May 3, 2011

How I Started My Freelance Career, In Five Simple Steps

My name is Amy Levin-Epstein, and I’m thrilled to be guest-blogging for Shawn. My own blog is at CBS Moneywatch, where I report and write stories on career topics like salary research, interview tips and timely trends. I’m also a freelance writer. My stories have appeared in magazines like Glamour and Redbook, on websites like Babble.com and Details.com and in newspapers like The Boston Globe and the New York Post.  

Before I started this freelance career,  I was an editor at two magazines, Best Life and Page Six. When the latter folded into a quarterly publication, I started working for myself. Building my own business has been exhilarating and exhausting, in equal parts. Here’s my take on what to consider if you’re thinking about focusing on freelance: 

Patience Isn’t A Virtue, It’s A Necessity 

I spent the first three months of freelancing doing all the right things -- reaching out to my network of editors, cold-pitching, building a web presence. At times I felt like I was spinning my wheels. But the wheels finally caught -- about four months later. 

Feast Or Famine Is For Real

Scarily slow and beastly busy times are just part of the freelance framework. The trick is to work with the natural ebbs and flows. For instance, knowing when assigning editors go on vacation (late in August and December) helps me expect a slow period and book some vacation time for myself.  

Make Tangible Goals

I draw up lists of publications I want to pitch as well as financial goals. These help me stay on track and act as an internal review, since I don’t have a manager to tell me how I’m progressing. And while these goals have helped me maintain focus, I’ve also stumbled upon a few unexpected opportunities, like corporate projects and blogging. 

Be A Better Budgeter

Passing up Starbucks. Learning to cook. Reducing my rent. Early on in my freelance career, all of these helped me create a financial cushion that I didn’t need when my paychecks were bi-weekly. By taking steps like these I’ve been able to save more aggressively and learn a lot about what I need and what is just nice (tall iced coffees from the ‘Bucks falls squarely into this second category).  

Spend Money To Make Money

Budgeting is key, but spending a little cash can make you more money in the long run. For me, that meant a 4-in-1 printer, a Blackberry and a laptop. These gadgets have paid for themselves many times over by making me easily reachable.   Hope these tips will be helpful if you’re considering launching a freelance career.

For more career advice and discussion, please visit my CBS Moneywatch blog and connect with me on Twitter @MWOnTheJob. To read more of my writing on all topics, go to http://amylevinepstein.com. 

• Facebook
• Tweet
• StumbleUpon

Categories: