A Leap Of Faith: Heading Out as a Soloist
So, you’ve got a tidy nest egg nestled away, and benefits to protect you. A stable of paying clients are in the Rolodex. The perfect dedicated home office is set up from which to ply your trade.
And you have no qualms in your gut that might dissuade you from making the move from full-time employee to full-time independent contractor, soloist or 1099er.
If that’s the case, then call Ripley’s, because your case is a rarity indeed.
Making the break from being an employee to becoming an entrepreneur takes a lot of things. But the only certainty, aside from (self-employment) taxes, often is an accompanying leap of faith.
Rare is the new business enterprise that leaves the gate emboldened with savings, lots of clients, the perfect workspace, and no little voice (or that of friends, family or colleagues) questioning your sanity. The goal should be to prove them all wrong.
The Magic Formula
The formula for success requires some alchemaic mixture of ingredients, blended into a magical, intangible potion whose very palpable yield may not be a pot of gold, but a comfortable living. A rich outcome, indeed.
A long time ago, I was a lowly scribe at a weekly newspaper in my native South Florida. My post came with health insurance, a coveted two weeks off each year, relatively flexible hours, and a kindly – if mediocre – editor.
But on the side, I was cultivating a freelance writing business. It was nothing too significant at the time. An article every six weeks or so – just enough to irk my current boss, while also keeping my name before other local editors.
Then my wife, Robbie, and I discussed my breaking out on my own, launching a freelance writing business, becoming an author, and seeking success without the security of a W-2.
With her paycheck and benefits as a nurse there to cover our monthly nut, which at the time included rent and one car payment, we made a leap of faith (you’ll see I use that phrase a lot, for it truly sums up what going freelance often requires). This was in February. By year’s end, I had tallied $6,000 in collections. I was elated at my apparent success. My wife sought solace with her parents, who were chagrined at their little girl’s lousy choice for a husband.
That was in 1989, and with her mental and financial support, we worked to build a business. By 1993, our annual earnings were roughly equal. Today, Jeffery D. Zbar Inc., earns the lion’s share of the household’s income. And while she’s still forced to work (after all, we now have a life in the ’burbs with a mortgage, two car payments and three kids), Robbie’s schedule significantly lighter than it was a decade ago.
THIS AIN’T NO PARTY
Freelance writing is a business. Not unlike a self-employed carpenter, attorney or doctor, being a working writer requires a sense of business understanding and awareness that this isn’t “that little thing you do on the side.” Think of it as such, and you’ll at least have the empowered mindset to make it work for you.
Here’s a few pointers to help launch and sustain the enterprise:
- No time is a great time to cut loose. But resources help. Having some savings in the bank will help ease a worried mind. Most financial planners recommend between three and six months of expenses. Amass whatever sum makes you comfortable, but realize going in there likely will be slow times.
- Shop for bennies. Got a spouse with good benefits, like healthcare coverage and a 401(k)? Good. If not, inquire with the local chamber of commerce, your industry trade association or a local community health purchasing alliance (CHPA) that can provide health insurance at lower rates than going it alone. Fate is too fickle to go without health coverage.
- Keep in mind you’ll be responsible for your own taxes, equipment and supply costs and new business development. Build your stable of advisors. Consult the appropriate advisor if you don’t feel comfortable tackling these issues alone. You can get free advice from the Small Business Administration, the local Small Business Development Center, your state university Extension Service or the local university’s business department.
- Carve out some space. To be reasonably successful, your working digs have to be workable. You’ll need a desk, an ergonomic chair, lighting, a computer and a good office area. To learn more, see “Six Keys to Home Office Success” (Business of Writing, July).
- Build a client list before you leave the paying gig. Good clients take time to cultivate. Do a few freelance assignments, call your editor or writer friends at other publications. Scout for projects with publications that may steer you to other leads. Always have your bizdev (business development) antenna up. Still…
- Be leery. Don’t take every assignment that comes your way. If you don’t know a publication, ask for a reference or a copy of the publication. Look at the writers, the advertisers and the editorial subjects. If they’re all names you know, and they’re bound in a good-looking publication, that’s a good sign. In 10 years of freelancing, I’ve been stiffed twice for a total of $750 (luckily they came early in my career when I was paid, er, I charged, less). Realize, though, that bad things happen to good publications. If a publication folds or falls on hard times and you’re left holding receivables, consider whether the publisher had ill-intent, or if the editor is an owner. Give them too much grief, and not only will they feel embarrassed, they may get irked and be reluctant to assign you work when they land on their feet. Learn to spot good opportunities, and gravitate toward good people.
Flexibility is Essential
- Be flexible. Remember, you can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need. Want to do features for national magazines, but you’re currently penning the police blotter for the community paper? Unless you’ve got the clips that prove you’ve got the style, don’t anticipate such sexy assignments up front. Build your clip file and stable of client publications. As you grow, so will the stature of your client publications.
- Be flexible, part II. Think trades. Industry trade journals often are in need of good writers. Sure, the work often isn’t what we’d often like to be doing. Writing on detergent research, the paper business or banking regulations isn’t sexy, but they pay the bills, and can help expand your stable of steady clients.
- Be flexible, part III. Corporate communications. What image does that phrase conjure? A sell-out, or a lucrative opportunity? For many journalism purists, it’s sacrilege to do press releases, corporate biographies or other “public relations” writings. But they can be financially sustaining, especially for the young enterprise. Just beware: Doing P.R. work for a company you do or may write about in your journalism endeavors can result in a perceived lapse in journalism ethics, and a tarnished reputation.
- Be a quick study, and open to assignments off your beat. The editor’s call comes in: “John Smith referred you. Can you do a piece on (insert reasonably do-able but never before attempted industry piece here)?” You reply: “Of course.” Ask the editor or article subject for some clips or background, get on the Internet and do you research, and learn. Freelance writers are specialized generalists. But…
- Know your limitations. Be reasonable about what assignments you’ll take. I make my living, in part, writing business profiles and trend pieces. But that doesn’t include financial issues (the stock market, the Federal Reserve’s latest announcements, etc.). I know my strengths, and the market isn’t one of them. I have turned down many good paying assignments in that genre, knowing that was not my area of expertise and I wouldn’t feel comfortable writing about it. On the other hand, you want a profile of the Fed Chairman? Just give me a deadline, word count and fee – and an email address where to send the copy.
- Build your niche and bolster your network. Just because you have to be flexible doesn’t mean you shouldn’t develop an expertise you become known for along the way. Home furnishings, equestrian and tack, consumer electronics, or building construction. I started with community newspapers and medical business articles. An editor from the former full-time gig knew I freelanced, and referred me to someone with a national advertising trade journal, for whom I still write nine years later. I parlayed that expertise into weekly marketing column with my metro daily, and various other assignments for related but non-competing national publications. Working from home, I convinced that metro daily (the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale) to contract me to do a monthly feature on working from home and telecommuting. I have since built my niche in that area, and now write for all the top publications in that field – and offer related articles to consumer and trade magazines touched by small office home office (SOHO) issues.
- Be a team player. If you’re a good writer, easy to work with, a team player who will help editors in a crunch, you’ll develop the reputation as such. Your name will get around, assignments from unknown editors will come in over the transom. Those are the best calls to get.
- Always have your thinking cap or idea generator on. Editors like writers who call with story ideas, rather than just wait for the phone to ring or the email to chime in with an assignment. Get to know your client publications – and those you want to write for – and always be ferreting out stories that fit their mold. Work with – not just for – your editors.
- Never be afraid to solicit work from or pitch ideas to a publication you’ve never worked with. You may not get the assignment, but networking is key to freelancing success.
- Network, create business cards that proclaim yourself as the professional you are. Always have fresh clips and an updated resume ready to send out to a new prospect.
- Outlive the “honeymoon period.” Many new, small businesses enjoy a blissful 18 to 24 months following their debut on the solo market. They dismiss low billings and difficult collections to growing pains. Once the two-year anniversary approaches, though, it’s “fish or cut bait” time. Work hard to pass this threshold, building clients, expertise and billings in an effort to build your business.
- Develop thick skin and a positive mental attitude. Want to succeed? Realize that success is not guaranteed, but can and must be earned. Not every editor will like your work, and you’ll have to endure occasional criticism. Learn to appreciate – and even request – critical response to your work. Writing alone from a home office can be isolating; you’ll come to respect your editors’ advice, changes and comments on your work.
Along with your savings, clients and workspace, you’ll need the emboldened spirit that will tell you this leap of faith was the right move. When receivables drop, or a client drops you, or deadlines fade from the assignment board, you’ll get to thinking about your grand move. At these times, the power of positive thinking can be a wonderful thing.
Many are the sorrowful and fabled tales of the starving writer. When I launched my enterprise a decade ago, the mother of a close friend remarked, “I’ve never known a starving writer before.”
To which I responded, “I won’t be your first.”
Jeffery D. Zbar is a freelance writer. He can be reached at jeff@chiefhomeofficer.com.
