Making the Leap From Full-Time to Freelance
Summer is knocking on your front door, begging you for attention. Living in New England, where summer never lasts long enough, it’s hard for me to say no. But with a full-time job and my freelancing work, saying no means procrastinating. It’s hard to enjoy yourself in the summer sun when you know there is a heap of work waiting for you.
I have recently told my boss that I will be going from full-time to part-time starting in October. It was a hard decision but one that, ultimately, I had to make if I wanted to stay sane.
It’s a risk—leaving your full-time job for freelancing. But this is a risk I was comfortable taking. I had two big reasons for deciding to make the leap: I am now the co-owner/publisher of a twice-annual publication and my husband and I are expecting our first child this summer. Cutting back my hours at my full-time job just made sense for us.
I started wondering how other people came to the conclusion that it was time to back out of their full-time jobs and focus on their freelance careers or small businesses. I found two women who have made the switch and thought I would share their stories. Perhaps they’ll inspire you to think about taking the leap.
Hailey Tash
Hailey Tash was asked by a friend of a friend to take some engagement photos of her and her fiancé in November 2010. Photography had been a hobby and passion of Tash’s for years, but up until that point she only took photos on the weekends of her friends, family, and nature. She had no idea that accepting this portrait job would change her life.
“I started a Facebook fan page and started posting some of the stuff I had been shooting on the weekends, along with those first engagement photos,” she says. One of her mother’s friends saw her page and hired her to take photos of a wedding, even though she knew Tash had never photographed one before.
Through word of mouth, Tash started picking up more wedding and engagement portrait work. She started a website and started building a portfolio.
During this time, Tash was working 30 as a behavioral health professional. “I longed to do photography full-time, but I was in a panic,” she says. “I graduated college in August 2011 and knew that I’d have student loans soon.” Along with all her other bills like her car payment and rent, Tash was planning her own wedding. “I had a lot of expenses, and while my business was growing, I knew it couldn’t support me.”
So she stayed at her job. “It was incredibly tough,” she says. “I’d work most of the day and then stay up late editing photos. I took longer than I should, which wasn’t fair to my clients.” When she started booking weddings for the 2013 summer season, as well as engagement sessions and senior portraits, Tash saw a light at the end of the tunnel. “I followed an international wedding photographer’s advice on how to keep your prices competitive based on your number of bookings, and eventually raised my prices enough to survive.”
When her boss asked her to increase her hours for the summer, she knew there was no possible way she could work as a behavioral health professional and handle all her photography work. “I knew those hours at home working on marketing and answering emails would benefit my business and help me grow—so I took the jump,” Tash says. “I knew if I didn’t, I would just keep waiting and waiting and it would never seem like the right time.”
This was last month, and Tash is now working full-time at her business, Hailey Tash Photography.
Courtney Balestier
Courtney Balestier has been a full-time freelancer for just over a year, hopping on the freelance bandwagon in April 2011.
“I had been on the editor track for about five years and had always wanted to eventually freelance full time and focus on writing,” she says.
Soon after graduating with her master’s in journalism, Balestier took a full-time job at Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine and soon realized that a full-time gig usually meant leaving the best writing assignments to someone else.
“I started to get frustrated assigning out fun stories that I wanted to do myself. It was still quite early in my career, I hadn’t risen far enough up the ranks to get invested in a high-stakes editorship, and I wasn’t making so much that the temporary hit in income would affect my lifestyle.”
Balestier still writes regularly for Every Day with Rachael Ray and is still on the books part-time while they make some new hiring decisions. She’s 100% happy with her decision and can’t imagine her life any other way. “Making the leap, cheesy though that expression is, is the biggest mental hurdle to get over,” she says. “After that, it comes together. Of course you have to work hard to make it come together, but it’s the most satisfying work.”
For Tash, it was the desire to open her own business and follow her passion. For Balestier, it was the desire to write the kinds of stories she was interested in writing. For me, it’s a new business and a new baby. What are the reasons for you to ditch the full-time job and go freelance?
Photo credit: Some rights reserved by xilius.
Leave a Comment
Thank you for sharing your stories.
I started freelance work in February 2011. I had thought about it for a few years, but never had the confidence to take the leap. Circumstances in my personal life meant that I could not work full time so freelance seemed like the perfect option. After 7 months, one of my clients offered fulltime employment. the security that the fulltime income offered was tempting. I did take the role but after 4 months, I gave my notice.
Freelance work enables me to choose who I work with. It also enables me to work part-time so I can be there for my 2 children. Freelance brings balance.
As a single mum, it is a scary leap going back to freelance work, but I know that it will reduce my stress levels and bring more happiness into my home. Thank you for sharing your stories.
Kim
Timing of this article couldn’t of been better… I’m about to take the leap. I’ve been precariously balancing full time work with freelancing for over 12 months and have been in the excuses trap for the at least the last 6 months: “I’ll just wait til I have this, or I’ve done that”. There’s no perfect time, just need to get over the fear of failure and back yourself.
My story is very similar to yours, Tarryn. I’ve been freelancing on the side for over a year, while juggling a full-time role as an online editor. I squirrelled away my freelancing income and, now with a nice little emergency stash as security, I finish up full-time employment this Friday. Ahh!
The plan is to work for myself in June, before I jet off to trek through India and Nepal for a month. Then I’ll return, hopefully fresh and focused, ready to take my business to new heights.
It’s taken me a long time to jump but, as Tarryn says, there is no perfect time.
My tip is to have some back-up savings before you jump into full-time freelancing. It gives you peace of mind to know that your bills will be paid, even when your invoices aren’t!
Thanks Kat, great advice. I’ve just been reading Flying Solo and it’s been a great motivator and guide, I recommend it if you haven’t read it.
Enjoy the traveling and good luck when you return!
Great article Melanie. Success stories are the best encouragement one can get. I went into freelance years ago, and just like many others I have been thinking about it for long before I made the leap.
It was a crazy roller coaster since but I don’t think I could say that I regretted my decision for even a single day.
Great inspiring article.
Surely, it takes a breath to stand the challenges after quitting a Full-Time job to freelancing. My story is kinda similar and being a Newbie I t took me time to build up confidence and at some point I was almost discouraged and frustrated to a point of regretting the decision I made of quitting a well paying full-time job to hustle projects in a freelancing company where competition was stiff. I went for a few months without any client showing up for the projects I was bidding for but one day my day was brightened and my spirit was revived when I won my first project and completed It successfully. Though it took me time to build up a clientele that stands to market myself particularly to potential clients I don’t regret choosing to be part and partial of the freelancing community.
Mukr
Great read and perfect timing for me.
Like many others I’ve been doing freelance on the side for a few years, and would love to do it fulltime – I think I’m gaining confidence these days.
Looks like those who made the jump:
a) aren’t regretting their decision (even if coming from a well paid full time job)
b) tell that there isn’t a perfect time to go for it, you just do.
Right? I shall really put my fears away and follow my heart.
Luigi
Excellent article – and it looks like it’s been very helpful to those teetering on the edge of the decision to freelance!
Quitting your full-time job and jumping into freelancing – regardless of the field – is not for the faint of heart. It takes determination, self-discipline and a HUGE amount of faith in yourself.
Sometimes the push to freelance is merely your own desire to be free of the 9 to 5 rat race – but sometimes you have no choice but to make the decision to freelance, or face a long period of unemployment. My own move to my career as a Virtual Assistant came after over 22 years in high-level administrative positions. My employer was hit hard by the downturn in the manufacturing sector 2 years ago, and instituted a system of ‘rotating layoffs’, wherein employees would be laid off for 2 weeks, then come back to work for 2 weeks. (Talk about a budgeting and logistical nightmare for the employees.) After enduring a few months of the layoffs, I made the decision to take my part-time Virtual Assistant practice to a full-time level with a huge marketing push during my next 2-week layoff. It worked – and I never returned to my full-time job. My supervisor and co-workers were positively green with envy when I left. A large percentage of them have since departed the company for better opportunities – including the HR Director. (A hard lesson in those numbers for the employer, should they ever choose to take notice.)
It’s not easy. Some weeks, I question the wisdom of my decision – usually the weeks when income is a little thinner than expected. But I knew when I made the leap into freelancing that the income could be sporadic at times, and more often than not, things turn around and start looking up again when I start worrying about the down times. During those down times, I focus on marketing and referrals from existing clients. I have some retainer clients that keep me afloat with a consistent workload during the slower times, which is a huge help and something I highly recommend to freelancers in any field. Those clients are my cake – any additional one-time projects or infrequent clients are icing.
Not only is freelancing not always easy, it’s definitely not always glamorous. The stereotypical cartoon you always see of the freelancer lazing around in their PJs all day, steaming cup of coffee at their side, laconically tapping keys on the keyboard while propping their slipper-clad feet on the desk? Forget it. Most days you’ll be up before everyone else in the house, dressed and at the computer while your coffee goes cold (you’ll forget to drink it), tapping madly at the keys to meet a deadline or getting in some marketing time before your “business day” actually starts. And you’ll often be at the computer late at night, after everyone else is in bed. The stories of a 4-hour work week, or making huge amounts of money right from the get-go are largely exaggerated. Freelancing is *work* – hard work – because no one else is going to manage, maintain and market your business – but you. But it is also the most rewarding experience you may ever have – because just as you are the only one doing the hard work of running your business, you are also the only one that will reap the rewards. You determine the amount of work you will take on, the amount of money you will make, and the number of hours you will work.
If you want to make the leap, I strongly recommend doing your homework first. Research the licensing and tax implications of freelancing, including whether you should be a Sole Proprietor or LLC. Develop a business and marketing plan for your new venture – and follow it. Start building your client list slowly, carefully, and with great thought towards repeat work from your clients in the future – this should be a building block of your practice. Once you develop a small client list, don’t be afraid to ask for referrals (tactfully) – and continue building your business from that point.
Making the leap from full-time employment to freelancing is not easy, but it is SO worth the effort. I’ve never heard a single former full-time employee say, “Gee, I really wish I’d stuck with my full-time job, complete with commute, extra expenses for professional clothing, lunches and vehicle maintenance, and having to spend time away from my family on business trips.”
I hope those of you leaning towards freelancing will read the positive posts here and take them to heart. You might struggle along the way, but I truly believe you won’t regret it!