Going straight from the cubicle to freelancing with no clients and no income is scary. It’s always best to have a decent sized client base and savings when making the switch but with increasing layoffs that seem to always plague people in the creative industry (especially over the past few years) having the luxury of building a sizable client base isn’t always an option. If running back to the cubicle just isn’t an option for you, there are ways to make freelancing work if you’re a fish fresh out of the corporate water. One of the most obvious is starting a freelance business and getting a part-time job to pay the bills while you find your freelancing legs. I’ve been working with a client over a year that more or less started out as a nice work at home gig for me to make extra money while I was at my full-time job. I was doing photo editing, blogging and some graphic design work. Eventually I was making more at this gig and quit my full-time job to pursue my freelance career. I’m still working with this client and I feel as though this gig has evolved into more of an ongoing project based job that gets me through the rough times. I’m able to set my own hours and work as much as I want, when I want. If you’re able to find something like this, great! A part-time job that allows you to work at home is ideal when building your freelance business, but not always an option. Considering establishing a relationship with a temp agency, creative or otherwise, is always a good idea in a pinch. Many freelancers rely on temp agencies to get them through the tough times and working at various businesses is a great opportunity to generate business for yourself! If getting a retail or food service job at a local shop or restaurant is more your speed, this is also a great way to generate extra income and meet potential clients. Who knows, one of your new coworkers might know someone looking to have a website or brochure designed. Always take advantage of unique networking opportunities that will help your business grow.

There are of course cons to working a part-time job while building a freelance business. It’s difficult to be accessible while at work and missing client calls and not being responsive to client e-mails is a slippery slope. Clients often times think freelancers are chained to their desks at all hours of the day and won’t accept missed calls or late replies to e-mails. Missing deadlines is why many freelancers fail. Missing an important deadline set by a client can result in losing that client and all of the referrals you might have received if the project had been completed on time. Being able to balance the work of your part-time job and freelance projects is imperative.

Conclusion

A part-time job is a great way to help get your freelancing career off the ground by offering an income while you get your business going. However, meeting deadlines and being accessible to clients is important and finding a balance between your part-time work and freelance work is a must. Perseverance and passion is what it takes to run a freelance business and if getting a part-time job is a viable option to get your business of the ground, go for it.