Freelancing: first, I should have done these six things

Reflection is the author of wisdom, and I’ve been thinking about a question sent to “Ask the Recruiter,” Joe Grimm’s career advice column on Poynter Online.

The poster thought s/he could make more money as a freelancer, than as a full-time journalist. (Don’t laugh, and don’t cry. ) When I read the posting, my first words were “You’d better talk to me, first.”

Actually, another friend had done that. And I gave her six things I’d wished I’d done before stepping out on my own. Well, let me change that. I did draft a business plan (tip #4), but the reality of freelancing was far different than I’d anticipated.

I guess that’s life, huh?
So, before you kiss the company goodbye, you should:

1. Line up a temporary job. Check with craigslist, Kelly services, anything. The point is to have a check you can depend on so you can control cash flow.
2. Create a website (if you haven’t already), or a blog that has a bio and links to your writing. Use it as an online resume. You can also do the same with linkedin.com if you wish.
3. Send a group email to all your contacts before you make the jump. (I recommend about 3 months, if you can do it that far in advance.) Tell them you’ll be freelancing full time and are looking for assignments.
4. Of course, create a business plan. Check with the Small Business Administration, or the Service Corps of Retired Executives for help. (In fact, do this first!!!)
5. Line up assignments that will have you working for about two to three months. That way, you won’t have time to sit around the house and worry.
6. While you’re working on your assignments, send out feelers for others. Always think at least 3 months ahead.

Three is a magic number.

Your day job doesn’t have to be your only job

I wouldn’t have written that headline about 8 years ago, when I was a full-time reporter in Cleveland, Ohio. If you’d asked me, I’d have said “Oh, I have one job. I’m a columnist.” The truth was, I had two jobs. I was a pianist at a church.

Don’t laugh at that gig. It gave me an extra $400 a month. But I didn’t take it seriously because it was my play job. My real job was filling the news hole at the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

I was thinking like an employee, not as an entrepreneur.

If I’d been thinking like an entrepreneur, I’d have realized I had a platform and taken advantage of it. I’d have published a collection of my columns, and recorded a CD of my compositions. In other words, I’d have used my job(s) to create another stream of revenue.

I took 8 years to develop an entrepreneurial mentality; self-employment hastened the shift. These days, though, every working person needs to think of  her/his career as business. Those of us in journalism are peering into a dark future. Newspapers and magazines are  cutting back as advertising diminishes. Employees – whether full-time, part-time or freelance – are expendable. Thinking like an entrepreneur is no longer a luxury. It’s a survival strategy.

That’s not my opinion. I’m quoting the advice of Joe Grimm, the innovative recruiter who just left the Detroit Free Press.

In 2007, I attended a conference where Grimm gave a presentation to mid-career journalists. He stressed the need to be entrepreneurial, to go for the essential job.  If you wonder what that means, take a look at his career.

Back in the 1990s, when print was still king, he was prescient enough to set up a website offering career advice.  That move expanded and reinforced his status as an expert – and brought lots of attention to his employer, the late Knight-Ridder.

In 2003, he began writing a career-advice column for the Poynter Institute. Five years later, he’s using that content to publish a book.

BTW, Grimm gave the audience another piece of advice: Don’t think that delay adds to quality.

That’s why this post is being published tonight.

Writing and basketball

This photo is by Laffy4K

When I consider freelancing, I think about  “The White Shadow,” a television show from the late 70s. Ken Howard starred as the white coach of an inner-city high school basketball team.

In the  episode I remember, “The Death of Me Yet,” the team’s star is killed during a hold-up. The coach reaches out to the younger brother, who is alone in the gym. He can handle the pain, as long as he keeps putting the ball through the hoop.

Remembering that phrase “Keep putting the ball through the hoop,” helps me handle distractions. And Lord knows, there are many.

A promise given at 9 a.m. is broken by noon. (Keep putting the ball through the hoop)

The newspapers that used to buy my stories are laying off employees. (Keep putting the ball through the hoop)

The magazine that does buy my stories has cut my per-word rate. (Keep putting the ball through the hoop)

I’m creating  podcasts and slideshows for love, not money. (Keep putting the ball through the hoop)

Keep sending out letters. Keep coming up with ideas. Keep pitching projects. Keep putting that ball through  the hoop.

Over and over again.