If you’ve been freelance writing while still working a day job you might be thinking of quitting. But how do you know if it is the right time? What should you think about before you take the big step?
Some of the things you should do before you put in your resignation are:
- Do some research on the type of job you want to do from home. Is it writing? Affiliate sales? Selling something you make? Interior design? Whatever it is you need to find out how to get your business started, how much money you can make, what tools you might need to purchase, and many other things. Find people online who are successful at what they do and make contact with them. There are literally thousands of people (likely more like hundreds of thousands) who are making a living from home and most of them have an online presence. Contact them through their web page, tell them you are interested in talking with them, and ask them a few questions. Most people are happy to talk with others that are interested in their work and many of them will be flattered you asked.
- Start putting money aside. Yes, this is a must. You can’t walk into a work from home job with no money set aside to cover your behind should you have a few stumbling blocks along the way (because you will).
- How much to set aside? That depends on you and your family’s needs. Figure out a budget. What do you need to get by? And do take into consideration those things that aren’t necessarily “needs” but make your life livable. If you have children and you suddenly tell them that they won’t be able to eat at McDonalds for the next year because mommy or daddy wants to pursue their dream they likely won’t be understanding. So cut down, but don’t eliminate the things that give your family pleasure. Once you have a number that you think is fairly reasonable, multiply that by three or four. You should have at least three to four months expenses set aside.
- Start building a client list. Start with smaller jobs. You may have to work for less than you expected at first but these jobs can be good backup in the future. Although they may not pay as much, if you develop solid working relationships with these clients they will always be there. Don’t neglect them once you move on to bigger clients. Keep them happy.
- Start a web site with your information. You can find some very low-cost hosting programs that are easy to use and will give you what you need. I use HostGator and have been using them for over a year and I’m very happy with them. I have two websites hosted on one account for only $9.99 a month.
- Think about how you are going to get your name out there. If you are internet based, learn about promoting yourself, how and where to do it, what sites bring back good hits, etc. Once agian , talking to someone (or many someones) in your field is invaluable.
This is really only the beginning. But these are all things that you should do before quitting your job. Quitting a job isn’t as easy as some think it might be because we all have different circumstances.
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Article by Danielle
I'm a social media junkie and professional freelance writer living in small town Manitoba, Canada. I drink a lot of coffee and love my computer (named Garcia after Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds - the ultimate girl geek!), my kids, my husband, and my cats. In 10 years I hope to be that crazy lady travelling across Canada and the States with her three cats and her loving hubby. :) If you're interested in my professional services please visit my professional writer's site to find out more about my services or check out some testimonials from some of my clients.
has written 248 awesome articles for us at The Social Freelance Writer
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Danielle,
I experience the quitting my day job, recently. I choose to quit since the job did not give me appropriate salary and the job got me into the stress. But, now I’m a freelance writing and working for the online media. However, your tips are great. I follow one of them, actually. Thanks for sharing this.
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Twitter: DanielleMcGaw
June 1, 2011 at 3:24 pm
thanks for coming by Andrew. I know that working for yourself is not for everyone but if it is your dream there are ways to get there and they aren’t as difficult as some might think. Which one of the tips are you following that works for you? do you have other tips you’d like to share?
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June 1, 2011 at 2:53 pm
I think that before quitting and making the switch to a freelance job you need to have that job already stable. From experience, it has taken years to achieve good rankings for certain sites and blogs. Without rankings you can’t make income unless you can afford advertising. It’s best to start your website or blog and build it part time until its making equal or more income than your job.
Twitter: DanielleMcGaw
June 1, 2011 at 3:23 pm
I agree if your primary business is building sites for yourself. If you do it like I did though – working for others and building your own income – you can quit sooner. When I quit I had only replaced half of my income with online work but you can bet that once I didn’t have that regular income from a day job, I was out there hustling for work. It certainly gives you incentive to find work when you know that you don’t have back up anymore. I believe that if you are determined you can find the work that is available online. Mind you, having 7 years experience as an online writer helped.
Thank you for sharing these great tips. I was planning for quitting my day job after 4 months as it does not pay much as I deserve.
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