November 2009. I have started working on Elance and also closed my RAC account (will detail it too in another article). Since I didn’t want to put all my eggs in the same basket, I followed the advice from other freelancers and created an account on Guru.com

Overall the site looks OK. Can’t say I am too pleased with the design (please bear with me, I am a designer, so this matters to me too), but, since I was just coming from RAC with its horrific design, this was a breath of fresh air so to say. The account creation was fast, the profile system pretty interesting, aside the “requirement” of uploading a VIDEO. Christ, what video to upload? I am a web designer, not a top model. My profile was left “incomplete”, but, after 1 hour of work and resizing my design previews, I got a pretty cute profile. Let’s say it inspired professionalism and talent. Was pleased.

At the beginning, since I was just getting my feet wet, I wasn’t too interested in paying for the membership, especially since it meant almost 75 USD for 3 months. OK, 74.95 USD. I don’t like to pay this much without knowing if I will actually like it there and can do business after all. My experience with Elance was better each day, so I was pretty hopeful.

Tried the free membership for few hours, to see what’s there. Of course, NOTHING was available for a non-guru / non-vendor account. I mean nothing. I have scoured the system for any job and after almost 2 hours it was clear to me that, paying was the only option.

Of course, with the idea that I can access few jobs and get my money back, I made the payment for a 3 month Guru account. Took a test too, wait .. 2 (something design related and HTML) so that my possible clients would know I kinda know my stuff. I also presented my best work in the portfolio and, with all lack of modesty, I don’t do ugly stuff.

Then I started bidding. A lot.

In the firs day I bid on 30 projects. All unique bids, with custom presentation to each of them. With link to my portfolio and even to my elance account, so that my potential clients would see how pleased these guys were.

Some projects were awarded to someone else. OK, I though, I didn’t land my first client on Elance in the first 2 minutes. I wanted to see who got the job and maybe how much the overall bid was. I don’t rely a lot on prices, but, since it was a new system to me, it was good to know how prices were there. Nothing like this. Maybe there’s the info somewhere, hidden from the everyday freelancer’s view.

I got 2 invitations though. One contacted me to work outside Guru and I don’t take work outside (especially since I wanted to get some sort of feedback going on, to be able to land more contracts). Few days ago, when I was ready to say I lost 90 bucks for nothing (paid for 2 tests, remember?), another one invited me to the project. We talked a bit and he awarded the project.

Woooohoooo!

And then the “acceptance” came. I am used with the Elance system. Straightforward. We say “accept” and maybe make some changes in the agreement (price, deadline etc.), even if most of the time all I have to do is write “thank you for the opportunity” and click accept. All other details have been solved by the actual bidding and private messages. Armed with a lot of knowledge about how to accept a project, I saw a disturbingly high number of  ’stuff’ to be taken care of. Nope, can’t say “I do” and be happy ever after. There were contracts to be uploaded, all kinds of stuff to be filled in. I was shocked. It would take me an hour to just do this “acceptance” thingy. So I just let my client work with other freelancers he accepted in the project.

Overall my experience with Guru.com showed me what a too complex and heavy system can be. I cannot access vital information for me to make a bid (OK, not expecting the pathetic bids on RAC: “let’s bid 0.5 USD lower, maybe I get the job”), cannot see who’s winning and maybe why, the monthly price is HUGE as compared to what I get, the acceptance system takes HOURS, at least for a newbie in the system etc.

Yes, I got 100 bids / month. Sounds huge compared to the 40 one connect bids you get on Elance. But I pay Elance 15 bucks a month, now I can’t even “eat up” my connects (since I am invited to bid and in many cases I am the only one invited). I started gathering too many connects, wished they could be sold … I lost 25 USD/month on a system that allowed me to earn ZERO dollars. Today they reminded me my membership is expiring. That’s OK. I don’t need Guru anymore. I can lose 90 bucks in a more creative way. Say a casino. Or I could burn the money.

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• July 28, 2009 -- Freelance sites … is there anything worth using? (9)

There’s nothing waking you up better than having no more money. The job was gone and I was in a difficult situation: do I chose to work for less than my bank rate? Do I freelance? Am I finally gonna be my own boss? Hell, yeah.

My plan was easy: I’d get my own hours, be able to really enjoy life and earn a buck while doing this. With this well thought plan I hit the freelancing sites and promoted my business to all people I know. How am I doing now?

After 4-5 months I was just able to pay my rates and the normal taxes for a firm, food etc. I didn’t let any debt unpaid and this for me was a HUGE achievement. I do need to pay for some stuff each month (rate, firm taxes, accountant salary, food, gas/electricity etc.) and was scared I’d be putting my family in serious jeopardy with me not being able to cover my “share”. There was no room for ANY savings and this was a huge risk. When you venture into full-time freelancing and have a huge ZERO in your savings account, things cannot be pretty.

I have worked for 10-14 hours a day. EVERY DAY. Yes, I don’t have to leave home to drive to work. I don’t spend time away from my family since I am at home all day long.Yes, I have cut A LOT of expenses (gas, “fancy” clothing, take-away food etc.), so in this matter the new “job” is just perfect. Not to mention I am hugely in love with my work so, spending 10 hours a day on my PC is not an effort for me.

I am with my folks, but still, I am away. I have deadlines, small rates (still), even if I am increasing them periodically, there’s always need to solve something, repair a site, finish a design etc. There are days I go to sleep absolutely exhausted, days with headaches, days when I have difficulties falling asleep, even if I have no problems with this on a normal basis.

Do we count the stress of not earning enough to “make it”? Do we count the fear I might not cover my debts?

So this is freelancing for me, at least the very beginning. The positive aspect is that I do earn WAY MORE than I did before, when I was working “for others”. I have all my taxes paid for and this month I was able to put 250 Euro in my savings account. It’s little money, I know, but it gave me a HUGE boost and pleasure knowing I am getting somewhere.

I still work like a madman, since I am not yet out of the woods. I have increased my rates a bit, even if I am still far from what I should ask for, but money piles on and I can withdraw hundreds of dollars every week. Freelancing doesn’t allow you to sleep late or spend a lot of time watching TV. At least not in the beginning and if you have to earn more than a “normal” wage to support yourself and the family.

My first 6 months of freelancing have been amazing. I was able to specialize myself even more (creating 10 wordpress sites a month does tend to grow your experience), learn new things every day and earn money from working at home. The efforts have been serious too. I can’t recall any time in all my 10 years of radio job I have worked as I’ve worked the past 6 months. Was never a slacker, but the efforts I make now are immense compared to what I did before.

As we speak I am still working 10-12 hours a day. Yes, weekends included. The payment is good, I can save some money, we are preparing for a wonderful journey in NY in the next weeks. In time I’ll be able to take a day off and not “feel” the consequences. I can afford now to have a day I don’t quite work, I just write something in my blogs and talk to my clients. These days are very few in a month, but it’s still a starting point.

Don’t go into freelancing if you’re not willing to sacrifice some months of your time. You cannot make it unless you work to get established and have some money saved. Then, when you’re on your way, you can have some time for yourself. With serious planing and careful time management you’ll earn money, make a living and be able to also live, not just work like a robot.

I am sure I will have more time for myself one day. It’s not yet the case, but I’ll make it.

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• March 28, 2008 -- Just showing a car in your header won’t make you John Chow (11)

Even if any decent theory would advise you to start it as a side job and then move full time on it, when you get to a decent revenue, I was forced to take the bull by the horns and start fulltime freelancing. No money in my savings account, was able to pay for my bills for 1 month and a half. And then …

Since I was able to gather some experience in this and survive the entire “game”, I thought it might be useful to you to get some ideas from these months I have spent surviving financially. Here is what you have to expect, if you’re thinking about this.

1. STRESS. There’s nothing more stressful than knowing you’re not getting a new “gig” and still the bills are piling up. You will be more relaxed once your savings account starts looking “decent”, but still, you might have the occasional panic attack. It’s OK to feel this, just don’t let this overwhelm you. Make sure you do save money and are prepared for a “dry spell”. Then it’s all better.

2. WORK. Let me tell you something: I have never worked in MY LIFE as I have worked the past 5 months. NEVER. And I wasn’t a slacker, and was never accused of not doing my job. But freelancing kills you alive, at least till you’re getting to a decent portfolio and that savings account that lets you maybe take a vacation. My biggest enemy now is my urge to work as much as I can. My resolution for 2010 is to actually learn HOW TO RELAX.

3. MONEY or LACK OF IT. You have to understand there are good and bad months. This is why many advise you to keep a normal job and freelance in the spare time, till you get a portfolio up and some constant work. And MONEY SAVED. Then make the move. I wasn’t fortunate to be able to develop this way and I had to work like a madman to recover from getting fired. It can be done. It’s stressful (see point no.1) and takes effort (see no.2), still it can be done. You can prepare for those bad weeks (let’s hope it’s not months) by saving money. I need new sport shoes. I still postpone this for few more weeks. Now I have the money, but I’d rather save. 2-3 more months and I think I can go to a healthy shopping spree.

4. LOW RATES. It is possible to have to drop your rates. I had to lower mine A LOT so that I can grow my portfolio and earn the every-day life money. I could keep my high rates and get a “gig” every 2 months or lower them and have 5-6 projects a month. Yes, I am making quite some money this way. And people still say I need to raise my rates and I am constantly doing this. My portfolio got fat, I have collected a lot of raving reviews from the freelance job sites I work on and get contacted by people who see my work there and want me to create their site. If you are not starting from zero as I had and don’t rely entirely on the freelancing revenue, then you are not forced to decrease your rates. But, if you need that money, it’s a compromise till you’re getting back on your feet. Then you increase them gradually and get to work for the price you’d like to work for.

5. A KICK IN YOUR PRIDE. Yes, being a freelancer is seen by some as a “meager” job. Yes, you’ll have friends laughing at you for not being able to get a “decent” job (they still think being employed is the next best thing), clients giving you hell, and you’ll have to breathe in, breathe out and take their crap since you know you’re also taking their money. With work and experience you’ll receive a better “deal” in time. People will be impressed with your skills and want you to create their presence online, your friends see you’re earning a decent living, with all the freelancing perks (work from home or Puerto Rico, if you want to, set your own schedule, less expenses, more freedom etc.) .. this is the moment the initial “kick in your pride” is paying off.

I don’t want you to be scared. I don’t want you to NOT consider freelancing since it has been THE BEST THING I HAVE DONE IN MY LIFE. I just wanted to share some of the things I wasn’t really prepared for (the negative ones) so that you know what might happen. The first months are the hardest. You are stressed, you work a lot, learn a lot, have to make financial decisions that will shape your freelancing future. But, my god, it’s worth it

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• November 16, 2009 -- Why I love freelancing (7)

The last 10 years of my life have been spent doing radio shows. I loved this so much. It was my dream job and I got it at 20. Now I am over 30 and it looks like some changes needed to be done.

Aside working in the media, 7 years ago I started web design. One site, another one, you learn how to design a layout, code it, in no time you realize you kinda have some skills and experience. And then you work more, you start earning some dollars and consider a possible fulltime job. And still you have that nice radio job, well paid, coleagues, fun. And just develop your tiny web business while still relying heavily on the radio wage.

Well, it’s all gone now. My changes in the media are small. Well, I can work for 200 USD a month or can earn this money on my own. I chose to freelance fulltime now. It’s been 3 months and I LOVE IT. Here is why:

• no more pesky coleagues or bosses. Well, I can’t say I had a bad relation with any of them, but there were times I didn’t like how someone spoke to me or the fact some used to “backstab” me. Yes, it’s normal at most jobs, even the fun ones as in the radio business.
• I don’t have to dress “nice” every day. I have to admit I don’t like wearing “fancy” stuff, even if I am a woman and some think I should. I can work in my pijamas or some tshirt/pants “home version” and not have to worry about my clothing.
• My car doesn’t need so much fuel. Having to drive each day to work and fro made my monthly budget lose money on the fuel. Now my car is parked outside and my “trips” in the city are less frequent. Of course, I “feel” the increase in my savings.
• I make my schedule, my time is MINE. I was sick for some days. I didn’t work and recovered. We wanted to visit Berlin, we went. No worries about not getting permission to leave the job, “do I have enough vacation days”, “do I need to cut off my journey to solve some job issues” .. My time is well spent or not, it all depends on me. As a freelancer and web designer I need to work based on deadlines. As long as I respect this, I can decide on how to spend my spare time, what workload to take etc.
• I earn FOR ME. All the money I get is mine. Of course there are taxes, but I am the one earning the “bucks”, taking the profits and having to benefit from all.

Freelancing does have its risks. You depend on your clients, you need to work A LOT to succeed, but, with good organization and budgeting you cannot but succeed. For me these last 3 months have been a blast. I do work immensly, I have to keep an eye on my spendings, especially since there’s no more wages to rely on, but it’s the best thing in my life. My social life is better, I can meet my friends, I can offer my clients better meeting hours (since I don’t have a strict schedule), I can go on trips or just take a day off.

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• January 9, 2010 -- Freelancing: what to be prepared for (3)

While I can always understand the need to know where you stand in a serious corporation, call me weird, but I can’t see why in a small firm or self-employment situation you need to be “somebody”.

I had friends with family business where ALL family members were some sort of a “CEO”. No one was less than a huge butt kicker Manager, even if they could barely survive as a business and their entire operation was home based. Their business cards were amazing. You’d think they sit at the right of the “father” Bill Gates at least, or run Google Inc. Anyway, something huge, at least from what you would read there.

The truth is they are small. The truth is I AM SMALL. Right now I function as a freelancer. I do have my own small web design firm I run from my bedroom. Or from my BF’s bedroom or from a hotel. Wherever I go with my laptop, there’s my amazing office. Yes it’s small. Yes I have nothing to brag about, except for the fact I do earn my living and am no longer taking ..rap from any boss. I am my own boss and the CEO for my business.

And now I ask you: how would it appear for me to get a pompous name for my “job”? In a one-man-show firm I am the worker and the boss, the maid and the executive. Wouldn’t it look funny to put a nice long job title next to my name? Of course you know the size of my business, but hey, I can be “big” too, can’t I?

Well ..

No. I am “nobody”. My business cards have my name on them and 2-3 words about my services. A nice design, the email/site address/normal address and phone number. I am afraid you won’t be impressed with my business cards since I am just Ramona Iftode on them.

My title isn’t important. I don’t have other employees I need to “set apart” from, I don’t need my business cards or titles to say anything about what I can do or not. I have my clients to testify for my skills, I have my portfolio.

So, are you a “nobody” too?

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