband's income alone, we'd be destitute enough for medicaid. Oy to the vey. Sure, let's TRY to get onto a government program. And we'd have health insurance then, but no income coming from me, so how the heck would we buy our groceries? Whatever---- the way we're doing it---- we both like what we do and we make enough money to cover everything except health insurance. we've got car and life insurance, groceries, utilities, cars, rent, etc etc. When we run low on $$$, I can easily contact a few clients--- we have control over my income.

Now that we have special needs kids, the flexibility of working on my own schedule from home is the best. I can work in the evenings and run errands during the day--- I can work during the day and work out in the evening, whatever.

Good luck!

Miriele5772

Mon, May 13 2013, 12:57 pm

Regarding health insurance, you can purchase group health insurance (assuming you live in NYC) from the Freelancers Union. I can get you the link if you need but it is easily found via Google.

Freelancing is difficult because you need to be on top of yourself and you have to manage the paperwork while also managing the work. I don't know what field you are in, but I would recommend you start with the Freelancers Handbook which can be purchased via Amazon or through the Freelancer Union.

I used to be a freelance bookkeeper, but now I support my husband who is a freelance interpreter. I am happy to offer whatever advice or support you might need.