Freelance Confidential - Amanda Hackwith [24]
For more recommendations and resources on passive income, including stock marketplaces, e-publishers, and blogging resources, check out the Further Reading chapter at the end of the book.
Building Support: Family and Colleagues
The freelancer's working world is typically just you, your computer, and your work. (Bunny slippers optional.) But outside that image of solitude, the best freelancers rely on a host of support. Although we're cast as "lone wolf" workers, running our businesses independently, in reality, most freelancers need some kind of support, whether it come from family, a significant other, friends, or fellow freelancers. It's important to know just what kind of support you need and where to foster it.
Family and Loved Ones
Any experienced freelancer has likely had to spend time explaining the nature of his or her work to family members. If you're lucky, you have an entirely supportive spouse, like N.C. Winters:
My wife is amazingly supportive and after our move across the country a few years ago, we made the decision that I should attempt and embrace a full time freelancing and fine art career. Most recently, the birth of our son has taken the whole concept of "full-time freelancing" and turned it on its head. He is now the priority, but I still have to find ways to work the most efficient way when I can, and also to make sure to sleep when I can.
However family can also be skeptical if they do not understand or approve of your chosen career. Lea Woodward's decision to freelance certainly took her family by surprise:
At the time, as a 26 year old making a high-end five figure salary, most of my friends and family thought I was mad when I quit the rat race to work for myself. While they were outwardly supportive, I could sense their doubts about whether I could make it work. They were even more skeptical when my husband was made redundant a year later and also decided to go it alone. Add to that, the fact that we then announced we were going to hit the road and move to another country, most of them thought we'd gone bananas.
In fact, Chris McConnell, of FreelanceReview and BrandLuxe, describes how a family that does not understand your work can even be a roadblock to your success:
It's been my experience that once people figure out that you are working from home (as I was), they tend to think you are available to do things during the day, almost as if you didn't have a "real" job. So, family members would routinely call up asking for help with computer problems or simply wanting to talk while friends would sometimes show up at the door unannounced and ready to hang out (which of course cuts into billable time).
So I think it's important for freelancers of any sort to set good boundaries and stick to them—you wouldn't tolerate your friends showing up to your workplace if you were a stock broker or dentist for instance and you wouldn't take long personal calls while you have work waiting to be done.
Families can be a vital part of a freelancer's life. With few colleagues or professional communities with face-to-face contact, families are often the first line of support for a freelancer under pressure. You want them to help rather than hinder your work.
See your family's relationship with your freelancing like any other tool for your profession—a tool worth developing and maintaining. Each family dynamic will be different, but if your family has the ability to affect your work, you want to nurture a positive understanding. Explain your work, update your family on your successes and failures.
When working with older members of my family, I encountered a lot of skepticism on how a "real" job could operate so much via email communication. They were glad that I was happy, but they were concerned for my future. If I didn't