What are the pros and cons of being a freelancer?
If you're here, it's because you're more or less interested in freelancing …and you're right! In this article we will see in detail what this term means and what are the main advantages and disadvantages behind it. Let's go !
What is a freelance or freelancing?
In France we talk about Freelance all the time! “I am a freelancer”, “I do this as a freelancer”, etc… we use this term to refer both to the status of a worker , but also to the activity or the work carried out. Let's put things straight!
The freelancer is, by definition, a worker without a contract or even an independent worker . We therefore do not speak in any way of the work carried out.
Moreover, a freelancer is often in Micro-enterprise (formerly self-employed) and can therefore benefit from state aid .
As a general rule, we can even speak of an independent entrepreneur or even an independent entrepreneur 2.0. in our case. Why ?
Quite simply because a freelance 2.0 has advantages that cannot be found anywhere else. The 2.0 entrepreneur can work anywhere when it pleases him, he only needs a computer, a smartphone and an internet connection. But let's not dwell on the subject any further, let's go directly to the significant advantages of this status.
The 10 main advantages of being a freelancer?
Now that we know what we're talking about, let's talk about the main advantages of being freelace 2.0 .
Schedules
The organization in its schedules is a huge advantage when you are freelance because you can organize your day, your week and your month as you wish. If we don't want to set an alarm clock and start working at 2 p.m. and then work until midnight, we can!! It all depends on your pace and your working hours, but I don't recommend it. You don't have to stick to office hours from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. / 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., but try to be regular in your working hours. Your brain will get used to working certain hours.
Geographically free
As we mentioned above, the freelance 2.0 does not really have a workplace when he starts. Since he does not have to go to the office or to a practice, he can work from home or elsewhere. Many take advantage of this geographical freedom to travel constantly and vary their work environment.
few tools
The web entrepreneur does not really need a lot of tools to work. All he needs is a laptop , a smartphone and a wifi connection . Depending on the activities, you can even limit yourself to your smartphone (latest generation) with an internet package, but this is quite rare and it is still advisable to have your own computer.
Be your own boss
And yes ! When you're a freelancer, you don't have a boss ! We are our own boss and that's a real advantage, because we don't have anyone to tell us to do such a task at such a time, to try to be faster, to take less breaks, etc... But we have to have enormous strength of character to not let go, because we no longer have a superior to push us forward.
Proud to have your business
After the pride of being your own boss , there is also the pride of having put all your guts into it, of being self- taught for the most part, of having set up your business from A to Z, etc...
Organization
Not to mention the fact of organizing at the level of schedules as we have seen previously, we can also organize at the level of work . This month I have two clients who ask me to do this. Next week I'm taking care of the first project where I'll start with this task, then this one and finally this one.
Live from your passion
A dream of many people. When you are a freelancer, you live from your passion in most cases. Let's take the example of an English language enthusiast, he can start freelancing 2.0 as a translator, editor or English/French and French/English transcriber. Another example, a stay-at-home mother who is passionate about the education of her child or children can set up a blog in which she writes articles and sells training to properly educate her child. She can largely live from her blog .
Avoid public transport
This is one of the reasons why I stopped my studies, public transport . And yes, when you start your activity and you don't have a place or an office and you can work from home, you no longer have this problem. No need to take the car, bus, metro, tram or even the train to work. You save a lot of time by avoiding taking public transport between two and four times a day.
Choose your clients, collaborators and associates
Being a web entrepreneur also means choosing your clients (but not necessarily when you're just starting out). If a client comes to you and wants you to do a huge project (not interesting at all) with a small budget and have another client come to you with a big budget and a much more interesting project, don't hesitate. not, favor the second customer (in case you already have customers and can afford to be difficult).
“Lay down” your holidays and rest days when you wish
A very big advantage of freelancing. No need to ask your colleagues if you can put your holidays in summer to have the chance to go to the beach with your little family. Our holidays do not depend on others and that is a huge chance. We organize our holidays and our days off when we want. If you prefer to take your "weekend" in the middle of the week , for example Wednesday and Thursday and work Saturday and Sunday, you can!
The 10 main disadvantages of being a freelancer?
Now that we have seen the 10 main advantages of being a freelance 2.0, let's see its disadvantages. Because even if this status has many advantages, we must also realize the disadvantages it has.
Be alone
Being alone at home , working alone , not being pushed by your superiors, not discussing gossip with your colleagues, it may seem like a huge deliverance at first but it can quickly become heavy and heavy. I know that for me, I love working alone so it's not necessarily a disadvantage. And then if you really don't want to work, you can go to work in coworking spaces.
know how to do everything
Getting started as a freelance also means being somewhat self- taught and knowing, in quotes, how to do everything. This ranges from communication, prospecting, administration, accounting, to jurisdiction. When you're employed, human resources take care of it, but when you're self-employed, well… you're self-employed.
Work in disaster on weekends
Sometimes, the weeks when you have been a little too optimistic with your customers by announcing unsustainable deadlines, you quickly realize on Friday evening that you will have to work a little later . Even on Saturday and Sunday so as not to pass for a marble with its customers.
More bounties
There, I'm not telling you anything. You suspect that you are not entitled to the bonuses that employees are entitled to. You may miss it at times, like during the lean months or at Christmas or simply at the end of the year when you received your thirteenth month … It is up to you to fill the gap when you are freelancing.
Irregular salary
Depending on the month, you will have more or less important projects , more or less profitable , more or less time-consuming . So you will have a very irregular salary at the beginning, but which will tend towards an average salary over the long term.
No more paid leave or sick leave
Here is one of the risks of the trade and it is necessary to be aware of it when one launches out. If you fall ill, you won't have any money coming in and that's not negligible ! And it's the same when you take your week off, the money won't come in either. This is why, at first, some freelancers remove the word "vacation" from their vocabulary...
More contribution for unemployment
Another important risk to take into account when starting out on your own. Your activity does not allow you to contribute for unemployment , so it is better to be sure and certain of what you are doing before launching headlong.
Less comprehensive social coverage
When you are an employee, you have more social coverage than when you are a freelancer. We are better covered as employees . So if you're taking excessively expensive treatment, getting sick often, having recurring dental bills, or a planned operation, it's also important to ask yourself the right questions. Should I start now or wait a little longer? How much will it cost me to be less reimbursed by social security?
Having trouble picking up
I know that in the evening, after eating, I often want to continue working because I love it. And also because I don't really consider it a job. But there is a time for everything and you have to know how to make sense of things . I think that even if you are passionate about what you do, it is important to learn how to get out of your job, whether for yourself or for others. The same goes for the holidays, it's very hard not to think about your customers, the work that you had trouble finishing, etc...
Less credibility with banks and landlords
When you talk to banks about lending you money for a home loan and you tell them you're freelancing, in their head it's a sign of instability and irregular pay . Unfortunately, banks lend more easily to someone who is an employee with a permanent contract because the salary is regular and assured thanks to the permanent contract, even if you are a freelancer and you earn more than the employees. You will therefore have to compensate for this argument by saying that you earn more, that you have a long-term vision of your activity and are guaranteed to work for a good little while and that you have guarantors for the loan.
Procrastination
Let's talk about it ! I have a lot of friends who tell me they have trouble getting up in the morning and getting into the thick of things. And yes, no longer having a boss is hard because we no longer have to get up when the alarm clock rings , we no longer have anyone to tell us, do this, do that, etc… Being your own boss it's difficult, setting goals and limits, etc… all of this can be learned, but is not suitable for everyone.
If you are still reading this article, it is probably because all these disadvantages do not scare you! So you want to go further and start the adventure and become an entrepreneur today
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