So you want to become a freelancer?
Presentation by Prakash Murthy / @_prakash at Denver.rb meetup on Apr 14, 2015
Slides at https://slides.com/prakash/freelancing
About Me:
Freelancing since 2010
as a Ruby on Rails Developer
So you want to become a freelancer?
DON'T DO IT!
3 Things I like about Freelancing:
1. Work from home / any where
Made it possible for me to work from India from Dec 2012 to May 2014!
3 Things I like about Freelancing:
2. More time with family.
3 Things I like about Freelancing:
3. I am my own boss!
Mistakes I made as a Freelancer:
1. Got into it for all the wrong reasons, without preparing for it.
"I'll do freelancing because I am too lazy to find a proper job!"
Mistakes I made as a Freelancer
2. Did not appreciate the fact that it is actually running a business and is very involved and a lot of work.
Mistakes I made as a Freelancer
3. Did not establish myself as an expert before starting
Charge low rates.
Mistakes I made as a Freelancer
4. Did not prepare myself financially for the feast-famine cycle
Net Result:
Frequently ending up with
- Will I be able to make rent / pay all bills this month?
- This is not working. I should find a regular job!
- Cranky and stressed. All. The. Time!
In summary: Do not become a freelancer unless ...
1. You are willing to learn how to run a business, and work at becoming good at it.
2. Have 3 to 6 months of expenses saved up to deal with the feast-famine cycle.
3. Established yourself as some sort of an expert, so that you get work to begin with, and on a regular basis.
If you want to be a freelancer...
Thank You!
Prakash Murthy
prakash.n.murthy@gmail.comSlides at https://slides.com/prakash/freelancing