From Employed to Self Employed

Worried about keeping busy as a freelance? Tom Myer explains how he made a successful transition from full-time employment to a freelance career:

"Earlier this year, I joined the ranks of laid-off high technology workers. The company I had worked for was doing everything it could to survive, including slashing the project I was on. So I was shown the door along with 30 of my co-workers.

As soon as I got my walking papers (two month's severance, thankfully) I went home and logged on to the Web. I was a seasoned web developer and writer with over 10 years' experience under my belt. There had to be work out there for me.

My first inclination was to find another job. My first attempts at sending out resumes ended up in fruitless interviews with companies that didn't have any real positions at all. Other resumes went unnoticed. Recruiters were so flooded with out-of-work folks that they hardly had time to return phone calls, much less find me work.

After several weeks of frustration, I decided I'd had enough. I was going to start a freelance career. I had the brains and the determination to pull it off. I had never in my life given up, and I wasn't about to now--I was determined to succeed.

One of the first things I did - even before I incorporated myself and got a business account at my bank - was join Freelance Work Exchange on a trial basis. I haven't been sorry.

Even in the first trial week, I received dozens of leads, two of which eventually turned into short-term freelance gigs. When I got the first job, a three-day coding and writing assignment, I felt a wave of relief pass over me. The money wasn't important at the time - it was my confidence that needed a boost, not my checking account. And what a boost I got. Pretty soon I was busy coding and writing, working with clients, and in my element once again. But this time, I was the one making decisions. The feeling was incredible!

Those first gigs led to others, and soon my days were filled with marketing opportunities, project bids, and the joys (and pressures) of building a successful freelance business. I was so busy that I stumbled across another benefit of Freelance Work Exchange quite by accident.

Building a practice happens one client at a time. And as a freelancer, I found out right away that when you're working for a client, you sometimes don't remember to market yourself to the next client. This can be deadly for a freelancer, and leads to periods of feast and famine. With daily newsletters and other resources, Freelance Work Exchange reminds me to take time every few days - even in the midst of feast - to market myself effectively, to guard against coming famine.

What else do I like about Freelance Work Exchange? There's plenty, but I'd like to talk about the free ebook offerings. In particular, I found the Viral Freelancing ebook chock full of good ideas that I started to implement right away in my practice, such as giving away free services (in my case, 2 weeks of free tech support after any web development engagement). There's so much to do and try that I'm limiting myself to just a handful at a time - that way I know for sure that the mix is right for me."