Job market is rough, work for yourself
Some people are just naturally more productive on their own. Especially in a turbulent job market, it’s possible to use your free time to earn money and build your personal brand without relying on a corporation to sign your regular paychecks.
Freelancing might be more lucrative than you think. Industries like insurance sales, writing/ publishing, and marketing can provide enough opportunity for you to make a living outside the bounds of a traditional company. The number of people working from home is on the rise in the U.S. By 2012, more than 13 million Americans followed that approach, a nearly 41 percent increase over the past decade, CNN reported.
Here are some things to think about as you consider making the jump into freelance independence:
Work sales leads independently
Sales people can earn a living without reporting to the office every day. People with a penchant for selling products or services can connect with insurance agents to work warm leads and help agents close more sales. A company like QuoteWizard filters insurance leads so independent brokers can go after them on their own. Some brokers outsource for help doing so. But there are other sales opportunities in the freelance realm.
According to Entrepreneur.com, freelance sales consultant gigs cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 to start-up, though they can earn a limitless amount, based on your talent and the area of focus.
Many small businesses, like organic goods merchants and home improvement specialists, outsource for sales professionals to expand their business. With a commission-only earnings model, you could do quite well with the right approach in a good territory.
Writers can succeed working from home
Writers, editors, and marketing copy-wonks can earn a strong living independent of a traditional newsroom, largely because the traditional newsroom has gone away. As more businesses develop original online content, there’s a rising need for independent, professional writers who can be trusted to handle a wide range tasks. Rather than writing for a single employer, however, you might shift into a role where you serve a variety of clients each week or month.
Sites like Guru.com and Upwork.com provide a central source for writing assignments. Once you have an online profile on a site like this, you can bid on assignments and write at your own pace.
Wordsmiths with a niche coverage area, such as technology or healthcare, can also find opportunities in grant writing or technical writing based on the significant need in those science-related industries to convey complex issues in an understandable manner to mass online audience.
On the business side, freelance marketing project managers and other marketing-oriented contributors can earn up to $52 an hour, according to Forbes.com;10 Best Freelance Careers.
At those rates, why not fly solo? You can control your own assignments, your own workflow, and go after the assignments that really advance your career.
