THE PROS & CONS OF REMOTE FREELANCING
I often get the question ‘how do I get your dream life?’ - and whilst yes, most of the time my life looks idyllic - sunsets, exploring, surf, smoothies - there is a lot that goes on behind closed doors that aren’t so ‘perfect’. One of the big reasons why I can live the life I do is because I made the decision to go freelance, and because I find work that is purely remote. But this wasn’t an overnight thing. It took me years to get to the point where I am financially stable and have a waiting list of clients. I hustled hard, survived on little money for years, did jobs for next to nothing to get my foot in the door… but here I am, happier than ever and I can safely say that it was all worth it.
BUT… being self employed and working remotely still has its cons, and so in this blog post I will run through the pros and cons of freelance and remote life, so that anyone reading this and wanting to do the same has more of an overview, instead of just seeing me working from the van with an incredible view and thinking it’s all perfection 😉
So let me start with the negative parts of being a remote freelancer…
CONS
It can get lonely. From a social point of view, I interact with a lot less people on a day to day basis by not being in an office. I miss the banter and making friends at work. But I tell you what, I get a hell of a lot more work done when I don’t have the distractions of an hourly cuppa with your work bestie!
You have to market yourself. When you become freelance, you suddenly have to market yourself to find new clients and work. When I first started out as a freelancer, I built myself this website which took me months. I constantly update it too, as well as do outreach and networking on social media sites and freelancing websites. It’s kind of a never ending job too - marketing yourself is not only stressful, but also takes time so you will need to designate time in your working week to do this. Luckily for me I enjoy marketing myself as that is what I do for clients, but there is definitely an added pressure that comes with constantly having to keep your books full with work.
No holiday pay. I have’t taken a holiday in years! And yes, I know it might look like I’m on a constant holiday but I’m not - I open my laptop pretty much everyday. I haven’t been on a 7-day holiday with no laptop or emails in a very long time, because when you are self-employed your way of earning is directly down to you. If you don’t work a day, you won’t get paid. I really struggle to book the time off as I always feel like I could and should be doing more and earning more etc.
The dreaded tax return! When you are self employed, you have to do your own tax returns each year - and this means saving the right amount of tax each month, and saving your receipts for your expenses. This is sometime I think about daily! Thankfully I have an amazing app called BOXD which helps me estimate my monthly tax, and stores all my receipts for me, and I have an awesome accountant who is linked to the app and who submits all my finances to the government - but even having an accountant is an added expense.
No pension. When you work full time for a company they will usually automatically sign you up to a pension, but as self employed it is up to you to sort this out and pay into it each month.
Takes ages to get a mortgage. When you are self employed, it usually takes 3 years to get a mortgage - i.e. you won’t get approved until you can show this many years of accounts. Sometimes it is less, but for the most part this is the rule, so if you want to buy a house any time soon, you need to think about this.
I find it hard to switch off. I find it very hard to switch off from work mode. I am constantly ‘on’ - with my phone and laptop, and always feel a small sense of guilt when I’m not working. This definitely gets easier with time though.
Even as I write these out I am surprised as to how many cons there actually are! But then I start thinking about the pros, and to be honest it just blows the cons out the water!
PROS
I get to choose where I work. Sometimes I will have photo/video shoots which obviously need me to be in a certain location, but for the most part all my clients know that I work remotely when we have the initial call. It’s important that I make them aware of this at the start, as I don’t want any added stress if a client suddenly wants me working from an office in London for instance. Being able to work form anywhere is so rewarding for me, as it has given me so much freedom. Long gone are the days where I thought I had to live in London because that’s where the work was. No, I live somewhere because it makes me happy now. And whether thats Cornwall, Bali or on the road, I love having the option and flexibility to choose.
I get to choose when I work. My working weeks are very full, and for the most part I am working during the day like everybody else, and for some clients I work on set days. But I have lots of flexibility which I love. Isn’t it a pain when you get up for work to start at 9am but you just don’t feel productive at all. I love that I can go for a walk and come back to my desk a bit later when my head space is much better. A pro is definitely having the freedom to design my work around my life and my hobbies.
I get to choose who I work with. At the start of my freelance journey this wasn’t so true, as I was kinda desperate for income. But now that I have built up my business and have gained more confidence in myself, I only work with people that I align with and who’s business I am excited by. If I find a relationship isn’t working anymore, I will end the contract. After learning the hard way, I refuse to work with anyone that causes any negativity to my mental health - it simply isn’t worth it.
No more commutes! At one point I was commuting 4 hours a day. FOUR HOURS. And this cost me £60 per day. I loved my job at the BBC but it soon became apparent that the exhaustion of the commute and the fact I was wasting a big chunk of my wage on getting to and from work seemed ludicrous. Now that I work remotely, I use the time I would usually be commuting for things like surfing, walking, reading - things that are so much more beneficial to my mental health.
More time for hobbies. I truly value my time so much more being a freelance, and I use my time wisely, i.e. spending more time doing things that help my head space. Surfing has become a hobby that I truly love now, and I love the fact that I am enjoying something that is so good for me. And if the surf is good at 3pm, I will go for the surf and come back to work. I like that I can put my hobbies first - as long as my work gets done [and to the right standard], why should I miss the good waves? If anything, it would just piss me off to miss it and my work would suffer.
I charge for my time. Long gone are the days of staying at the office late and not getting paid for this. Every minute I work I charge for, and that’s how it should be.
Hopefully this gives you more of an overview of life as a freelancer, and working remotely. It definitely has its up and downs, and it is a personal preference whether this life is for you. I am so glad I decided to make the switch, and although it has taken a while to get to this point, it was all worth it!