We asked Freelance Copywriter, Elaine Chadwick to share the challenges she has experienced of freelancing and working for herself.

Having been a freelancer since 2009 I can confidently say that, for me, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. That’s not to say that there aren’t some downsides…

What happens if you have a day off sick?

If, like me, you have no other employees then this can be tricky! When I had Covid and was in bed for the first few days of it, I still replied to emails but delayed any video calls and moved deadlines where I could. But I’m always aware that companies have their own agendas and I can’t expect them to take my bad days into account, so there have been times where I’ve been working even if it’s the last thing I’ve felt like doing. You can, of course, hire your own freelancer to cover for you but unless you’re familiar and confident in their work, not to mention happy to hand over the money, that can be a risk in itself.

How do you manage clients with unrealistic expectations?

If you’re on your own then it’s down to you to deal with clients and meet deadlines. It’s very rare that I have had what I would consider a bad day work-wise, but it does happen from time to time.

There was one particular day recently where I had a few simultaneous projects that I was working on without much room for manoeuvre. When unexpectedly asked to provide a number of quotes before the end of the day – which takes time when you don’t have a full brief so have to take lots of scenarios into account – it can throw everything else off track. There’s no one to delegate to so forget stopping for lunch, you just have to be extra efficient and get everything done without letting any clients down! And that may mean you’re still working until midnight some days.

I’ve found that good relationships and leaning on your support system can help as they understand what the trials and tribulations of being a freelancer can be.

Can it be challenging chasing people for payments?

Cash flow definitely becomes more interesting when self-employed – you are no longer getting your regular end of month pay cheque!

The majority of my clients are brilliant and pay on time (for me, that’s within 30 days), but there are always exceptions. One of my biggest clients pays on 60 days – which is a long time to wait. And even then I very often have to nudge them because they often miss the payment date. Fortunately, as soon as I chase them they do always pay pretty immediately but it can get annoying having to chase the money.

Some people prefer to do all their invoicing at the end of the month but I find it works better to invoice each job as I finish it so there is rolling cash flow.

How did you find your network of freelancers and support?

I have one main freelancer that I use and a few ‘back-up’ freelancers. All of them are people I worked with when I was in an agency so I already knew their capabilities. Pretty much everyone in that particular agency now works for themselves in some capacity so there is a great network there I can tap into and pick the right person for the job in hand.

This tends to be the same group of people that I go to for support when clients are being difficult or if I’m unsure of a costing, or generally just to have a whinge to if I’m having a bad day. They understand exactly what I’m going through.

Are there any other challenges, and how did you overcome them?

When I first went freelance I knew I could do the work, but I didn’t take into account the things that go with it that I had no experience of. I’ve learnt that accounts are definitely not my strong point! It’s worth its weight in gold having a good accountant rather than face fines because you fill something in wrong, or late. I also had to become much stricter about keeping records and receipts – as someone who likes to throw things out this took a while to get used to.

There are other silly little things that will occur of which you will have no control over – if the internet goes down you need to make sure you communicate with your clients that there may be a delay. On the whole, people are very understanding as long as you tell them what’s going on!

Things that feel like a big deal in the early days soon become par for the course, and the freedom that comes with being a freelancer makes the difficulties that much more bearable.