We all want to live a good life, that is why we always strife to make ends meet. With this said, we should always be ready for misfortunes because ‘shit happens‘ and if you are not prepared, you will be truly frustrated.
The recent worldwide spread of Covid-19 Corona virus hit everyone with shock. No one anticipated the disease outbreak. In countries acutely affected, they have closed down their businesses. This means, as time goes, they will be loosing money hence the economic downturn.
And that is why in today’s blog-post, I ask; How prepared are you for unexpected tragedies as a freelancer in your business? Have you organized your work in a way that you will still remain in business in times of trouble?
Before I delve into today’s topic, I want to point out various tragedies that are common in the freelancing business. This applies to all freelancers and freelancing agencies out there.
Unexpected Death of a Family Member
None of us is prepared for such tragedy. But it strikes in times when you least expect. I recently lost my beloved mum and it was such a shock. I never expected it would happen based on her health state. She was 79 years. Like my siblings, I was hopeful that she would live till she was is 90 years like my father.
When this happened, it meant that I had to leave all that I was doing to participate in organizing for her burial. The biggest challenge I was having was, who will I trust to step in for me on video edits I was working on? That was the hard question I had to find an answer.
While I regularly contract other freelancers through my agency to help me with edits, it was really hard to give out one particularly project which I was working on for a client. It followed a particular style.
A style that I understood well. I ended up pausing the project to mourn for the loss. I am glad that the client understood.
Work ‘Dry Spell ‘- Long Term Client Suddenly Pulling Out
If you have a long time client who pays you well, you will always work hard to keep him or her. That’s good. But be careful not to be so comfortable with it. Keep bidding on new jobs and grow your client base.
This way, you will be at peace in-case a client pulls out. You will be having other sources of income coming your way.
Suspension From Freelancing Site
Most freelancers will tell you that at one time, they were suspended from a site they freelance on. Their experience when this happened was not good at all.
When one is suspended for 30 days for violating freelancing sites terms of service, it means that they will not be allowed to work. In turn you will not have income. These terms are meant to protect both the freelancer and the client from any fraud.
Global Disasters – Covid-19 Corona Virus
Let’s admit, while it is possible to work online as a freelancer full time, some freelancing jobs require you to go out and collect information.
These applies mostly to Freelance Videographers, Photographers, Events organizers and more. With the current quarantine measures being recommended all over, it’s clear that some freelancers will be out of business for a while now.
The question is, were you prepared for this? Most definitely no. Now it’s good time to identify financial loop holes so that in future, you can sail through such difficulties successfully.
Direct Client Going Under After You Deliver Final work
While a case like this is now less common, most new freelancers find themselves in this situation. A client contacts them via their site or blog then they agree to work on a project they offer without any structured terms.
At the end, the client disappears without paying them. Here is a blog-post I wrote on how to avoid getting into such troubles.
Getting Around the Misfortunes
- Build a network of trusted freelancers who work in the same niche as yours. Regularly sublet contracts to them. This way, you will be building good relationship with them. In times when you are away, they will help you with your project and you will rest assured that the project assigned to you is being taken care of.
- Bid on projects regularly. Send out proposals to companies. When you do so, you will be growing your client base. If you get one client per week, it will be great. Be careful not to take in several clients to a point where you cannot handle. This will give you a sense of security. You will not panic in cases where a long term client pulls out.
- Regularly review ‘change of terms‘ in the freelancing site you are working for to avoid violation. If you don’t like working for a freelancing site, just disable your account and explore new ways of finding clients. Otherwise, you will wake up to shock that your account has been suspended.
- Spend wisely and save some money for a rainy day. Don’t wait for a disaster to hit for you to start saving. Start small. Don’t be greedy to save a lot and live in misery. Be reasonable in your spending. At the end, you will realize that you have have enough to sail you through hard times.
- Set terms on how you deal with offline clients. Offline clients are unpredictable and can disappoint you when you least expect especially when time of payment comes. That’s why you should have clear terms for collaboration. This way, you will ensure that you get paid for your services.
And that’s all from me here.
Do you have any other thoughts about preparing for difficult times as a freelancer? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
And if you need help in producing videos for your product on service, let me know here.
Until next time, take care.
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