| Author | Thread |
|
|
12/30/2009 02:25:38 PM · #1 |
Ran into this article on Lifehacker and thought it might have some helpful advice for those that are trying to start their own freelance business.
How to Start Freelancing (Without Quitting Your Job) |
|
|
|
12/30/2009 03:13:15 PM · #2 |
| marking htis so i can read it when i have time to really digest it. thanks for posting. |
|
|
|
12/30/2009 03:18:02 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by karmat:
marking htis so i can read it when i have time to really digest it. thanks for posting. |
Yeah, what she said.
It could turn out to be an even better thread if people like  Skip added their two or three cents worth of advice as well. I like to hear of their success stories. |
|
|
|
01/12/2010 01:30:35 AM · #4 |
|
|
|
01/12/2010 08:50:25 AM · #5 |
Thanks, Steve! I've been in the throes of freelancing while keeping my day job for over a year now. It is soooo hard for me because I'm basically an introvert -- meaning that I recharge my batteries by alone, downtime, which there is none! Working all day, and coming home and working all night has at times made me wonder "Do I reeeeallly want to do this??????" Especially since I'm the type of photographer who would rather turn out one or two, hero, fine art photos than bang out 300 wedding photos done quick and easy any day! I'm still soul searching about it, because I'm not sure I love the type of photography that makes the good money enough to sell my soul and all my spare time to be successful at it.
|
|
|
|
01/12/2010 08:58:50 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by SandyP:
I recharge my batteries by alone, downtime |
I'm very much that way myself. I need my cave time. |
|
|
|
01/12/2010 09:05:12 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:
Originally posted by SandyP:
I recharge my batteries by alone, downtime |
I'm very much that way myself. I need my cave time. |
I third that, if I don't get time to sit and do nothing / stare into space I become irritable and moody! |
|
|
|
01/12/2010 10:40:01 AM · #8 |
I wonder if it is feasible or even possible to have a successful photography business without devoting most on your "work time" to it. I often think that if I didn't have so many options available to me that I would concentrate on one business and I would make it a success.
So many success stories follow on the heels of that person's complete failure and recovery from it. In this economy things are tough right now but I work for myself and I am so diversified that there seems to always be something else that I can spend time working at that I may not be spending enough time on one thing. I have not yet completely failed to the point at hitting rock bottom. I can always go out and attempt to hustle up some tree sales which is a hit or miss endeavor.
I don't really know where I am going with this monologue...I guess I am looking for some direction in what my future is going to be. Am I going to put in the groundwork on one of my ideas for a photography business that produces a regular income which means setting aside all other options. I'd like to believe that I can put in 100% of a couple of weeks of work towards my idea of starting a pet photography business in which I would go to people's homes or the park to do the shoot. First, I need a portfolio to show the clients what they can expect. Getting shots of friend's pets is how I could quickly build this portfolio, and then putting together a website using templates could be done in a couple of hours. Advertising is free to start because I have a significant balance with a barter organization that I belong to.
This is just one of several options that I have been considering. I think that I just need to accept that I need to put in some time in which I will not be making an income and stop getting distracted by and doing the things that I do to make a temporary income immediately. Did that make sense?
|
|
|
|
01/12/2010 11:08:14 AM · #9 |
I realized the direction I want to go. My current job keeps me happy and pays my bills. Freelancing gives me an outlet and I still want to make money from it. I realized that if I were to be at home with nothing to do I'd be bored to death. So the direction I want my photography to go is developing skill and a business so that when i do retire from my day job, i have something to do that makes me happy and I don't have to start the development of the business. When i retire the business foundation is already set, my skill set is already developed to a point where I can charge with a decent pricing structure...basically the day i retire from my day job, I can open the doors to my new career path (photography). So i freelance now to determine make extra money support my extravaggant (read as drinking...jk) habits and to learn where i want to head.
I hope all that makes sense...now throw in the fact that I'll be turning 28 next month so I have about 30 more years before I retire from my day job and will have probably given up on photography by then lol. |
|
|
|
01/12/2010 12:06:01 PM · #10 |
anything is possible, as long as you have a realistic plan that you can commit to. it is easy to have lots of ideas and to be going in a million directions. the key is to sit down with a legal pad and sketch it all out. break things down into manageable components, then define them in terms of what has to happen to make that component work. once you have your ideas laid out, prioritize them. (if you're lucky, some things you need to do to make one thing happen will also help make another thing happen.) the main thing is to have things organized enough that you can pick something that you can commit to.
then do it! don't be distracted, and don't worry about what you're missing. just focus on getting that one thing off the ground. then, once it's established, start working on your next idea. the key is first building a solid foundation, then building on it.
lastly, be patient. hardly anything happens overnight. if you spend all your time starting something new because the last thing never took root, it's highly unlikely anything will ever take root.
commitment!
if anyone's interested, here's an article about changing careers, and there's some really fascinating stuff here ;-) |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 09/26/2025 03:34:23 PM EDT.
