Freelance Advice: How to Transition from a Job into Freelancing Full-time and/or From Writing for Clients to Writing for Yourself

Share

February 21, 2012

As I outlined in yesterday’s post, I’ve received a slew of questions over the last week or so. Today I promised to start tackling them, so here goes.

Today we’re going to discuss transitioning. Although the freelance writer who wrote in wants to know how to transition from writing for clients to self-publishing (eg, writing and selling her own e-books and e-classes online), the steps are the same even if you want to transition from a full-time job.

As relayed in yesterday’s post, following is her exact email to me, and my response.

Question from a Fellow Freelance Writer

Hi Yuwanda,

I hope all is well and that you are doing great. I am writing because I am not sure if this questions pertains to your writers. However, I was reading one of your e-books and you say that you are making most of your income from self-publishing and such. The truth is, even though I haven’t had a lot of clients, I really don’t like writing for clients; trying to get clients, dealing with non-paying clients, dealing with picky clients, etc, etc. I guess I am at kind of a crossroads in my business. But, I don’t think I market as much as I used to because I am attracted to the idea of doing more self-publishing.

I already have a CD about online marketing, and I am recording a CD on Social Media as we speak. Also, as you know I have the e-book I wrote with you. I am wondering if I should solely focus on creating and marketing information products. I would like to create a SEO type program for writers like you have, however, I have not made my first 6 figures and that’s what’s holding me back. I guess I said all this to say, did you ever want to stop working with clients completely and do you own thing? I think you did, I also think you have an e-book about it, and I went to your store and couldn’t find it. If you can send me that link, it would be great.

My Answer

I’ve written about transitioning as a freelance writer before, but from a job to freelancing full-time. The steps are basically the same when you want to stop writing for clients to do your own thing. Following are just a few thoughts I want to add to the conversation.

freelance-advice-on-transitioning

Success Comes in Stages: Where many full-time freelance writers who want to do their own thing fall down is being impatient. I know I was. But you must plan for it . . . and it may take a year or more.

It took me about a year and a half to get away from spending the majority of my time working on client projects to spending most of my days on my stuff. So again, plan for it. Set a target date, then get your financial house in order, which brings me to my next point.

Save: I tend to be a risk taker, so when I made my transition, I didn’t have a whole bunch of money in the bank. What I did have though was consistent sales; as in, I could count on a certain amount of income each month from my e-books and e-classes, so I didn’t worry so much about my bank balance.

But remember, I’ve been writing and selling e-books online since 2004, so I have a big head start. Also, in late 2009/early 2010, income from my e-products accounted for more than 50% of my income. So again, even though I didn’t have savings, I had a “predictable” income from just my products.

I talk about all of this in How to Become a FT Self Publisher: Make the Transition from Writing for Clients (or a FT Job) to Writing for Yourself.

Do Two Things at Once: For a while, you’re probably going to be burning the candle at both ends. I did this for about a year – working on client projects mostly during the day, then in the evenings and on the weekends I worked on my stuff.

I worked all the time it seems because I had to keep all my financial balls in the air to be able to meet my monthly obligations (mortgage, utilities, car insurance, etc.). If you can live rent free, or have a spouse to support you, or can tap a 401K or other savings, then you might not have to do this. But I didn’t have many options, so I did what I had to do.

Passion: You gotta want this transition with a passion. It’s the only thing that kept me going when I was doing two things at once.

While I love my freelance writing clients and will probably continue to work as a freelancer for years in some capacity, I like the autonomy of creating my own products. I also like being able to pick and choose the projects I take on.

I no longer worry about the dry spells that come with freelance writing, or dealing with difficult clients, or haggling over rates, as this freelancer pointed out. These were some of the main reasons I wanted to do my own thing. And not to mention burnout. Ever since I started writing SEO content in 2007, my freelance business grew so fast that it made me realize more than ever that I didn’t want to work that hard for the rest of my life.

Why Do You Want to Make the Transition?

One final thing – if you’re thinking of making the transition, ask yourself why. If you’re basically happy as a freelance writer (or on your job), but had a squabble with a difficult client (or your boss) that pissed you off, then that’s one thing. But, if making a change is something you think about all the time, then that’s something else altogether.

I hope this has given you some insight into what it takes to make the transition from writing for clients to writing for yourself, or from a full-time job to freelancing. There is no one set way to go about it because everyone is different – and so are their situations (eg, family, income, risk tolerance, etc.).

Realize though that it can be done – then make a plan and work your tail off to make it a reality.

Best,
Yuwanda
Find this post informative? Please RT It and Follow Inkwell Editorial on Twitter.
coverP.S.: Get the freelance writing opportunity that allowed me to be financially secure enough to travel, live abroad, get out of debt and really “live the freelance life!”

P.P.S.: Want to start a successful career where you have the mobility to live and work where you please? Visit our freelance writing bookstore for a ton of opportunities (freelance writing and internet marketing) to get you started.


Related Posts

Freelance Writing Advice for College Grads (Or Those Who Want to Transition into Freelancing Fulltime)
One Good Reason NOT to Raise Your Freelance Writing Rates – and It Has Nothing to Do with Losing Clients
How to Become a FT Self Publisher: Make the Transition from Writing for Clients (or a FT Job) to Writing for Yourself
Freelance Writing Advice: 5 Factors to Consider When Setting Turnaround Times That Will Help You Land More Clients & Meet (or Beat) Deadlines Easily
Freelance Writing Job Hunting Advice: Cover Letter Do’s and Dont’s

Share and Enjoy!

Share

2 Responses to “Freelance Advice: How to Transition from a Job into Freelancing Full-time and/or From Writing for Clients to Writing for Yourself”

  1. Andy says:
    February 21, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    Fantastic post/reply Yuwanda! I really admire the time you spend writing articles, running your client – and your own – business…AND writing detailed and informative replies to your Subscribers. Great work! I think I mentioned in a previous post that I also much prefer doing ‘my own stuff’ (writing e-Books, Reports, Articles, etc., and our own ‘Write2Profit’ Writer’s Website) than client work – especially after many years as an Advertising/Marketing Copywriter and Trainer, pandering to clients, working all night sometimes to ridiculous deadlines, then chasing late payments, etc. But you’re absolutely right in saying it takes time, and patience, and a self-belief, and determination, to make it work, and pay the bills, too! I’m getting there… but must say you’re an inspiration to all us writers, as you’ve proved you’ve ‘walked the walk’ and can now ‘talk the talk’ too. Well done! Best wishes, Andy.

  2. Ebook Publishing, Internet Marketing and Freelance / SEO Writing: Questions from Readers : Inkwell Editorial says:
    February 23, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    [...] 2/23: Get the answer to this how to freelance / freelance career [...]

Inkwell Editorial

Learn how to start a career as a freelance writer -- full-time or part-time. These instructional guides on freelance writing teach you everything you need to know. You can get started right away.

Inkwell Editorial

How to Start a Successful Freelance Career Newsletter: Get concrete specifics on how to start, grow and run a successful freelance writing career.