Platinum Author
So you want to be a freelance copywriter huh? Work when you want, get up when you want (like that one) and work in your pajamas if you want...yes, it's nice. But have you heard the whole side of the story? I'm guessing you might not have, so let me give you the dirt on freelancing before you decide to take the plunge.
It's Not All About the Lifestyle
If the lifestyle of being a freelancer is all you're attracted to, then it's probably not for you. You also have to enjoy what you do, whether it be writing or programming or designing. If you don't enjoy what you do, you'll just do enough to get by...and if you do just enough to get by, you'll be in the same boat most people are in: one paycheck away from financial failure. The lifestyle is very, very nice for me....but it's taken getting out of debt and having a fully loaded emergency fund to get me there.
If you don't have these things together, the ebb and flow of "feast one day, famine the other" will turn approximately seven of your hairs a day gray until you look like Steven Martin (sorry Steve). Too many people chase the opportunity which the lifestyle presents, but chasing after passion is much more important (and profitable). So if you're in debt right now, get out, scale down your life and prepare yourself financially for the freelance lifestyle....otherwise it will end up being more of a curse than a blessing.
Check Your Emotional Baggage
Yes, I'm serious about this one. Nothing magnifies your emotional insecurities like knowing that you're depending 100% on your own resourcefulness to create your income. All those little issues that you thought you had resolved will start creeping out of the woodwork like ants at a picnic....so be ready for it. The most common of these is fear of rejection. You see, there's one thing you have to be better at than copywriting (or whatever your skill is), and that one thing is marketing yourself.
Freelancers are ALWAYS marketers first, craftsman second...even the best craftsman out there will tell you this. If you don't learn to market, you'll probably be begging for crumbs or looking for a J.O.B instead of building a good life for yourself. Becoming a good marketer requires confidence and very thick skin, which is a sign of emotional maturity...so be prepared to deal with that part of the lifestyle.
The good news is that if you can these things, you'll be the one sitting in Starbucks sipping on a Venti Chai Tea Latte and "working" with your lap top and your feet up on a chair. Maybe I'll see you there, good luck!
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