10 Signs You are Meant to be a Freelancer or Creative Entrepreneur
I see a lot of people biting the bullet and turning their passion project or side hustle into their full time job. I’ve watched friends and strangers succeed at this. And there are some traits that almost all these successful freelancers and creative entrepreneurs have in common. Let’s go through them together and see if you are a good fit to take the leap into being your own boss.
You are a self-starter.
I had a boss once who used to say that I was the kind of person who woke up every morning knowing what she needed to do that day. And before that I had never really considered that not everyone is like that. You have to be able to get yourself motivated and know what to do next without someone breathing down your neck.
Tip: Keep a to-do list for the day. Add breaks to your list too so you don’t forget to take them too! Add a star next to the top 3 things you need to achieve today and focus on them first thing in the morning.
2. You are tenacious.
Are you persistent and not easily discouraged? Freelancing might be for you. You need to be able to keep moving forward when nothing is going your way.
Tip: Write down your why for starting your business and keep it where you can see it to be reminded why you aren’t going to be easily swayed from your new career.
3. But also patient AF.
It’s great to be persistent, but you also need to be able sometimes to wait for the magic to happen. There’s only so much I can do in a day to grow my creative business, so I need to be patient with the outcomes.
Tip: Focus on things you can control, like your artwork and your marketing efforts, and not on things outside of your control like pageviews and product sales.
4. You believe in what you offer.
If you don’t believe strongly that your creative work improves the human experience, why should your customers?
Tip: Pay attention to peers in your field and how their creative work is making an impression. When you value the work of others you create a framework to value your own work too.
5. You hate wearing pants all day.
I jest, sort of. But if, like me, getting dressed and out the door for the daily grind overwhelms the crap out of you, that might be a sign your destined for a freelance gig.
Tip: At least put on clean PJ’s every day so that you feel fresh and ready for work. This isn’t 2020, you have to wash your sweatpants.
6. You can do administrative tasks until you can afford to pay someone else to.
You don’t have to like administration, but it has to get done. You probably won’t need to do it forever, but if you are starting out as a one-human operation, you will need to wear an administrative hat some of the time.
Tip: Use AI to do some of your administrative work so that you can focus on your art.
7. You crave flexibility more than security.
This one is huuuuge. Some people need job security and financial security in order to sleep at night. If flexibility and freedom is more important to you than those things, you might just be made for freelance work.
Tip: Build your brand thinking about multiple income sources. If you can have cheques coming in from a few different directions each month, you’re not screwed if one of those doors closes.
8. You’ve always longed to be your own boss.
Some people have just never been comfortable working for someone else. I’m not talking about people who can’t get along with any boss, that’s never a good sign. But if you’ve just always pictured yourself working for yourself, maybe you should take the leap.
Tip: Once you are working for yourself and don’t have a boss, it may still be important to have guidance and accountability. Seek out mentors who can speak into your life, art and business in meaningful ways.
9. You are a solid communicator.
Even if your art is purely visual (which, by the way, is one way to communicate) you still need to be able to sell your work and talk to clients. The best freelancers have passion and charisma, and can speak or write well about their business.
Tip: Practice communicating about your business. Develop an elevator pitch and practice it in front of the mirror. Write a newsletter for your fans to practice communicating about your art in written form.
10. You can afford not to collect a paycheck for a bit.
I might be wrong, you might be one of those very rare creatives who makes money their first month. I’ve never heard of it happening, but it could. But chances are you are going to go 3 to 6 months with little to no income from your art.
Tip: Plan ahead for your first 6 months. A year would be better. It takes time to market yourself and grow a fan base.
Conclusion: Are you ready to be a creative entrepreneur?
These ten signs aren’t a guarantee that you will make it as a freelancing creative, but they are positive signs along the path. If they apply to you, or even if just most of them apply to you, it could be time to take the giant leap into a freelance business. It will be hard, I can almost guarantee that you will get discouraged, have set backs, and work long hours for what feels like little progress. But if you said yes to most of these points, there’s a good chance it will be worth it for you. Hang in there, you’ve got this.
