Five Panda Pointers: Is it time to hang up your permanent role and go freelance?

Freelance work is a topic of debate in the Ecommerce industry! Is it a good thing? Bad thing? Will it help maximise your career? Or will it hinder it? For senior professionals, going freelance is a real possibility and a subject that deserves a little attention.

Our next Panda Pointers installment ...

1) Fondly look back on your career - you should be proud!

It is very easy to ignore the importance and significance of what we do daily. Not just for our companies and brands but also for ourselves. For some senior professionals who have been working for 10 years or longer in a role, we advise looking at your CV or just writing down your achievements. Take a moment to realise what you have been doing all this time and be proud! Think about the careers you have changed by managing a team, the wisdom you have passed on and the impact you have made to the company’s successes. We spend over 70% of our life at work – that is a long time! Every decision you have made has got you to where you are, so recognise that.

2) You have worked reporting to someone else, why not choose you?

Over 70% of your life reporting into someone else daily, letting them make the final big decisions and in worst case scenarios having the credit taken away from you. Do you think you can do better? It is easy to forget that even directors of a company report into someone else. Considering freelance does not mean you are abandoning your job -in fact it means you love it so much you want to take ownership of it. For those who have a wealth of experience, going freelance is nothing to be afraid of! You have all the tools you need to make it work. At the end of the day, you have dedicated a huge chunk of your life to a company, why not choose you?

3) What are the benefits of going freelance?

Whether freelance has a bad reputation, or it is just misunderstood is another debate for another time. But, there are many professionals out there who, mid-way through their career, want more ownership of their work or have progressed to the top and do not want to stop there. Going freelance is the chance to establish your own routine, place of work and a choice of the projects you work on. You really do make the rules and with a successful career comes connections and the chance to utilise your networking history. In addition, freelance can open the industry you work within and the brands you support. In simpler terms, freelance means freedom.

4) What would be a downside to freelance?

As much as it is easy to say that working freelance provides you with freedom and the chance to do what you want. It is also hard work. Projects will not just appear from nothing; the connections will not materialise and your name as a freelancer will certainly not be known to everyone. You must advertise yourself daily and bring in your own workload. A lot of companies may or may not work with freelancers which can mean a lack of work from time to time. Your dedication and skill set to making it work is what will ensure success or failure.

Working freelance can also mean the lines between professional time and personal time blur. It is not always a 9am-5pm career freelance work as you are promising your own income and the rate at which you work. Freelance work promises a lot and there are those who live abroad and work from a laptop remotely looking at a beach, but it is not for the faint hearted! Timing is key!

5) What options are available for you?

First and foremost, if you are considering freelance work then ask questions. Use your business network to gain advice from those already doing the work. The knowledge you gain from those doing it first hand will be invaluable, as they can provide the cold hard facts. Secondly, look and evaluate your personal situation. Are you in a financial position that you can go freelance? Do you have the desired skill set and industry experience to offer to companies? Would you have enough work to keep you going? Perhaps, given your circumstances, you can work on projects for certain periods of the year. (This is a popular option for those at Director level in a company and who have built up their reputation).

Lastly, relax! If you have been working for over a decade within an industry and know you could get a job easily enough then trial it! Take 6 months to a year of off work and see if working freelance can pay off. Many see freelance as a make or break option, but it can give you a chance to re-evaluate your goals.

Within cranberry panda we have our contracts division, whether it be freelance or contract, we will happily offer advice and insights to help you make the right decision. Get in touch if this is something you wish to find out more about!