As a freelancer for over 5 years now, I have to say that it has been a relatively great experience. Except, for when it’s not. Let’s consider the flaws of freelancing for beginners before you take the leap and leave your consistent 9-5.

While there are many wonderful things about having an “open” schedule for travel or other creative projects, there are many flaws of free lacing I have to be honest about. As an actress, freelancing has allowed me to audition and work on projects at the drop of a dime with ease. However, I have run into many, let’s just say, interesting situations, that have literally brought tears to my eyes.

Today we’ll only focus on living from paycheck to paycheck, no benefits or PTO, and working with shotty clients (Scroll down to watch the video)

The MAJOR flaws of freelancing for Beginners

How I began my freelancing journey.

My freelancing journey came by chance. As an actress LEAVING Los Angeles and heading to Las Vegas, I was excited to take a break from my current lifestyle. I knew I didn’t want to coach gymnastics anymore, but I didn’t quite have a plan yet. I had just picked up photography as a mini hobby and did some food photos for my friend’s cookbook. By fate, I found a job on Craigslist (of all places) looking for food photographers in Vegas. I applied and I was hired as a freelance photographer before I even got into town. Holy Moly.

Because this new program was starting, there was a lot of work and I was going from gig to gig, sometimes up to 5 a day! Then, they lowered the photography rates because they thought it would be better for their clients. Eye roll. Trust me, this MASSIVE company has the money to properly pay their photographers.

That Paycheck to Paycheck life

Then, the jobs slowed down to a few a week. At this point, I had to find other ways to supplement my income. Luckily I had done so well I had a little bit of a cushion till I figured out how I was going to pay the bills. Ideally, booking a national commercial with some fatty residuals would have been great, but that wasn’t my luck.

Budgeting for the slow times can be challenging. This can also cause stress and anxiety, especially if you’re not great at saving and have a lot of expenses. Admittedly, I don’t always know when my next job is coming, but I do have faith that it is right around the corner, and thus far, it always is.

Time off does NOT equal paid time off

You read that correctly. Freelancing has been amazing for my schedule. I can pick up as many jobs as I please, audition and take acting classes, schedule appointments when I need to, and even hop on a plane for last minute castings. There’s nobody to fire me because I am the boss. Unfortunately, taking time off is a major financial struggle for freelancer sometimes.

Going on a vacation can be quite tricky. Depending on what your chosen freelance job is, not only are you spending money to go on a vacation, but you’re not making any either. Additionally, you “risk” losing momentum or a potentially big client/gig by being unavailable.

I freelance specifically so I can pursue my acting career, so not having a boat load of cash flow is something I’ve accepted and is worth my journey.

Yours truly

Oh, I forgot to mention that you will have to cover your own medical and health insurance, so it’s important to find great clients and gigs. Read on…

101 Freelancing for Beginners- listen up

I ran into a really crappy situation recently and I am embarrassed and disappointed to say that this wasn’t the first time. While, I am really great at spotting red flags, sometimes, people and agencies just throw you for a loop. Don’t forget, they are also freelancing, so if something goes down with them, you’re going to be affected.

With that being said, chasing your paychecks is by far the MOST frustrating thing about freelancing. In fact, sometimes companies just stop answering their phone calls, texts, emails even if you’ve signed a contract with them. This is no only incredibly rude and unprofessional, but stressful and time consuming.

Here’s what happened-

*UPDATE* I finally got paid, 4 weeks later after getting both clients involved. Not only were they extremely surprised I had not received payment, but I also learned that they had paid the agency before the event even began. Again, eye roll.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while freelancing has its benefits, it also has several drawbacks, including living paycheck to paycheck, no benefits or paid vacations, and dealing with clients who don’t want to pay you on time. If you’re thinking of freelancing, be sure to weigh the pros and cons carefully to see if it’s the right choice for you.

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