How to Know If Freelancing Is Right for You

Do you work a regular desk job, playing the 9 to 5 routine until the weekend rolls around?

Or maybe you’re worse off, and have to work off hours or the night shift.

Perhaps you make minimum wage and can barely get by.

Or you may have climbed the ladder pretty high in your company, but the hefty paycheck means you’re on call every hour of the day and still have someone higher up that you need to answer too.

All these reasons and more turn everyday Joes and Janes towards the freelancing path. They want to be in charge of their own destiny, fire their boss, and choose their own hours. But, as the old saying goes: the grass is not always greener on the other side.

If you are seriously considering diving into the ever growing gig economy, you want to make sure that you’ll be a good match. That’s why we’ve put together this guide on how to know if freelancing is right for you.

Do You Really Want To Be Your Own Boss?

One of the primary reasons people get into freelance work is because they are sick of taking orders from someone higher on the totem pole. We all have our supervisor horror stories to share—tales of managers who were more like slave masters, or bosses who cared more about protecting their own reputation than leading a team.

As a freelancer, you’ll be your own boss. That means that you won’t have anyone to tell you what to do. You’ll need to decide how to prioritize tasks, what your deadlines are, and how every project will be managed. For many people who’ve been working for others their entire life, this sort of freedom can be more like a prison. They’ve spent so much time being told what to do that they suffer a sort of decision paralysis.

But for the ones who are truly dedicated to finding success as a freelancer, being their own boss is a breath of fresh air. So if you are serious about how to know if freelancing is right for you, ask yourself questions like these:

• Am I ready to take responsibility for every aspect of my own success?
• Do I have the self-motivation to get work done on time and well?
• Am I organized enough to manage my own workload?

 If you can answer yes, then freelancing may be exactly what you are looking for.

Do You Really Want to Set Your Own Work Schedule?

Another one of the “grass is always greener” situations when it comes to freelancing is your work schedule. People stuck in the 9 to 5 dread the monotony of it all… 

Wake up, drink coffee, eat breakfast, rush hour, work, lunch break, work, rush hour, eat dinner, veg out to Netflix, sleep, wake up and do it all again—five days a week. Maybe more.

Freelancing offers an escape from the typical schedule, allowing you to work when you want and where you want. This can be great for people who want more time during the day to spend with their families or for folks who just don’t operate well during “normal” hours.

On the other hand, a lot of people need way more structure than they realize. Without strict work hours, you might discover that you don’t function as efficiently. When you don’t have a scheduled start and end time, it can be very tempting to waste away an entire workday flipping around on Facebook, YouTube, or your timesuck of choice.

Consider these questions about setting your own schedule to get a better idea about how to know if freelancing is right for you:

• How much does my productivity rely on routine?
• Do I have the work ethic to resist distractions?
• What do I have to gain from setting my own schedule?

 A freelancer’s schedule is going to vary widely from one person to the next, and there really is no one way to do it right. Some people will be able to work different hours every day and still stay on track. Others will create their own work routine so that most days look very similar. 

The difference between you and everyone stuck in the typical workplace is that you’ll have complete freedom to change your schedule as you see fit without having to ask permission from anyone.

Are You Ready To Be In Charge of Your Own Financial Future?

Believe it or not, the question of finances is easy to overlook when you’re trying to figure out how to know if freelancing is right for you. We get so caught up in dreams of freedom from task masters, that we fail to take into account the fact that we’ll actually have to make enough money to replace our income.

Depending on your current employment situation, this could mean that you also need to take care of your own health insurance, retirement savings, and similar hidden “benefits” of working for the man.

At the same time, you are also the sole provider of your income. Your financial success is completely tied to your ability to acquire clients and keep them happy. With most 9 to 5 jobs, an off day won’t lead to a pay cut. But as a freelancer, every day that you aren’t making progress means you are leaving money on the table.

While that might sound intimidating, many people actually find freedom in the pressure. The fact that you are in control of your own paycheck means that there is no upward limit to how high you can drive your profits. 

As a freelancer, you can always seek out higher paying clients, offer premium services, or even hire others to reduce your workload (and thus increase your output). Compare that to your current job, where you can only climb so high on the payscale, and are probably often asked to work more time for less pay.

To gauge if freelancing is right for you, ask yourself these questions regarding the financial aspects of being your own boss:

• Am I ready to take responsibility for my own income?
• Am I comfortable with shopping for my own health insurance and similar necessities (or willing to learn)?
• Do I want my earning potential to be without limits?

 Because of existing financial responsibilities, a lot of freelancers start out part time. You can keep working your day job while your side hustle is growing. As you find more and more success as your own boss, you can transition to part time work at your day job (or find a new one if necessary).

Eventually, with enough savings in place to make the leap, and a solid system for finding consistent freelancing work, you’ll be ready to kiss your boss goodbye once and for all.

Is Freelancing Right for You?

So what do you think? Now that you've got a better take on how to know if freelancing is right for you…

Do you have what it takes to be your own boss, set your own schedule, and take control of your own financial future?

Even if you are still a little bit shaky on some of the answers, there’s probably not a freelancer out their who found success by waiting until they were 100% confident to get started. Don’t let perfection get in the way of progress. Create a free account on Legiit today and show the world what you have to offer.