Steady Work

I’ll admit it – since my dry spell this past year (read that my “severe drought”) I’m much more concerned about sitting idle for more than a day. That started me on a search for regular work. And lo and behold! Didn’t I find two regular gigs?

I’m here to share my hard-found wisdom with you all. If you’re freelancing, please get yourself into at least two gigs that pays regularly. Assure yourself of a fairly steady amount of income monthly so you can pursue other work while knowing other work is there.

So why did I say two? Take a lesson from corporate America. Diversify. I know one three-year-old company that was the driving force in its industry. However, they had 38 percent of their business with one client. You guessed it – the client cut back its budget, and this company lost most of its revenue stream in one day. It closed up shop less than a week later.

Here’s what to look for in a regular gig:

– Regular assignments (duh!)
– Decent pay (upwards of at least 50 cents a word)
– Work that isn’t too time-consuming (what’s the point if you have no more time to look for higher-paying gigs?)
– A contract (without it, you’re going on the word of the hiring person, which could be questionable)

Notice that I keep saying “fairly steady”? That’s because even though these are regular gigs, nothing is guaranteed. For example, the job I signed on for today would be an income of $1,800 a month for me. However, it’s a startup publication. What’s here today could be gone tomorrow. Never assume the permanence of any situation. Always take on more if you can.

That’s it. That’s what I hope you’ll consider. If it helps you to bolster your income and strengthen your freelance career, amen! I think it will. So far, it’s working for me.