In this ever-changing economy, job security is the thing of the past. By the year 2020, more than half the workforce will be independent workers either by choice or by necessity. Those who have experience in the business of freelancing provided expert advice for those interested in taking the leap.
The first step, said moderator Lola Butcher, is that freelance writers need to see themselves as business owners.
“We don’t see that naturally,” said Butcher, an independent journalist who covers Medicare policy and oncology business issues.
Ilise Benun, founder of Marketing Mentor, talked about the importance of having a business mindset when freelancing.
“From a business owner mindset you have to ask big picture questions: What kind of life do you want? What kind of business do you want? What kind of clients do you want?” said Benun, who has been self-employed for 25 years.
An important step is setting monthly and yearly financial goals and then doing the work to meet those goals. Benum has a workshop on her website that helps freelancers work through financial questions.
Benum emphasized that being self-employed is not for the faint of heart. It takes commitment, self confidence, patience and perseverance, among other things, to have a successful freelance business. But there are so many rewards, she pointed out, such as the freedom to choose who you work with and what projects you work on.
“You can control your client mix, your workload, your time,” Benun said.
Lisa Zamosky knows a little bit about taking control of her life. She has a number of clients, including WebMD. She talked about customer service and the importance of managing your relationship with editors.
“Editors want to work with people who are easy to get along with, who do good work and deliver that work on time,” said Zamosky. “Ask yourself: What is it like to work with me?”
Freelancers must first master the basics, Zamosky noted: Doing the research, understanding the publication’s audience and tone, and following directions on story angle, word count and deadline. Most importantly, communicate early and often if you run into problems.
“You are a spoke in a wheel. If you’re late and you don’t communicate, you’re screwing up the wheel,” said Zamosky. When one person cannot get their stuff in, it’s a mess. It may be your name on the article. You may be the star, but it’s not your show. You have to understand your place in the larger system.”
Butcher said having a specialization will help you get work.
“You’ve heard the saying do what you love and the money will follow? The more you specialize the more money you’ll make,” Butcher said.
As far as subject matter expertise, Butcher pointed out that every assignment builds on the next and you can repurpose interviews for other stories.
“I consider it to be career insurance in a time when journalism is changing so quickly,” Butcher said.
Noelle Swan, from Boston, has been freelancing for about two years and said she got some good tools from the workshop.
“I attended this session because I needed financial stability and I needed some advice. I need some help thinking about it as a business, than just as a freelancer,” said Swann. “It was nice to hear that you have freedom to fire your editor.”
That also resonated with Cheryl Alkon, an independent journalist from Natick, Mass. The former magazine and newspaper staff writer made the transition to full-time freelancer five years ago after having a child.
“I don’t want to be constrained about the realities of a staff job,” Alkon said. “I liked the idea of actively taking charge of your career as a writer and as a business owner who provides content.”
