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These 2 Questions Will Determine if You’re Ready to Freelance

blog_FreelancingChoice

Every day you hear the news. Another corporate pro has gone freelance. It’s easy to want to follow in their footsteps and succumb to the siren call of being your own boss, calling the shots, making your own schedule, etc. But even more than you want to revel in that freelancing freedom, you don’t want to be a freelance failure.What is a freelance failure? It’s Joe from floor six who thought he was ready, thought he had it all figured out, and then six months into freelancing, he’s endlessly hitting “Refresh” on those LinkedIn job listings. Just couldn’t hack it.Don’t be a freelance failure.Ask yourself these two questions before you march over to your boss and tell her what you really think about the stinky tuna sandwiches she eats in the lunchroom every day. There’s no coming back after that, so you better be ready to freelance then.

  1. Do you have a business plan?

If you’re considering becoming an eLearning freelancer, you’re probably bursting with knowledge and experience in instructional design, authoring tools, and teaching methods. (If you’re not, we have a great eLearning 101 eBook you might want to check out.)

But are you also an expert on running a business? To be a freelancer, you’re going to have to learn how to balance the books, negotiate for jobs, market yourself, and more. Figure out how much you’re going to charge, how many hours a week you want to work, and make sure you have a solid business plan in place before you quit your day job!

  1. What’s your USP?

Not to be confused with the United Parcel Service (UPS), a USP is your “unique selling proposition.” It’s your angle, your hook, your thing that ONLY YOU can offer to a client.

For example, maybe you already have a lot of experience creating eLearning content for veterinary technicians. This can be your niche. You can position yourself as the foremost expert in vet tech training. Knowing your strengths allows you to focus marketing efforts on that target demo and gives you an easy answer to “Why should I hire you instead of some other eLearning freelancer?

So, are you ready? If so, congrats! We look forward to hearing your freelancing tales in the Trivantis® Community—and seeing some samples of your work.Not quite there yet? Check out our other freelancing articles for more tips: