Want To Own Your Business As A Freelance Copywriter?

Those of us who decide to strike out on our own are a different breed than copywriters who work for someone else. Freelancing has its own pitfalls and rewards, so it's not for everyone. However, for those who feel the intense desire to make their own way, nothing is more rewarding.

The Drawbacks

The pitfalls, of course, are numerous. Any business owner will wear a multitude of hats, especially when just starting out. Some of the more common problems include:

Extra Taxes - Business owners are responsible for all of their own Social Security and Medicare taxes instead of half like employees are. In addition, if you have any employees, you're responsible for half of their Social Security and Medicare as well.

Accounting - A business owner is responsible for their own accounting. You have to be able to document every single item of income and expense at the end of a fiscal year in order to not pay exorbitant taxes.

Marketing - As a freelance copywriter, I spend at least ten hours every week marketing myself. That's ten hours I spend writing for no pay. In addition, marketing campaigns usually cost money. For a copywriter, advertising is probably going to eat the biggest chunk of any budget.

Time Management - I don't have a boss standing over my shoulder telling me when to do things. While this sounds great, it means that I discipline myself instead of relying on someone else. Time management is not the easiest thing in the world even when you're motivated to work.

How do you prioritize? How do you get the most productivity out of the least amount of time? How do you fail to spend two hours just staring at your computer screen? These questions and more get sticky for any copywriter.

Customer Service - No customer service department fields my phone calls. If a client is upset or has a problem, it's solely my job to sort it out. That's a schedule killer every time, but in the interest of fairness, decency and repeat business, it must be done.

Negotiation - There's no one to negotiate contracts for me. I have to do that myself. Again, it takes time and skill. Learning the fine art of negotiation takes a while, which is why I started out working for next to nothing.

Professionalism - No matter what the circumstances, I have to maintain an air of professionalism. I work from home, I have two small children and two dogs. It is not easy trying to be professional on the phone with a client when a four-year-old wants to show me her drawing.

Isolation - I work from home, as do many freelance copywriters. There is nobody to interact with, no one to encourage or commiserate on any given project. There's just me. While this is a great boon to productivity, it can get lonely.

No Minimum Wage - When starting out, it's easy to work fourteen to sixteen hours per day for pennies per hour. It's an investment, not a job. You're investing your time in the beginning to make huge returns later. However, that doesn't always pay this month's bills.

The Bennies

Of course, if there weren't good points to being a freelance copywriter nobody would ever do it. The great things are:

Higher Pay . .Eventually - When you work for a company, the company has to make money off of your work. If the company is making money off of you, you're not getting the full value of your time. When you are the company, that equation reverses.

Freedom - Did I mention no boss? Technically speaking, my clients are my boss, but they don't get to tell me how to spend my time. I can take a nap in the middle of the day if I want to as long as I meet my deadline.

Less Stupidity - Have you ever been at work and wondered "What idiot came up with that policy?" When you work for yourself, the answer is as close as the nearest mirror. Of course, the nice part of this for me is that because I made the mistake, I can fix it easily.

Self-Determination - My success or failure isn't dependent on anyone else. Because I know that I'm competent, this makes me happy. I'm not subject to the whims of other people's "layoffs" or "pay cuts".

While there are those who go on about job security, I've found that jobs are less secure than self-employment. A company creates an environment beyond any single person's control. In such an environment, my security is dependent on other people's decisions. I know how many people make bad decisions. I'll be self-employed, thank you.

Why Freelancers Are Good For Business

Finally, the reasons why freelancers find work:

Lower Cost - If a business does not need a full time copywriter on call, getting a freelance writer is much cheaper than hiring one. Wages, taxes, insurance, benefits and so on do add up fast.

Higher Quality - I firmly believe that because my pay is directly linked to my work, I produce higher quality work. None of my clients is under any obligation to me if I don't produce what they want, when they want it. This does a wonderful job motivating me to give the highest quality service and writing I possibly can.

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I'm writing more to explain each point above in more detail. However, if you have any questions about doing business as a freelance copywriter, please contact me with your question and it will immediately move to the top of my list.

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