No Way Out! For the the Technical Freelancer / Knowledge Worker!

Why you will most likely be stuck in your freelance career and what to do about it!

So I just re-listened to the e-myth! oh I’m so grateful now for audio books.

Anyway, yesterday I had a conversation with an old friend whom we last talked a long time ago. In catching up, the context was a little bit different because I wasn’t doing the same things I was doing 5 years ago. As the conversation ensued, this individual was very concerned about me not being a “photographer” anymore. They reminded me how I was extremely passionate about it and how I was ready to give up everything to pursue it, including school, love and good jobs.

I found myself in a space of trying to explain my stance, having never articulated this to anyone else. I struggled. Maybe she won. I gave up on my “passion”. I should have held on a little bit longer, “no business is easy”.

I pondered a lot on this conversation.

This morning I had the privilege of re-listening to a part of the “E-myth” book. Which I consider one of the books that totally transformed my life. That and other books I discovered through Chris Do on thefutur.com YouTube Channel.

My Old Upwork & Fiverr Profiles

Coincidentally, last week I visited my old Upwork profile and Fiverr profiles and wondered why my online freelance career never really took off, plus what I could I do to make it happen?!. It was a great thought experiment. Please look out for that blog coming soon. Due to this, the idea of freelancing, trading my skills for money was hot on my mind.

No Way OUT!

I hold the view that, there is no way out for the technical freelancer. Either you are going to have to trade your skills for the rest of your life, or you are going to find a way to bring a balance into your life.

The difference between a blue collar job & a technical freelancer/knowledge worker

The thought that, if you don’t work, you won’t be able to eat is the same idea as anyone who works a blue-collar job. The only difference is that you work on the computer and use a bunch of knowledge based skills. But it’s fundamentally similar. If you don’t work, you do not eat. And since it depends entirely on your time and skills, you cannot scale.

Trading your Skills for time

This is the concept of a job. Any job. That in a capitalistic society, you provide your services, and in return someone gives you money for the challenges you have solved.

Is this the only income generating model in our society? definitely not!

These problems bring interesting questions to mind.

Is it possible to productize parts of your work so that you do not have to do that work every time? Is it possible to be valuable enough to do the same amount of work at a higher pay than before? Is it possible to delegate less glamorous parts of your work such that you don’t have to do it? Were it possible, how do you go about it?

The E-myth Revisited book brings a lot of context to these questions and provide good ideas to think about such problems.

It seems to me, you can only experience these problems if you are significantly into your freelance business. You have to get started on the journey of solving problems in business for you to really figure it all out.

Why there is no way out!

A few thoughts on why the technical freelancer will stay in this loop and never make it out!

1. The technical freelancer, knowledge worker, creative or developer doesn’t start out thinking about outsourcing the same work they love to do. It’s their calling in life. Their heart’s long desire.
2. The technical freelancer is obsessed about being highly skilled rather than being a great business man. The logic is, if you can be so good, then you can do these things much faster and make more money in the process.
3. The freelancer refuses to give up part of the job to someone else because they won’t do it the way he or she wants. They are a bunch of control freaks.
4. The freelancer does not look actively for problems to solve in the market place but rather new skills to add to the repository of top notch skills they hold.
5. The technical freelancer is not committed to the long term self development process of understanding business fundamentals and leadership skills.
6. The technical freelancer has to take out time to do non “fundamental” things like doing contracts and invoices and tracking expenditure, which takes all the life out of the freelancer.
7. The journey toward hiring out your work involves good documentation, sharing assets, and clear expectations all which a freelancer would rather just do the work than make it sharable.
8. The freelancer has to turn pro, and be a sole employee in their own business, as compared to gun for hire in other people’s business. This isn’t primarily what he/she has signed up for.

The Only way out for a Freelancer!

1. They learn the sales skills of helping instead of asking
2. They niche down and pick only one thing they can be really good at.
3. They communicate their value often and succinctly to anyone who is willing to listen!
4. They contribute wholesomely to their community of professionals!
5. The get started on a journey to killing their own jobs and getting other people to do those jobs!

The journey toward turning pro & finding your way out.

My Context ( A personal story)

After high school, the only thing I wanted was to go into creative arts. I dreamed about it. Wrote it in my journals, told everyone who knew me about it. Then I picked photography as my vehicle, then design and eventually it would be video work. All along the way, I tried my best to validate my skills out in the market place by accepting small jobs from anyone. Anyone who was willing to give me work, I took. Fast forward years later, my life was filled with odd jobs here and there. Doing all sorts of design and photography work for a whole myriad of small clients. No plans, no strategy, just winging it and making money along the way. It was nice.

My lifestyle shifted a whole lot too. I was random and spontaneous! jumped on any opportunity for a road trip or a party whenever it surfaced. Have camera will travel.

I would eventually burn out or get tired from all that inconsistent money and living on the edge. Oh! Also, I found love and got married!

Then Boom! I had to grow up! Making money was no longer necessary, but urgent and important. Running a real business became very important to me. Hence this story.

I wonder if my friend could understand my switch, as the choice to grow up! I wonder if it can make any sense to anyone that growth demands you stop things that don’t bring growth. It demands that you learn new skills. That, the person you are right now, will not get you to the next level. I often wonder if these are things I say to myself, or these are things I actually believe in and any other person would get it too.

The only way out is entrepreneurship!

According to the “E-myth”, ( I also believe in this idea) the only way to make it out of this technical works worm-hole is entrepreneurship. It is choosing to work on your business and not in your business. By working on your business, you take a step back and ask yourself. What could I be? how can I get to the next level? What is the possible future of my business? Can I stay ready for it?

It is tough work! But my oh my! It is beautiful work.

I am keen on expanding this conversation further. Every new day lately, I have gone to work, not only on myself but also on my business, and this is the result of the work I put in the last two years.

I shall write more and more about my thoughts, and what I think about how the future looks like!

I am curious though! Have you experienced this? Have you run a business this way? What are some things that you have learned?