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  • - Hi everybody,

  • this is Roberto Blake of robertoblake.com

  • helping you create something awesome today.

  • So today I'm going to answer an interesting question.

  • Should you become a freelancer?

  • A lot of this is a personal decision

  • and I can't really tell you that yes or no

  • you should become a freelancer,

  • but there are some things you should

  • look at before you commit to this

  • to see if it's right for you.

  • Now again, a lot of this is going to be based on

  • my experience, it's going to based on

  • what I've talked to other freelancers about.

  • There are a lot of freelancers here

  • in the Create Awesome community,

  • many of you are members of the Facebook group,

  • many of you part of the email list

  • and we've had conversations in social media.

  • So, it's not just my opinions here,

  • a lot of this what I've talked to other

  • creative and art directors who hire freelancers

  • and work with them about.

  • There are other freelancers

  • who've given me their perspective on this.

  • So, this is kind of an aggregate, if you will,

  • of all that information and data

  • and I'm just the guy that's delivering it,

  • so don't shoot the messenger here.

  • So, becoming a freelancer is going to mean

  • you need a tremendous amount of self-discipline

  • because you're going to be logging your own hours,

  • and so if you're someone

  • who doesn't have a lot of self-discipline,

  • does not pay attention to details,

  • and can't keep a consistent schedule,

  • it's going to be really hard on you

  • and it's going to be even harder on your clients.

  • So, I would reconsider if you don't

  • meet those qualifications.

  • If you're someone who's very easily distracted,

  • this could be a very challenging career prospect for you,

  • especially if you want to do it full time,

  • because there's always going to be

  • something to distract you.

  • The other factor you should look at is

  • whether or not you're going to be a full time freelancer

  • or whether this is a part time thing

  • or a side hustle for you.

  • Being a full time freelancer is very risky,

  • and so if you're in a situation

  • where you have a family

  • or where you're not financially stable,

  • then going all in on this could be very dangerous for you

  • and I would say you really need to do a personal evaluation,

  • you need to talk it over with your family,

  • and you need to figure out

  • what the best decision is going to be moving forward,

  • and I would try taking it slow

  • before you go full time on that commitment.

  • It might be something you're very passionate about,

  • but I would encourage you to make it

  • as practical as possible.

  • Freelancing also requires

  • a significant investment on your part in terms of resources,

  • so being able to buy the tools of the trade,

  • being able to replace them at the drop of a dime,

  • all of those things are super important,

  • so you have to be in a position

  • to where, financially, this makes sense.

  • If you're someone that's very introverted,

  • it's not that you can't be a freelancer,

  • it's that the challenge for you

  • would be new client acquisition.

  • If you're introverted,

  • but you're a master of SEO and social media,

  • then this could be less difficult for you

  • in terms of client acquisition,

  • or if you're willing to outsource

  • and partner with someone who is very

  • sales and marketing oriented,

  • that could be a great proposition for you.

  • You will have to leave money on the table,

  • but having 70% of something is better

  • than 100% of nothing,

  • and if this person could get you deals

  • and close and close at a higher rate than you could,

  • then it's probably for the best.

  • If not, then, again, you might have to

  • reconsider doing this full time,

  • because the reality is the marketplace is very saturated

  • and it's very noisy and it's going to be very difficult

  • for somebody who can't come outside of themselves

  • to be competitive there.

  • Quality work matters.

  • It's not going to speak for itself,

  • it's not going to sell itself,

  • and if you can't get in front of it,

  • you need someone who can

  • because otherwise, you're going to lose

  • to your loudest competitor.

  • Showing up matters.

  • People are not hunting you down for this work

  • and so you cannot be naive about it,

  • you cannot be romantic about it.

  • Salespersonship matters.

  • Oh my God, does it matter.

  • And so your talent is not the variable

  • of your success there,

  • it's that actually, salespersonship matters

  • because the marketplace decides

  • and showing up is how you get things done.

  • It doesn't matter if you're the nicest person in the room,

  • if you don't go out onto the dance floor

  • and ask a gal to dance,

  • being the nicest person in the room

  • isn't doing a lot for you.

  • So, that's what I have to say about that one.

  • And yeah, that's a little bit of a jab at some of my trolls,

  • and I'm really excited and happy

  • about doing that here on the channel,

  • but it's also very practical

  • because I'm trying to teach you

  • and illustrate a point that sales matter.

  • Getting money really matters as a freelancer

  • and so, instead of waxing poetically

  • about how good you are,

  • it's about how good you are at selling.

  • If it doesn't make dollars, it doesn't make sense, right?

  • So, I would encourage you to figure that out.

  • I would encourage to figure out

  • whether or not you're the best person

  • to sell your brand and to get new clients,

  • or whether you need to partner with somebody,

  • or whether you need to use an agency of some kind.

  • There's one like Aquent and VitaminTalent,

  • and these companies help freelancers

  • and creative professionals find clients,

  • or even find full paid positions if they want that,

  • or even remote telecommuting project based jobs.

  • So, all of these things are avenues for you

  • to overcome that particular obstacle or weakness.

  • You can get better at selling if it's in your personality,

  • but if it's not, I would say just outsource that weakness.

  • Also, keep in mind that freelancing is very stressful,

  • especially when you're first starting out.

  • So, if you're someone who suffers from

  • depression and severe anxiety,

  • I would encourage you to consult

  • a mental health professional,

  • consult your family, and really just do a

  • personal self-evaluation so that you don't

  • put yourself in a situation that is very risky for you,

  • not just financially, but for your health,

  • mentally and emotionally, or even physically.

  • There is nothing that you're going to do as a job

  • that is worth putting yourself and your wellbeing at risk.

  • So, I would encourage you to really think about that,

  • because it's something that's so important

  • and is not talked enough about in our industry.

  • If freelancing is right for you,

  • it can be very lucrative and it can be very practical

  • and it can be the beginning of financial freedom for you.

  • If you have questions about freelancing

  • or working with difficult clients,

  • leave those in the comments section.

  • I'd love to try and help you out.

  • Anyway, like this video if you like it.

  • Don't forget to subscribe.

  • Check out the other awesome content on the channel.

  • As always you guys, thanks so very much for watching

  • and don't forget: create something awesome today.

- Hi everybody,

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