There's lots of articles these days covering how to become an full or part-time independent worker (freelancer, independent contractor, gig worker. etc.).
One of our recent favorites is What they never tell you about becoming a freelance creative from Creative Boom.
The reasons we like it so much is the article's 8 insights for freelancers are all things we regularly hear in our interviews and survey research.
We also like that the insights are effectively and succinctly described.
The 8 are:
- You're running a business
- Your income won't be consistent
- The need for self-promotion never ends
- Big clients aren't always the best clients
- It helps to find a niche
- You can quickly burn out
- It can get lonely
- You need to play the long game
See the article for the descriptions.
There's really nothing new in this list.
But based on our research, even many experienced independent workers are either unaware of these insights or choose to ignore them.
Back in 2008 we studied independent artists who were successful both artistically and commercially. One of the key findings of the study was successful independent artists understood they were running a business and invested the time and effort running a business requires.
This finding is still valid today.
