this is Roberto Blake of robertoblake.com

helping you create something awesome today.

So today I'm going to answer an interesting question.

Should you become a freelancer?

A lot of this is a personal decision

and I can't really tell you that yes or no

you should become a freelancer,

but there are some things you should

look at before you commit to this

to see if it's right for you.

Now again, a lot of this is going to be based on

my experience, it's going to based on

what I've talked to other freelancers about.

There are a lot of freelancers here

in the Create Awesome community,

many of you are members of the Facebook group,

many of you part of the email list

and we've had conversations in social media.

So, it's not just my opinions here,

a lot of this what I've talked to other

creative and art directors who hire freelancers

and work with them about.

There are other freelancers

who've given me their perspective on this.

So, this is kind of an aggregate, if you will,

of all that information and data

and I'm just the guy that's delivering it,

so don't shoot the messenger here.

So, becoming a freelancer is going to mean

you need a tremendous amount of self-discipline

because you're going to be logging your own hours,

and so if you're someone

who doesn't have a lot of self-discipline,

does not pay attention to details,

and can't keep a consistent schedule,

it's going to be really hard on you

and it's going to be even harder on your clients.

So, I would reconsider if you don't

meet those qualifications.

If you're someone who's very easily distracted,

this could be a very challenging career prospect for you,

especially if you want to do it full time,

because there's always going to be

something to distract you.

The other factor you should look at is

whether or not you're going to be a full time freelancer

or whether this is a part time thing

or a side hustle for you.

Being a full time freelancer is very risky,

and so if you're in a situation

where you have a family

or where you're not financially stable,

then going all in on this could be very dangerous for you

and I would say you really need to do a personal evaluation,

you need to talk it over with your family,

and you need to figure out

what the best decision is going to be moving forward,

and I would try taking it slow

before you go full time on that commitment.

It might be something you're very passionate about,

but I would encourage you to make it

as practical as possible.

Freelancing also requires

a significant investment on your part in terms of resources,

so being able to buy the tools of the trade,

being able to replace them at the drop of a dime,

all of those things are super important,

so you have to be in a position

to where, financially, this makes sense.

If you're someone that's very introverted,

it's not that you can't be a freelancer,

it's that the challenge for you

would be new client acquisition.

If you're introverted,

but you're a master of SEO and social media,

then this could be less difficult for you

in terms of client acquisition,

or if you're willing to outsource

and partner with someone who is very

sales and marketing oriented,

that could be a great proposition for you.

You will have to leave money on the table,

but having 70% of something is better

than 100% of nothing,

and if this person could get you deals

and close and close at a higher rate than you could,

then it's probably for the best.

If not, then, again, you might have to

reconsider doing this full time,

because the reality is the marketplace is very saturated

and it's very noisy and it's going to be very difficult

for somebody who can't come outside of themselves

to be competitive there.

Quality work matters.

It's not going to speak for itself,

it's not going to sell itself,

and if you can't get in front of it,

you need someone who can

because otherwise, you're going to lose

to your loudest competitor.

Showing up matters.

People are not hunting you down for this work

and so you cannot be naive about it,

you cannot be romantic about it.

Salespersonship matters.

Oh my God, does it matter.

And so your talent is not the variable

of your success there,

it's that actually, salespersonship matters

because the marketplace decides

and showing up is how you get things done.

It doesn't matter if you're the nicest person in the room,

if you don't go out onto the dance floor

and ask a gal to dance,

being the nicest person in the room

isn't doing a lot for you.

So, that's what I have to say about that one.

And yeah, that's a little bit of a jab at some of my trolls,

and I'm really excited and happy

about doing that here on the channel,

but it's also very practical

because I'm trying to teach you

and illustrate a point that sales matter.

Getting money really matters as a freelancer

and so, instead of waxing poetically

about how good you are,

it's about how good you are at selling.

If it doesn't make dollars, it doesn't make sense, right?

So, I would encourage you to figure that out.

I would encourage to figure out

whether or not you're the best person

to sell your brand and to get new clients,

or whether you need to partner with somebody,

or whether you need to use an agency of some kind.

There's one like Aquent and VitaminTalent,

and these companies help freelancers

and creative professionals find clients,

or even find full paid positions if they want that,

or even remote telecommuting project based jobs.

So, all of these things are avenues for you

to overcome that particular obstacle or weakness.

You can get better at selling if it's in your personality,

but if it's not, I would say just outsource that weakness.

Also, keep in mind that freelancing is very stressful,

especially when you're first starting out.

So, if you're someone who suffers from

depression and severe anxiety,

I would encourage you to consult

a mental health professional,

consult your family, and really just do a

personal self-evaluation so that you don't

put yourself in a situation that is very risky for you,

not just financially, but for your health,

mentally and emotionally, or even physically.

There is nothing that you're going to do as a job

that is worth putting yourself and your wellbeing at risk.

So, I would encourage you to really think about that,

because it's something that's so important

and is not talked enough about in our industry.

If freelancing is right for you,

it can be very lucrative and it can be very practical

and it can be the beginning of financial freedom for you.

If you have questions about freelancing

or working with difficult clients,

leave those in the comments section.

I'd love to try and help you out.

Anyway, like this video if you like it.

Don't forget to subscribe.

Check out the other awesome content on the channel.

As always you guys, thanks so very much for watching

and don't forget: create something awesome today.