Freelancing vs. Contracting

I am currently freelancing since the kids are on summer vacation. School is starting soon, and the kids will not be home for the majority of the day. It’s been making me wonder if I should consider getting a contracting position. I plan on buying a bigger place next summer, and with that, I want to save some money before making that giant leap. My freelance writing career is picking up, but there are some things that I miss about going into an office. With these thoughts, I can’t help but wonder what are the pros and cons of freelancing and contracting?

Before I get into the pros and cons, I want to tell you what I think is he difference between freelancing and contracting. For me, freelancing is when you work from home and are not on anyone’s time. You have different clients, and you usually work on a 1099 form. You wear different hats because you are your own marketing, technology, human resource, and everything else department. With contracting, you are usually dedicating your time to one client, work on a W-2 form, and you only focus on your area of expertise.

Here are my pros and cons for each one:

Contracting Pro: You have the ability to socialize with others

A freelancer’s life can be a pretty lonely one. You don’t work with anyone else, so unless you leave your home, you don’t have the ability to socialize. Humans are social creatures, so it can sometimes drive you a little batty. As a contractor, you have to work with other people, so this means you have time to be social.  Companies try to keep morale up by hosting several events, when you are contracting, you will be able to attend those.

Freelancing Pro: No one is clocking your time

When you are freelancing, you have the ability to set your own schedule. I read this time management book called Time Management from the Inside Out, Second Edition: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule — and Your Life. In it, Mortgensen discusses how you should set your schedule to your biorhythm. Not everyone has the same one. This is why a 9-5 job doesn’t work for everyone.  I am a night owl, so I usually are ready to work from 4:00 p.m. onward. I love the freedom to decide when to work. I feel that as long as I get eight hours (or more) in during the day, no one should tell me when to work.

Contracting Pro: You have access to expensive applications and tools

One of the great things about contracting for a company is that you are able to work with all the applications that are probably to expensive for you to have on your personal computer. This is a plus because you are able to learn how to use these applications without having to pay for it yourself.

Freelancing Pro: You can download whatever you want

In the majority of the offices you encounter, you are not allowed to download whatever you want on your computer systems.  It can be really annoying at times, but it’s understandable because if you download the wrong things, you can cause major upheaval on the computer’s network.

Contracting Pro: You get to dress up

There are times that you want to get all dolled up and get out of the house. When you go into an office, you can.  Whether it’s business casual or business formal attire, you are able to get out of the sweats and look your best.  Wearing a great outfit can definitely boost up your morale.

Freelancing Pro: You get to dress down

However, sometimes you really don’t feel like getting into those high heels and skirt. When you are freelancing, you are able to slip on your slippers and your sweats, and work while you are comfortable. I tend to dress up even though no one is going to see me because then I can feel my best while I am still at home.

Regardless of whether freelancing or contracting is right for you, there are pros and cons for each one. You have to decide what is right for you.  I think that I would consider a contracting position with one company if they were flexible, allowed telecommuting, and I was able to learn something I had never learned before. Until I find that, I will keep loving the freedom I have as a freelancer.

Photo Credit: Office Space…sith?, originally uploaded by MrMeanMustard.

Why You Need to Hire a Freelance Writer Today

We all hear the reports and media coverage about how the economy is not doing very well.  Additionally, last week, there were discussions that the unemployment rate has dipped down to 10.1%.  This is due to companies and organizations not being able to keep their in-house staff because of not business not running to the full speed that it had before the economy got worse.

Even though you have to unfortunately reduce your work staff, it doesn’t mean that you do not have to provide the same amount of work as before.  One of those areas are your documentation.  Documentation is usually vital in many industry-best practices processes, such as CMMI, ISO9001, and SDLC.  Therefore, you still have to ensure that you have the same quality of work that you had before you had to let go or your writing experts.

One way to resolve this is by hiring a Freelance Writer to handle this for you.  How do you do this? I’m in the middle of interviewing a few contractors for some home improvement projects, so I know how stressful and tedious it can be. You do not know their work, and you don’t get the chance to really know them, like you would someone who is working for you on a full-time basis. However, let me just say that usually, the good outweighs the bad.

Reasons for Hiring a Freelance Writer

1. Save money by saving time – If you have ever read “The 4-Hour Workweek,” one of the things that Tim Ferriss says is that people tend to think that what a consultant is charging is ridiculous. However, take a step back and really think about it. You are now free to handle tasks that are more up your alley, while a writer, who is an expert on that kind of service, can work on documentation.  Also, you aren’t paying this person benefits, so that is another way that you are saving.  Additionally, instead of it taking you twice as long, and not be the same quality, to write a document, you can hire someone who will save you time and money.  I can’t imagine trying to work some DYI projects.  It would take me double or even three times as long as a professional, and so I would actually have to spend more money and time than just outsourcing.
2. Good quality work that you could not have done yourself – Writers, who have been doing this for longer than five years, know what they are doing.They will provide you top-rated work that you would have probably done a shoddy job doing it yourself. I don’t know how to put tile down, so why even try?  To save money?  I will probably need to spend money on fixing the work that I did.  Therefore, I’d rather pay someone to do it right the first time.  Can you imagine trying to do something you are not an expert in perfectly the first time, and not have to keep redoing it? Hiring a freelance writer will the best bet for creating documentation that will aid your project and your team.
3. They want you to hire them when you have a next project, so usually they will do the job right – Freelancers will work twice as hard as in-house employees because they want your repeat business. If they are smart, and usually they are, they will do such an amazing job the first time that you will want to hire them again. Do not forget about how important Word-of-Mouth Marketing is. This is something that freelancers know.

If you have tons of proposals or technical documentation to write, and your in-house employees are already up to their noses with work, hire a Freelance Writer. If you just need someone to ensure that you are on the right track, there are writing consultants, like me, that will gladly help you in anything that you need.

Freelancers Should Have a Business Plan and Marketing Plan

I just finished my business and marketing plans for my freelance writing business. It doesn’t go into the amount of detail that someone who is looking for funding might need, but it has enough that will keep me focused on the end goal: full-time freelance writing business.  Luckily, I had the business and marketing plans that I had for my first business, so I was able to reuse some parts.

Research is Vital

The most important part in creating a business plan is research.  I spent over a week researching my target market, my competitors, and the overall business.  Even if the business plan is just for you, I recommend that you take the time to see what is happening around you.  For me, I know that there is a surplus of Writers who are doing consulting-type work.  However, I also know that usually they are mainly in the fields of copywriting, blogging, and proposals.  The experience usually varies to just starting out to having a few years under their belt.  This type of information makes it easier for me to think about what makes me unique.

What Parts to Include

There are different sections that make up the business and marketing plan. Sometimes you can even include the marketing plan within the business plan as a section. However, I recommend that you reference the marketing plan, but keep it separate.

In the business plan, you should probably considering having the following sections:

1. Executive Summary – An overall view of your business plan
2. Company Information – This should include your name, location, business setup (i.e. LLC, sole proprietorship, S-corporation, etc.), and company milestones
   a. Services – What are your services?
3. Target Market – Who is your target market? Characteristics? Location? Buying patterns?
4. Competition – Who is your competition? analysis on them? What makes you unique?
5. Operations – Details on how you will run your business
6. Cost – Your startup costs and future ones
7. Long-Term Goals – What do you want to happen in the long run?

In the marketing plan, these are the sections you should consider:

1. Executive Summary - An overall view of your marketing plan
2. Target Market Needs – This can be copied from the business plan Target Market section
3. Marketing Strategy – How will you get your business to be known to your target market? The main strategies should be listed here.
4. Marketing Mix Service – Details on the main strategies

What Do I Do With Them?

Your freelance business plan and marketing plan will help keep you focus on achieving your dreams of becoming a full-time freelancer. There might be additional sections that you might have to add, depending on what you are doing, but these sections I referenced are enough to get you started. Don’t wait til tomorrow to start; do it today. /p>

Starting a Business Is About Taking Risks

Yesterday, I decided to update my writing goals. I made them more short-term than I usually do because I am thinking about January 2010. It’s the day that I go from being a part-time freelance writer to a full-time one. Last week, I told my boss that I had to follow my heart, be true to myself, so I was leaving at the end of January. He asked me to stay and told me that he will give me time to reconsider, but I don’t think that I will. I realize that money is great, but it isn’t everything. This job has practically taken over my life, and I don’t have time to do much of anything, except work, work, and work. I thought that it would only be a crazy time til the end of October, but I have no found out that when one crazy phase ends, another one commences.

In October, I didn’t get to enjoy my son’s birthday or mine because all I could think about was work. I didn’t even get to really enjoy my Halloween. When my daughter came up to me and said, “Mom, you missed my Pumpkin Day. I was so sad,” The more involved I get in this project, the more I realize that it isn’t for me.

One of the problems in DC is how career obsessed many people are. They work 80-hour a week, they take work home with them, and they are constantly taking clients out. If I am going to do this, I want it to be for my business. Not for someone else. I think it’s fear why I remained at this job. The first time I launched my business, it didn’t work out. The main reason was my co-founder. She wasn’t doing much of anything, and it caused the business to fail.

However, one thing you hear from many people is that in business, you have to fail and fail in order to succeed. Last week, was Startup School, and I decided to watch the videos that were created that day. The stories and advice given were very inspirational, and so I decided that I needed to take the leap. I feel this time is different (no co-founder helps), so I will do better.

Photo Detail: Edge of the Earth, originally uploaded by Zack Schnepf.

How to Work With Children in the Household

Here are some tips to help you freelance parents, entrepreneurs, and telecommuters out there work when your children are in the house.  These tips have helped me tons, so I hope it does the same for you.

List of 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers: http://vida.posterous.com/100-best-companies-for-working-mothers