It is during a snow storm that you really appreciate the benefits of freelancing, the one which is a true highlight today is the ability to do freelance work from home. If you have chosen to become a freelancer or an entrepreneur you know exactly what I mean. It is under this beautiful day of non-stop snowing (see the view outside my window below) that you appreciate your career choice. As a mom of two I couldn’t be happier doing what I love in the comfort of my home.
View from my window
Early this morning I received an SMS messages from my carpool moms announcing that schools were closed today. Messages about wishes for a working mom union to declare a no-work day followed. As I read the back and forth texting of moms wishing to stay home too I felt a guilty sensation of joy. As a mompreneur I had the choice to stay at home and still do the work I love. It got me thinking about all the wonderful benefits of entrepreneurial and freelance work from home.
A freelance career in today’s world can be extremely rewarding and it is not just about being able to do freelance work from home. It is much more than that. According to a recent study, more than 50 million individuals are freelancing in North America from which 70% have chosen this path as a career. It is no secret that freelancing can have its difficulties and it is definitely not for everyone. But as the snow falls on this cold day, here are what I see as the five main benefits of freelancing:
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Freedom
My favorite! For me freelancing or entrepreneurship is freedom. Freedom of choosing when to work and where to work. This does not reduce your obligations and not even the amount of hours working but it does leave you with the power to establish a schedule based on your own priorities.
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Interesting work
As you have chosen your career path you are most of the time doing what you like to do. Not that traditional full time people are not happy doing what they like to do. But as a freelancer you get to say no to what is not part of your objectives. In addition, as a freelancer you get to see a business from the beginning to the end. Some might not like taking care of sales, marketing, accounting, managing people and more but to me it brings challenges and diversity to my day.
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Developing skills
As a consequence of interesting and independent work, freelancers get to develop a variety of skills that are not necessarily needed on a full-time job. For example, as a professional selling your services you have to learn best practices on selling, marketing, negotiating, book keeping, taxes and more.
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You are the boss
You no longer have to answer to someone else. You are solely responsible for your successes, and failures! There is a much tighter relation between your gains and your effort. You now have the control to try different strategies and initiatives. Nobody is there to micro-manage you. You definitely need confidence and a strong sense of responsibility to make it.
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Work-life balance
A lot has been written about work-life balance but at the end of the day it is about how you want to spend your day and how much time you get to invest in your family relationships. On a day like today, I feel blessed that I am here to share quality time with my children. I find pleasure preparing their lunch and helping them with their school work if needed.
The benefits of freelancing are many but I am also conscious that not everything is easy. My end-of-the month bottom line depends exclusively on how much work I will accomplish and the unknown can bring some stress to the equation. But today, I feel happy to have made this choice!
I totally agree w/you Vera. As a matter of fact I am here in Venezuela, kind of stuck w/all the Political-economical situation, and w/my already 59 years (even-though feeling great and still young, doing exercise as always, and pretty eager to have a part-time job, or a job in which I could manage the deadlines for delivery, would be the BEST). I registered w/workhoppers and hope to get a call or an email offering an on-line distance job from here Caracas.