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(Last Updated On: 2023-12-28)

Before we actually go into why freelancing makes sense for just about everybody nowadays, let’s just cover what exactly freelancing is.

*Here is the definition of “freelance” from Business Dictionary.com*

Working on a contract basis for a variety of companies, as opposed to working as an employee for a single company. Freelancers are often considered to be self-employed, and have the freedom to pick and choose their projects and companies they would like to be associated with. A common profession for freelancing is writing; a writer then has the ability to submit their work to many different places, without being tied to any one company in particular.

No doubt you can see why freelancing is especially great for the “older” generation. Using the knowledge, skills, experience, talents and passion you have developed over the years, be it in a career, a hobby or passion for something – it provides you with the perfect means to share what you know and generate an income.

Freelancing provides you with the perfect means to share what you know and generate an income at the same time. Click To Tweet

Join The Growing Trend

More and more people are joining the freelance movement. As can be seen from the graph below (which reflects mainly the growth in the United States), it has been growing steadily and will continue growing well into the future.

 

The Growth of Freelancing vs Traditional Jobs

(Courtesy of www.freelancebiz.com)

Growing steadily year on year, not only in the 1st world countries, it’s also providing income opportunities for knowledgeable people in other countries as well. With the accessibility freedom that the Internet provides, this has only made it even easier to become a freelancer no matter where you live.

Freelancing is what has allowed me to quit my 9 to 5 job in 2015 after I built up a steady income flow working part-time and I have been doing this full-time ever since. As a 50 something single mom living in a 3rd world country – if I can do this, then so can you.

Reason # 1  – Freelancing Opportunities are Growing Daily

Several years ago freelancing opportunities were few and far between as people did not have the surety that should they use a freelancer. Doubts about the quality of work were the main concern. At that time there were also not that many people offering freelance services so it made it difficult to find people for specific tasks.

 

 

When the world wide web arrived and provided global access to many more people, it opened the door for freelancing to grow. Skills can now be sourced from foreign countries at a much more cost effective rate which sweetens the deal for many small businesses and entrepreneurs.

There are also many more people making their skills and expertise available on a freelance basis either as a full time career or to supplement their current incomes.

Many times expertise comes with a high cost but using a freelancer cuts that cost down substantially. Reason being they carry little to no overheads themselves, allowing their rates to suit many more budgets. This in turn makes freelancing more and more lucrative for others, as the need for these services increase each day.

As the demand increases, the supply will increase exponentially thus making it easier for others to become freelancers and offer their services and expertise.

Reason # 2 –  Perfect Choice To Use What You Know to Grow An Income.

Freelancing is one of the easiest ways to showcase your knowledge and expertise to others. There is no barrier to showing the world what you know and how you can impact others.

With freelancing you determine what your expertise is worth.

Build up a portfolio that can showcase what you know to allow you to get more clients. You determine how you can add value to others and with how many people you can share what you know – there is no boss or company rule that claims your expertise.

With more clients, comes more money. Don’t underestimate or undersell the value of what you know.

Elderly gentleman sitting in front of a laptop with wine bottles on the table

Reason # 3 – Work on Your Terms

This for me is one of the best things about freelancing. You have total control and can work on your terms.

You control who you work with, what amount of hours you will be working, where you will work and what sort of projects you want to work on. There is nobody dictating to you how you will spend your time or what you will be working on.

If you decide to take a day off – it’s your choice – you will just need to make up the time elsewhere. Take your laptop and go and work in a coffee shop somewhere – nothing and nobody limits you in any way.

You determine how much your effort is worth when you freelance and can set your pricing accordingly. We all know that some work takes more effort than others – there is no “one size fits all”.

Reason # 4 – Freelancing Provides Flexibility and Choice.

This is very much linked to reason #3 but its more specific. In a normal job you are limited to performing the same tasks day in and day out. Your job description determines those tasks.

With freelancing you can choose your projects and chop and change from one day to the next making life so much more enjoyable.

Having control over who and what we are working with, we tend to be far more invested in seeing that the project gets completed to the highest standards possible.

As an employee you will get paid no matter what – working as a freelancer means our work should be of the highest standard possible in order to get paid. This will also ensure our business grows and brings in more money.

Freelancing can be done from anywhere in the world. Should you decide to leave your home base and travel for the next 6 months, you can still work and bring in money. Or if your partner gets a job in another country, nothing prevents you from continuing your projects when you arrive there.

Working on a laptop inside a coffee shop

Reason # 5 – Unlimited Earning Potential

Freelancing provides unlimited earning potential. Working in a job, your income is limited to whatever you agreed to get paid as a salary. Very few companies allow you to use your knowledge and expertise outside of business hours to work for others.

If you decide at the spur of the moment that you want to travel overseas in the next 3 weeks, you can just get additional work in to cover those costs when you are a freelancer. In a job, that will not be possible.

If something unforeseen happens, like having your car break down – many people do not have enough free funds to cover those sorts of costs when they work in a job. As a freelancer, you can just market more, reach out to past clients and get another client on board that can cover that cost.

If you decide to work like a madman/woman for the next month 24/7 to get enough income coming in so that next month you don’t have to work at all – then you can do so.

Again, this comes down to having control and the fact that YOU determine your income, YOU determine your worth, not somebody else.

So in Closing…

For me, freelancing just made sense and it was something that I could easily build up alongside my 9 to 5 job, until I had built up a steady flow of income that could and did replace my salary.

Work-home-lifestyle-freelancer

 

Although what I do as a freelancer is in no way linked to what I did in my 9 to 5 job, the knowledge and expertise I built up over those years is what contributed greatly to the success I have achieved as a freelancer.

So what is there that you could use to build a freelancing career? What do you know that could change the lives of others and make an impact? Don’t discredit anything – what you take for granted can actually bring you in a great income.

Just go out there and decide what you can offer the world – then get started.


Ruth

Ruth is just an ordinary 50 something granny that loves reading, her electronic devices and expanding her knowledge in many diverse fields. She has an insatiable curiosity, a bucket list that is a mile long, enjoys spending time with family and friends and every now and then "pushes the envelope" by doing things that society says she cannot do. "Says Who?" To her - age is just a number and no matter what society dictates, she believes you can do anything you put your mind to and succeed.

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