When you go out and open a restaurant, people see you a legitimate small business owner. Why is it, then, that freelancers and other work-from-home professionals don’t automatically receive the same kind of respect? If you opt to open a freelance writing or freelance design company, how can you ensure that you will be taken seriously?
Perseverance
This was a concern that featured prominently early in my freelance career. From the outside looking in, many people saw the “working from home” situation as “just a hobby” and “something he can do until he finds a real job.” Well, here I am several years later, still working from home, and still very much a small business owner. This is one of the biggest keys to earning the respect of your peers: stick it out. By demonstrating your commitment to your craft, you demonstrate that this is a real business and not “just a hobby.”
Working Hours
One of the major freedoms of freelancing is the freedom of time. In theory, I could work at just about any hour of the day. This flexibility allows me to work through the middle of the night, should I so desire, but it also means that it is possible for me to take time off in the middle of the day as well. This isn’t always the case, but the freedom is there.
With this freedom, though, comes the perception that you can abandon the office at the drop of a hat to run errands for your friends and family. This obviously is not the case. Most people respect the “typical” working hours of a typical office job, so you may consider having set business hours (or “office hours,” if you prefer) for your freelance business too. This option isn’t for everyone, but it is an option.
Legitimacy
There are many tactics you can take to infuse a better sense of legitimacy in your business. You could have a mailing address outside the home, like a mailbox rental or co-working space, so that the “business” has a different address from your personal one. You should have business cards, demonstrating that this is a real business. Or your legitimacy can come by way of your clients.
In my case, I feel like my legitimacy got a boost when I became a published author, for example. However, above all else, you have to respect yourself first. With self-respect comes confidence. With confidence comes success. And with success comes a great deal of respect and legitimacy.
Sound Good Michael Kwan! A freelancer can use his precious time according his choice. Suppose if mind isn’t feel better in day time he/she can do that work at night time. But if you are regular employee, it’s necessary to go office unwillingly even after not felling well. So it’s the best aspect in freelancing………
Even though I’ve been at this for five years now (not that it shows, har har), I still have friends who call all hours of the day. And I yell at them. A lot.
I feel like there are certain people who never really get the fact that freelancing is a legitimate business. I have relatives who I earn more than in a given year who still assume I do nothing during the day.
I’m a big believer in doing everything you need to do to be legitimate in the eyes of clients and yourself. Beyond that, all you can do is act like a professional and hope that other people catch on.
Do you still call or think of yourself as a freelance writer?
I mean, you are totally “legit” and you must have built up a respectable portfolio of clients throughout the years.
In my opinion, you’ve achieved a certain standings in the writing field, and should drop the “freelance” tag, if you haven’t done so.
I still call myself a freelance writer, because I’m not bound to any single publication. Wikipedia defines a freelancer as “somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term.” I don’t think that being “freelance” is any less legitimate than someone who doesn’t have that word in what they call their profession. I’m sure that Thursday (above) would agree with me on that front. This is no different than, say, a freelance photographer who would shoot events for several different newspapers, magazines, and so on.
Thanks for your reply.
If you don’t think that being “freelance” is any less legitimate than someone who doesn’t have that word in what they call their profession, then why the title of this post, and in the first para, you talked about freelancer getting less respect as oppose to a professional? This kind of go against your own beliefs. No?
I have total respect for the work you do, and have no qualms associating you good self as a Professional writer.
But here is my layman’s opinion about your take that “freelance” doesn’t matter:
try comparing by title, or advertising a service by a Professional Photographer and a Freelance Photographer (with all things being equal), and see who gets more business coming in.
Good to know. Thanks for that.
I am a freelancer writer and i like working on it as there are no time bound things happening for us. We have fun and do it our way as convenient to me.
Freelance has a negative conotation associated with it. Not that it’s bad, but it isn’t considered a major or real business. I do believe as Chee says above the wording is what makes the difference. Take my school position:
Tech Aide (as it was 3 years ago)
or
Central Zone Technology Support Professional
Which sounds better?
Here’s a good one to consider:
Freelance Writer vs. Professional Blogger
(I do more than blogging, of course, but it’s still a thought worth considering.)