1. You’re driven by your passion.
Freelance is a lot of work. You NEED to be driven on a passionate level because needless to say, freelancing isn’t easy. Sure, you may find a client or two when you’re starting off. But when you’re constantly searching for new clients day in and day out, month after month, year after year – think about how tiring that will get! You will need to have a strong love for the work that you do in order to get you by on some days. You need to be willing to continuously stand behind your own brand, and constantly work to strengthen it day after day. If you’re a go-getter and the type of person that gets up early, gets things done, is motivated to work on your brand and you’re aware that finding clients is a whole new job in itself, you’ve definitely got the backbone to become a freelancer.
2. You’re excited to brand yourself.
Yes, I already mentioned this earlier. However, no brand = no success. You already know (I hope) that you will be needing to build your own brand by either putting your own name and face out there or by somehow creating your own identity. Personally, this was SUPER exciting for me. Being able to put a logo and a brand together for myself was the BEST feeling in the world because it was something that I owned and could do it 100% the way I wanted. No listening to what a client wanted or what the boss wanted. And the best part – it was an extension of myself and a symbol of starting my own design business and being my own boss. If that doesn’t make your heart pump with joy, you should ask yourself if you will be motivated enough to taVisit Siteke on freelancing.
3. You’re ALREADY taking steps.
Have you even thought about what you’re going to call your freelance business? Do you currently have a full-time job but have taken the extra time you have outside of work to put up a website? or at least have one started? Are you taking clients (even if it’s just one or two) outside of your full time job? Does “work” actually begin for you when you get home from your job? If you’ve said yes to these questions (especially the last one) I would bet on you becoming successful at freelancing!
4. You’re smart enough to begin with a part-time job.
If you’re going to quit your job, you should probably look for a part-time job that you can replace it with – even if it’s just 8 to 16 hours a week. At least when you’re starting out. Why dive in all the way head first when you don’t have to take that much of a risk? Do yourself a favor and go online to look for a part-time job so that when sh*t hits the fan, at least sh*t didn’t really hit the fan because you’ve got something to fall back on. You’ll be way less stressed and feel a lot less overwhelmed. Trust me, it’s nice to have something to fall back on from time to time… and you’ll be able to go to bed a lot easier at night. Especially on days you feel as if you haven’t made any progress. With a part-time job, no, you’re not fully freelance. But what it’s all about is that extra 2 or 3 days a week you have to fully dedicate your time to your OWN freelancing business! Work hard until you’re able to stand on your own two feet, and eventually you’ll be able to call yourself your own full-time boss.