Thinking about making the leap from employee to freelancer? Read this!

Thinking about leaving your job and going freelance? Read this!

Earlier today, I had a great call with bestselling author, speaker and Huffington Post blogger Michael Thomas Sunnarborg.

The call had been arranged by our U.S. PR company and we were talking about a blog post Michael had recently written for the Huffington post.

We were about half way through the call when, as I sat looking into the distance from our top floor meeting room, Michael said something profound and unexpected:

He said, "If you're going to go freelance, you have to know yourself".    

I asked him to explain more and he said "You have to know your strengths and your core purpose.  If you get these straight before you make the jump to freelance, it'll benefit you hugely."

As someone who has worked with thousands of freelancers through my company Time etc, I can't agree with Michael enough.   It's overlooked by almost everyone, but it could be the difference between succeeding as a freelancer, or not. 

Let me explain - It's hard to become a freelancer, but it's even harder if you don't know yourself well. Without knowing yourself it's hard to market yourself as a freelancer, win clients and then deliver a service that keeps them coming back for more. 

On Time etc's Virtual Assistant platform we've found time and time again that our best performing Virtual Assistants know themselves and their strengths inside out.

A great example of this is that they know what they're good at and stick to only that work - even if that means turning away other tempting projects and missing out on the income they'd provide. 

As the call came to a close I asked Michael: "What else would you say was important for people making the transition?"

Michael replied "Being open - Make sure you're always honest, open to learning and not a 'know it all'.  Follow up is also vital - asking questions, clarify and always do what you say you will."

If you're making the transition from employee to freelancer ask yourself:

Do you know clearly who you are and what you want?
Are you committed to being 100% honest about your capabilities on day one?
Are you prepared to do EXACTLY what you say you will from the outset?

I thoroughly enjoyed my call with Michael and I'd encourage you to learn more about him on his website.