As the business world has developed and adapted over the past few years, freelance marketing careers have really taken off as a desirable and worthwhile pursuit.
Freelancing, which is a term used to describe a career in which a person works for themselves and is hired on a project-by-project basis by different organizations, is becoming a more popular career choice.
There are many benefits of freelancing that can make the career path even more appealing to different people.
If you are uncertain of whether or not becoming a freelancer is the best option for your future, then take a look at these benefits of freelancing.
They might help convince you to give freelancing a try and explore this fulfilling career path.
Why Work as a Freelancer?
If you’re currently thinking about adopting a freelance approach to your own professional life, you’re in excellent company. According to data compiled by Statista, there were over 59 million American workers freelancing to one degree or another between 2014 and 2020.
That’s over a third of the greater workforce out there, and those numbers have only continued to rise since – especially during and after the pandemic.
So although people have always valued their freedom and space, they now fully understand the many benefits of freelancing, as well.
Are the Benefits of Freelancing Universal?
You don’t have to be a born free spirit to fall madly in love with what freelancing brings to the table. The benefits of freelancing really do apply to everyone, even those who genuinely love the dynamic that comes with working a traditional day job.
- Freelancing allows digital-age workers to try almost anything they want without the need to satisfy the traditional gatekeepers first.
- Freelancing works well on its own or as an accompaniment to a conventional professional life, so you only need to quit your day job if you want to.
- You’re always the one in the driver’s seat when it comes to your freelancing career, so it can be whatever you want it to be.
Who Can Be a Freelancer?
There are no rules or limits regarding who can become a freelancer, what field they work in, or what types of projects they pursue. People who really enjoy the field they’re already working in often decide to build on their experience by doing similar work on a freelance basis.
Others see freelancing as an opportunity to monetize a hobby they’re passionate about or to try something they’ve always wanted to try. But some fields and positions lend themselves especially well to the benefits of freelancing. They include:
- Graphic design
- Copywriting
- Online content writing and content production
- Web development
- Photography
- Videography
- IT support
- Business or creative consulting
- Translation
- Digital marketing
- Assistant services
However, today’s freelancers can (and do) offer a variety of different services to businesses and individuals who need them.
So think of this as your chance to make whatever you love doing the most a key part of your professional life by turning it into a source of income.
1. Multiple Sources of Income
When you work as a freelancer, there really aren’t any limits as to how much you can earn.
You also aren’t dependent on a single source for your income like you are in a typical 8 – 5 job.
You can get multiple streams of revenue coming in, which helps you get better control of your finances and plan out how much money you want to earn and work from there.
It also means that you can start freelancing as a side hustle before you take it on as a full-time career.
2. Self-Management
Have you ever wanted to be your own boss? Well, freelancing allows you to do that.
Because you are in control of what jobs you pick and what work you do, you have control of how you manage your workdays and complete your tasks.
You get to become an autonomous entity and have total authority over what you do and how you do it.
You also get to avoid things like office politics and bad management when you work for yourself.
3. Flexible Hours
Another one of the biggest benefits of freelancing is that you get to pick and choose what working hours are best for you.
Not everyone is productive between the hours of 8 – 5, and if you are a parent, caregiver, or otherwise busy person, then you know that things come up, and working the same nine hours every day doesn’t always work best for your schedule.
Freelancing allows you to have flexible hours each day, picking what times work best for you and planning your days from there.
4. Location Flexibility
When you are a freelancer, you can work from virtually anywhere in the world.
You aren’t tied to a single location like an office building and can take your laptop wherever you want.
This means that you have a lot more flexibility in how you work.
You could even take your computer on vacation with you and work a few hours a day before enjoying the rest of your time doing what you want, where you want.
5. Improved Skill Set
Working as a traditional employee often means that you have a set job description and don’t often stray out of that role.
That can mean that you don’t get a chance to expand your skills and learn new things, and instead experience more monotony at work.
One of the benefits of freelancing is the ability to try out new skills and expand your knowledge in many different areas, like marketing, sales, management, client relations, and different practice areas.
6. Variety in Daily Activities
Working as a freelancer also means that the daily tasks and activities you have can vary drastically from day to day.
Rather than getting stuck in the monotony of a traditional office job, you can instead pick different jobs and try out new projects that add variety and interest to your days.
This can help you feel more motivated to work and dedicated to your clients. It also allows you to find out what types of jobs are your favorites.
7. Job Security
Freelancing is becoming more and more popular as an option for companies.
Rather than hiring and training in-house employees, businesses can hire a freelancer for just a few hours and save money.
This means that there are always jobs available for freelancers. All you need to do is sign up to some reputable marketplaces and capitalize on the best practices to make the most of them.
No matter what type of freelancing you do, your earnings depend on how hard you work, so you can virtually secure your revenue streams without risking your job or worrying about getting fired.
8. Work from Home Benefits
Because you don’t have to go into the office as a freelancer, you can experience all of the benefits of working from home every day, without having to wonder if your management is going to request you come back to the office.
That means you can avoid commuting hours, traffic jams, clothing and food expenses, and other traditional office irritants.
You can take lunch when it works for you, run errands and go shopping when you want, and pick up the kids without any work hazards.
9. Choose the Work You Want
Have you ever been forced to deal with a client that you just didn’t connect with? Or had a daily task assigned to you that you didn’t like doing?
These types of situations are common in a traditional office setting, where you have limited control over what you do and what type of clients you work with.
One of the best benefits of freelancing is the ability to choose the projects and clients that you really want to work with, not just which ones are assigned to you.
10. Grow at Your Pace
Freelancing allows you to grow and expand at your own pace.
You get to decide what type of work you want to do and how many clients you take on.
This allows you to start slowly or expand rapidly, depending on what you want to do with your freelancing career.
You can also decide when to add new service areas, increase prices, or take on new projects. You can slow down or speed up however you choose.
11. Create a Work-Life Balance that Works for You
Let’s face it: most of us have very busy lives that don’t work optimally in an 8 – 5 setting.
Family events, time with friends, and our own personal interests and hobbies all have an important role in our lives and in our general happiness and satisfaction.
When work overtakes these areas, it can be incredibly upsetting and detrimental to our careers. After all, it’s hard to be dedicated to a job that doesn’t respect your time.
Freelancing allows you to create a work-life balance that works for your lifestyle.
12. Build Up Interpersonal Skills
As a freelancer, you are responsible for finding clients, managing your relationships with customers, and closing on agreements with different businesses.
This requires you to have skills for dealing with other people and managing your own business.
These interpersonal skills are important to hone in general, and freelancing gives you an opportunity to build up these skills and improve in these areas.
13. Workload Control
Burnout is a form of exhaustion that leaves one feeling overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to keep up with their responsibilities.
It is also a major drain on your emotional, physical, and mental health. And burnout is all too real, especially for those in traditional office jobs.
Freelancing allows you to control your workload, meaning you can cut down on projects if you need more time to avoid burnout.
Additionally, for those struggling with the toll of modern work environments, seeking support from online psychiatrists can offer valuable guidance and strategies for coping with stress.
14. Increase Creativity
Working as a freelancer also allows you to have more creative control over what you do.
You can pick projects that require creative thought, which helps you increase your creative abilities and think differently about different situations.
Depending on the type of freelancing you do, you can also practice creativity in pitching to clients and helping them come up with ideas.
Creativity goes a long way in helping you achieve new goals and expand your freelancing business.
15. Financial Security
One of the best benefits of freelancing is the financial security you can have.
Freelancing allows you to have control over what you earn based on the number of projects you take on and what you choose to charge your clients.
Rather than hoping for a bonus or crossing your fingers for a raise, you have the control to create whatever financial security you want with your freelancing business.
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16. No Need to Travel for Work
Even people who absolutely love what they do for a living at their day job usually feel a lot differently about the commute. After all, not everyone is lucky enough to work right around the corner from where they live.
The most rewarding jobs with the best pay may well require workers to commute a long way to get to work every day – multiple hours, in some cases. And then they have to do it all again when it’s time to go home for the day.
By the end of the year, that can add up to hundreds of hours of your life spent getting yourself back and forth between your home and your office. And the financial costs are nothing to sneeze at, either, especially with gas prices as high as they are these days.
When you freelance for a living, you can kiss all that goodbye for good, because you can work from anywhere. If you prefer, your morning commute can consist of strolling from your bedroom to your living room or home office instead of driving all the way across town instead.
You don’t have to worry about the weather or fight all that traffic. Instead, you get to spend your days doing work you love from the safety and comfort of your own home – a dream come true for many people.
17. You Don’t Depend on a Team to Carry Out Tasks
No one’s denying that there are often upsides to working as part of a team with other people. But how well that actually goes depends entirely on who your team members are. When you work for someone else, you have little to no say in who you work with or which specific people you’ll have to depend on to complete your projects.
If you have hard-working, diligent team members working with you, things will probably go pretty well. But if you don’t, you could wind up having to choose between doing all the work yourself or completing projects to subpar standards.
Even when you’re lucky enough to have outstanding team members on your side, it can still be frustrating to have to depend on other people doing their jobs before you can adequately do yours.
As a freelancer, you call all the shots in this area. If you do want or need to work with other people, you’re in complete control of who those people are and what’s expected of them. But depending on your actual field, you might just as well have the option of working alone and resting easily in the knowledge that you only need to depend on yourself.
18. Work with Diverse Clients and Gain Experience
If you’re like most people with a day job, you probably wish things were more exciting at work. After all, it can get tedious working for the same people and doing the same types of projects over and over again. But whether or not you actually get any of the variety you crave is ultimately up to your boss, not you.
But when you’re a freelancer, you only have to settle for working for one set (or type) of clients if that’s what you really want. Most freelancers – including freelance copywriters, graphic designers, and content creators – maintain a rotating lineup of different clients, possibly across multiple fields.
A given freelancer may work with some clients for multiple years on end but others for only a project or two, giving them the best of both worlds – the security that comes with working for familiar people plus the novelty of trying new things.
And the more different clients and businesses you work with, the more experience you’ll gain. Before you know it, you’ll have built an impressive resume that any employer or client would be positively floored by.
19. Global Exposure
One of the best benefits of freelancing from home (or any other location of your choosing) is that nothing is set in stone as far as what locations you can serve as a professional. If you’d like to offer the services you specialize in locally, that’s definitely one possibility. But you can cast your professional net as widely as you’d like.
For example, many of today’s most popular freelance marketplaces cater to people from all over the world, meaning you can take your business global if that’s what you’d like. And you can do this right from the comfort of your sofa or your favorite coffee shop.
The locational freedom you enjoy as a freelancer means you can try the digital nomad lifestyle on for size, as well, because you can work from anywhere in the world.
Take your laptop along with you on an extended vacation, and work on the go. Relocate at will, as often or as occasionally as you like. Keep your options open on a level you’d never have access to at any traditional job. When you freelance, the world is your oyster in more ways than one.
20. You Can Improve Your Lifestyle
What constitutes an ideal lifestyle may vary drastically from person to person as far as the details. One person may want a big, loving family and a nice house to raise them in. And someone else might dream of traveling the world or completing a passion project close to their heart. However, none of that changes the fact that a beautiful life well-lived is something everyone wants.
As a freelancer, you have complete and total control over your schedule and all the details regarding how your life plays out. Do you prefer to work and create at night while the rest of the world is quiet and asleep? Or maybe you’d like to spend less time away from your family so you can enjoy more quality time with them.
Whatever you dream of for your life and personal routine, every possibility is on the table when you’re a freelancer. You can work whenever you want and take time off as often as you need to. As long as you can honor your commitments to your clients and meet all your deadlines, anything goes.
And best of all, none of the decisions you might make about your schedule are set in stone. If you ever get tired of your routine or need to change things for personal reasons, you’re entirely free to do so.
Wrap Up!
The benefits of freelancing include everything from financial freedom to healthy work and life balance.
Freelancing is a great option for people who want to earn good money while making sure that they are in control of their career and are the boss of their own future.
One of the difficulties in becoming a freelancer, however, is finding the right tools to ensure that you can do your job correctly.
If you are interested in a career in freelance marketing and want to know what tools might help you out, then check out our blog on the best freelancer tools!
There you’ll discover design tools, project management tools, and other helpful software and programs to help you do your job better.
Now that you know all about the benefits of freelancing, it’s time to apply what you’ve learned and take that ever-important next step. If you’re an aspiring freelancer looking for a stellar place to meet your first clients, WriterAccess is an incredible place to market your skills as a designer, copywriter, content creator, or editor.
And if you’re looking to hire some of the best freelancer professionals on the web, sign up for a free two-week WriterAccess trial, and assemble your dream team today! You’ll be glad you did.
