Tag: Inflation

I’ve been a freelancer for a number of years now.

This article will discuss some if the benefits and disadvantages of freelancing and show you how even seniors can continue to do what they love and earn some cash to combat the rising cost of living and the inflation we are living with these days.

My freelancing career started by accident and soon afterwards, I developed a primary freelancing niche of writing technical proposals for companies who are submitting bids to federal, state, and local governments.

As a freelancer, I have also accepted contracts to write other business-related documents (like adverts for a swimming pool builder) and once, two people, partners in a company, paid me to host an all-day seminar on Doing Business with the Federal Government…that was fun.

I have also prepared proposals for international companies for both international and US government customers.

I have been very lucky and worked with companies who have been awarded contracts totaling over $14 billion.

I started freelancing at the age of 50 and now, years later, I am making more money than ever and basically working when I want.

I started freelancing after leaving military service

My freelancing career has enabled my wife and I to travel around world and to pay off the mortgage on our little ranch in the hill country of Texas.

Benefits of Freelancing

I’ve listed some of the benefits of freelancing below.

1. You are Your Own Boss — You will be the CEO, Chairman of the Board, but also the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.
2. You can Work from Anywhere — I now work from home, and truth be told, there are times when I have worked in my PJs or underwear. I’ve worked in my office, outside on the patio, on the pool deck, sitting in the swing, etc.

More Benefits of Freelancing

1. No More Commute — if you are like me and work mainly from home, then there is no commute. I commute around 50 steps from my back door to my standalone office.
2. You become More Productive — No wasted time commuting and it seems you can focus better.
3. Lower Costs — no automobile/gas costs, no fancy clothes to impress co-workers, just yourself
4. Some Tax Breaks — You can deduct a percentage of some household expenses as a business expense.
5. Choose your Own Working Hours
6. No Dress Code
7. No More Monday Mornings
8. Escape Corporate Culture
9. You can Take Longer Holidays
10. Do What You Love

Disadvantages of Freelancing

There are some disadvantages to freelancing. The most common disadvantages include the following.

1. Inconsistent Income
2. More Skill Sets Required — then again, once you develop some additional skill sets, this could be an advantage.
3. You Find Your Work
4. Lack of Insurance/Employer Benefits — Once you start on Medicare, this is easier
5. Late or Irregular Payments for Clients — It happens. It happened to me. Twice with international clients and once with a US based firm. One study states that more than 58% of freelancers are not paid for their jobs at least once. Some freelancers mitigate this by using a service like Fiverr or Upwork or some sites like this, but then the service takes a fee. I use Fiverr to find people to advertise my fiction books and stories and Fiverr collects the fee up front.

Thank you for reading

and now…some

Shameless Self Promotion

I recently published an introductory video course on Gumroad to help Seniors (and others) investigate freelancing to see if they want to use their skills to freelance so they can help combat rising costs and inflation.

This course will help you determine if freelancing is for you.

This video course contains 12 short modules (2 to 3 minutes) to help you on your journey to earning a freelance income.

These modules include

1. Getting Familiar with Freelancing
2. Assessing your skills and what you enjoy
3. Pricing and outsmarting the competition
4. Where Customers are looking for your services
5. The Secret Pricing Method that always gets you customers
6. Showcase your services on social media
7. Networking with people who may need your services

And more

I’ve set the introductory pricing for this video series low so you can discover if FreeLancing Income for Seniors is right for you.

You can click here for more details.

Thank you for reading