Benefits of Freelancing

Freelancers are poised to make up more than half of the U.S. workforce by 2027. If you (like so many other skilled professionals) are thinking of turning towards a full-time freelance career, you may be wondering what’s in it for you. Why are more and more people choosing the freelance life over the 9 to 5? The answer comes down to flexibility, and this post explores some of the top benefits of freelancing that you stand to enjoy if you take the plunge.

Work Where You Want

While some freelance jobs might require on site work, the vast majority of them allow you to work from wherever you want – even another country. As a freelancer, you aren’t tied to a specific office, cubicle, or building.

Whether you use your den, your kitchen table, or a coffee shop down the road, you have full control over where you choose to earn a living. Many freelancers even enjoy the digital nomad life. Because they aren’t tied down by location, they can easily tour the world and see the sights without threatening the bottom line.

Work When You Want

One of the major benefits of freelancing is the fact that you are your own boss. Certainly you have to produce good work for your clients. But you don’t have to put in leave requests, and you don’t have to worry about being hounded for taking a day off to see your daughter’s big ballet recital. In short, you get to decide when you want to conduct business.

Beyond just vacations, though, you have complete control over your everyday working hours. Not everyone is suited to the 9 to 5 life. If you’re most productive from midnight to 4 AM, then you can make those your primary work times as a freelancer.

Work How You Want

Freedom is the name of the game when it comes to freelancing. With a typical job, you usually don’t have much say over your processes and procedures. The company sets the rules and you’re expected to tow the line. As a freelancer, though, the rules are yours to set.

Along the same lines, you also get to choose who you want to work with. All clients are not created equal, and successful freelancers who provide a good service can be selective about their clientele. You can turn away difficult customers or projects that you aren’t excited to work on.

Create Your Ideal Lifestyle

One of the simplest benefits of freelancing is in the job title itself: “free”. As your own boss, you are free to work where, when, and how you like. That means that you can truly shape your work around your desired lifestyle, rather than trying to awkwardly squeeze a personal or family life into a hectic work schedule.

Maybe you want to work like crazy 3 days a week so you can enjoy 4 days of rest. Maybe you want to spend more time with your kids. Or maybe you want to travel and see the most beautiful regions of the world in the off-season, when the tourists are still at home. Whatever lifestyle you want, freelancing gives you the opportunity to make it a reality.

Earn What You’re Worth

Theoretically, your earning potential as a freelancer is unlimited. This isn’t the case with most jobs. Usually, their is some sort of set pay grade that is determined by a combination of performance, education, and experience.

As a freelancer, though, the only thing that determines how much you can make is how much you are worth (and how good you are at letting people know your worth). There is no arbitrary upper limit to your annual salary. As long as you provide good work and market yourself effectively, there will always be more money to earn.

This is a double-edged sword, of course. In a typical 9 to 5, many people manage to earn a living just barely doing the absolute minimum. There’s no room for that kind of apathy in freelancing. If you want to make good money you have to do good work.

Meet Amazing People

Some jobs do genuinely give you the opportunity to work with truly good people. But definitely not all of them. In fact, a lot of careers (like retail, for example), might introduce you to some of the worst sides of humanity.

As a freelancer, though, you will often be working for some really amazing people. A large portion of freelance work comes from entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to outsource tasks that they don’t need often enough to bring someone on full time. This means that many of your clients will be energetic, like-minded go-getters like yourself. You become an integral part in growing their dreams just like they become an integral part in growing yours.

Build Something That is All Yours

Perhaps one of the most fulfilling benefits of freelancing is seeing something that you built from the ground up grow and thrive. You aren’t just a freelancer, after all. You’re a business owner. An entrepreneur.

You pour your blood, sweat, and tears into your freelancing career. Once it finally takes off and earns you a living, you will likely feel the greatest sense of accomplishment of your life. In a way, watching your own business succeed is like watching your own children grow up and make their mark in the world.

Start Your Freelancing Journey at Legiit

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” says an ancient Chinese proverb.

Life as a freelancer is certainly a thousand mile journey. It’s not simple or easy, but nothing worth doing is. So if you’re ready to reap the benefits of freelancing and create the lifestyle you want, take the first step today and create an account at Legiit. We are an online marketplace where thousands of freelancers earn their living every single day by connecting with the clients who need them most.