Arlene’s Advice for Creating Your Own Job
Freelancing is a great opportunity to work doing the things that you love. You get to be your own boss and choose when and where you work. But it also comes with uncertainty, long hours, and a ton of dedication.
Still, for lots of people, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. But pros and cons aside — how on earth do you become a freelancer?
Arlene, who’s been a successful freelancer in Barcelona for the past 4 years, shared with us at Physem some of her hard-earned wisdom for how you can do create your own job too!
OK, first question — what’s your name, where are you from, what do you do?
My name is Arlene Bayliss, I’m from Tijuana, Mexico, and I work in journalism and communication.
What types of projects or work do you do?
I’m a freelancer. On one side, I manage a travel blog that gives me a place to publish and promote my work. It also keeps me creating content, which I then offer to magazines and travel websites.
On the communication side, I create digital strategies that include social media and content for blogs for different brands in Barcelona.
How did you start out freelancing? Had you worked in more traditional jobs before?
I’ve worked as a freelancer for the past four years, first because I had no other choice and then because I liked it too. Before, yeah, I worked in office jobs for a lot of years.
How do you find your clients?
I use my virtual investigator skills! (Laughs).
I get online and look for websites with interesting content. Once I find a site that I like, I think about what I can offer them. Then I read it and check if they accept submissions.
Little by little I find the person who I think might be interested in my work. Finally, I send them an e-mail, light a candle, and pray!
What’s your favorite part about being a freelancer?
Having the freedom to choose the topics I want to work on and to decide who I’m going to work with. I don’t have paid vacation days, but I can take a vacation whenever I want, and I can travel and work at the same time.
Do you have any advice for someone who wants to work as a freelancer too?
Visualize what you want. How much do you want to earn? How much is what you offer worth? How many clients do you need to find?
Once you’re clear on what you’re looking for it makes things easier. Ah, and don’t forget to be patient!
And take care of the accounting stuff. It’s important!
Is there anything you wish you’d done differently, or something you wish you’d known earlier?
I should have done a course on how to do my own accounting, and I shouldn’t have sold my work so cheaply.
Cool, thank you! Ah, and one last thing — where can we find your work?
On Viaje con Escalas & ArleneBayliss.com.
Want to connect with Arlene and other creative types? Join Physem for free today! Download the app on the iOS App Store and Android Google Play.
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-The Physem Team