Running a Freelance Business

Freelancing can be big business if you follow a few simple steps to build a solid foundation. There has never been a better time to market yourself as a freelancer in the creative services field. With the World Wide Web overcoming distance and travel, computers replacing drafting tables, and typesetters going the way of the Edsel, you can build a business based solely on education and experience.

For the first time in history, designers are free to create without specifying typefaces, counting characters, or waiting for type galleys. They can get client approvals from proofs available online. Writers are capable of pumping out turnkey newsletters with the help of software templates and distributing their publications online without spending a penny on printing or postage.

Once you master a knowledge of appropriate font usage and the elements of grid design, you'll be able to use your computer to generate a decent income. Finally, you really can have a profitable home-based business without stuffing envelopes - but only if you have an affinity for isolation.

If you thrive on working alone and find that solitude recharges your batteries, you won't miss personal interaction. If you feel energized after flexing your interpersonal skills, you'll need to find outlets for them online, on the telephone, or at appointments.

In a recent survey, people with full-time jobs cited having a close friend in the workplace and a flexible schedule of prime importance. The same group responded that rank and title were more important than pay. These are easy job satisfactions to arrange when you're a freelancer. You decide your schedule, title, rank, and salary Of course; the flip side of that equation is making enough money to pay your salary I know one freelancer with a secret stash of business cards bearing the title "Supreme Lord and Master of the Universe." He says it helps when working with his more frustrating clients and reminds him of his power as a freelancer to walk away