The digital economy worldwide is hotter than ever before.
People can now start their own businesses, work for themselves, and no longer rely on finding a job and working for others.
However, working for yourself or becoming a freelancer is not a walk in the park.
Undoubtedly, it comes with its perks, but at the same time, it presents many difficulties.
In this post, I will explore those difficulties and tell you 11 reasons why you might need to think again before becoming a freelancer.
Why you shouldn’t become a freelancer
1. You value security over freedom
This is the biggest differentiator between a person who wants and is suitable to become a freelancer and someone who is not.
Security and freedom are both essential life goals and fundamental human needs. Everyone wants to feel secure and free. But every person values one more than the other.
So, think which one you value most. Is it security or freedom?
None is better than the other. A person who prefers security and another who prefers freedom can be equally exceptional professionals. This differentiation mainly involves their character traits and what suits them most.
But if you value security more than freedom, you have more difficulty dealing with uncertainty and are less keen to take risks—both necessary requirements when you decide to begin a freelancing career.
2. Running a business is not appealing to you
Let’s get it straight. When you start freelancing, the ultimate goal should be to build a business around your skill, even if it’s a one-person business.
Unless you prefer to jump from project to project every month or so (which I don’t think many professionals like), building a business is not as fancy as it sounds. You need to have a mission statement that shows what you are doing and why; you need to automate tasks, go above and beyond, and decide on what services you are offering and to which target audience.
You don’t just chase projects (which is normal when you start freelancing), but you prefer maintaining stronger and more stable relationships with your clients. At the same time, you always try to grow, not only by getting new clients but also by being more productive and getting the most out of your time.
If that constant chase is not in your blood, you might quit sooner or later.
3. You don’t like being alone
If you want to start freelancing, you must understand that you will spend a lot of time alone. You will struggle if that’s uncomfortable for you or your character is incompatible.
Toxic office politics are never pleasant. However, healthy social interaction at work is one of the most significant advantages of working for a company.
On the contrary, freelancing is a lonely game, especially at first.
Dealing with feelings of loneliness can be one of the main struggles for a new freelancer, especially if you are an extrovert. Maintaining a social life outside of work can help, but it still doesn’t change the fact that you will be working alone for many hours per day without much social stimulation.
Can you deal with it?
4. You believe that sales are bad
This is an important reason since many people believe that sales are inherently bad.
However, if you want to be a freelancer, you will have to deal with sales. That means that you will have to promote your services or products to someone else.
If you’re not feeling comfortable with it, that’s fine. But you will have to get out of your comfort zone at some point and do it.
The problem arises when you inherently believe that sales are evil or manipulative. In that case, freelancing is probably not for you.
5. You hate doing multiple different things
If you want to become a freelancer, you should remember that you will have to do many things that are not closely related to your skills but are really important to building your business; from accounting to promoting yourself or project management issues.
Dealing with those issues is inevitable, especially at the beginning of your journey when you won’t be able to outsource everything.
If you’re not prepared, you will face problems dealing with your new reality.
6. You are not self-disciplined
Not having a boss is perfect. But that means that you are now your own boss. You report only to yourself (and the clients you choose to work with).
Without self-discipline, this will be impossible.
Setting specific goals and plans and sticking to them sounds easier than it is. So, if you want external motivation to stay on track, freelancing will exhaust you, and you might start regretting your decision altogether.
7. You have poor time management skills
In the same way, working your own way means that you are responsible for all the deadlines and how you can fit all available projects into your schedule.
If you have poor time management skills, that will be a daunting task.
There is no manager with whom to negotiate your deadlines. That means you need to be able to estimate how much time you have at your disposal, how much time you need to complete all the projects (and all your personal tasks), and how you can come up with a deadline that keeps you and your client happy.
You can always improve your time management skills, but it’s better if you already possess that soft skill.
8. You don’t want to work on weekends
Becoming a freelancer means you may have a lot of work or new unplanned projects at some point, if not from the beginning. That means that working only on weekdays is not enough.
Before you start freelancing, you will have to accept that you will work at least a few hours every weekend and be okay with it.
Moreover, if you want to work for yourself, you will have to dedicate some of your free time to your personal growth, especially in the initial phase, when you don’t have any foundation to build your one-person business.
For example, you might want to build a website, create a portfolio, or just work on a skill. If you work regular hours, you will have to accept that working weekends will be a reality for you.
If you feel that’s a burden or something you detest, you might not be able to endure it.
9. Lifelong learning is not a priority for you
If you eventually become a freelancer, you are on your own. You don’t have any direction from anyone.
So, you need to make sure that you progress and become a better version of yourself by continuing to learn and upgrade your skills.
As a result, if lifelong learning is not your priority, maybe you shouldn’t try freelancing.
The free market is competitive. That means that whoever doesn’t try to continuously improve their skills will eventually be left behind.
10. Paid vacations and employee benefits are essential to you
Paid vacations and multiple employee benefits companies offer to their workforce are undoubtedly important.
When you become a freelancer, things work differently.
As a freelancer, you have the freedom to take days off whenever you want (or whenever you can, based on your projects), and you can also go on vacations without asking for permission.
But you don’t know at the beginning of the year that you have, let’s say, 25 days off. You need to schedule everything according to your business needs.
And, of course, you have no paid benefits. If you want private health insurance, a retirement plan, parental leave, or a gym membership, you need to pay for them with your own money.
11. You do everything by the book
That’s the final, but rather profound, reason.
When you become a freelancer (or eventually an entrepreneur or a solopreneur), you will have to make decisions that are not always written in a manual.
The solution you are looking for might not always be clear.
You will need to test, fail, and test again until you finally find what works.
Doing everything by the book is not a freelance characteristic.
Conclusion
Nowadays, becoming a freelancer can be a great option. The entry cost (especially in the digital economy) is low, and the upside is significant.
But not everyone needs to be a freelancer, a solopreneur, or an entrepreneur. And that’s okay.
Being a freelancer is not an ultimate life goal.
People can be fulfilled and satisfied by working for others—corporations, startups, or regular companies— if they provide value to them.
So before thinking of stopping the career you are following right now to become a freelancer, consider the 11 reasons I mentioned above and decide whether that’s the right choice for you.
