My So-Called Freelance Life - Michelle Goodman [14]
Don’t let this scare you. Setting up shop is far less daunting than it sounds, and nowhere near as costly. In fact, once you’ve figured out where you’ll work, hanging your freelance shingle doesn’t require much overhead at all. Herewith, my start-up shortlist of what you need to do, buy, barter, scavenge, and organize right away:
FILL YOUR TOOLBOX. Populate your home office with any electronics, software, supplies, furniture, and storage items you expect to use at least once a week—computer peripherals, dedicated business phone, dedicated email account (preferably not JuicyJD@hotmail.com or CurvyCPA@gmail.com), headset, printer/fax/scanner/copier, whiteboard, file cabinet, bookshelves, et cetera. Before you buy new, look to eBay, Craigslist, and clearance sales. And if you’re not sure you’ll use that digital recorder, light meter, or guitar amp more than a couple times a year, hold off on buying it; borrow it instead, or split the cost with a couple other freelance friends in need.
MAKE A (DIGITAL) DISASTER PLAN. You of course need a trusty computer that doesn’t conk out every time you’re on deadline and a zippy Internet connection that you don’t have to pirate from your neighbors down the street. And just like Cagney and Lacey, you need backup. Emailing the file you’re working on to your Gmail account for safekeeping is a sloppy way to go; better to get an external hard drive or storage system that can hold every save-worthy file on your computer, which, whether you like it or not, has been programmed to die while you’re working on the most important and financially lucrative project of your life.
I have a nifty little flash drive that holds 250 gigabytes, plugs into a USB port at the back of my laptop, and is about the size of my hand. In 2008, it cost $250, including the spiffy carrying case. By the time you read this, it will likely be grossly outdated, replaced with some smaller, cheaper, more reliable backup product with one hundred times the memory. To choose a backup system of your own, decide how much memory you need, how small you want the drive to be, and how much you’re willing to spend. For product reviews, see CNET.com; for user reviews, see Newegg.com or Amazon.com. Then get the best bargain you can find. If, like me, you’re an utter Luddite, enlist the help of a gadget-loving pal.
Rather than wait for your computer to self-destruct, create your contingency plan now. Will you ring up Geek Squad for a house call? Or will you apply pressure, stop the bleeding, and race your gasping laptop to the nearest repair shop? While your laptop’s convalescing, what will you work on? That spare clunker you keep in the closet? A freebie CPU at the library? Don’t be the frazzled freelancer trying to pry her five-year-old hardcopy of the Yellow Pages out from under her spluttering monitor when the digital shit hits the fan.
GO ERGO. This probably won’t seem important when you’re hunched over your laptop on your mushy living room couch, tickled that you’re actually getting paid to work from your mushy living room couch. Three months later when you’re crying to your chiropractor about lower back pain, you’ll think differently. Get yourself a good ergonomic chair with lumbar support, a desk that’s the right height, a footrest, an ergo keyboard, and any other accessories you need to stave off back and wrist pain. As you’ll see in Chapter 16, it’s all a tax write-off.
NAME THE BABY. Birth name, pseudonym, or business name? The choice is yours. Personally, I’m a fan of using the name my mama gave me. Then again, that’s pretty much the way of the journalism and book-writing world. When in doubt, look to your industry for cues. If you’re a stand-up comic or stand-up bass player, you’ll probably want to use your own name or a stage name. “I started using a pseudonym when I was nude modeling,” says illustrator Molly Crabapple (born Jennifer Caban). “It’s the standard practice. Since I starting making art professionally