Freelancing: the bridge to exit corporate
For some, you may decide to go after it and build a corporate career. I think that’s great if it works for you. For others, it may not be the best. In my personal experience, I really dislike the corporate world. I will touch on one or two reasons. What I want to say to you is. it’s not all doom and gloom. There are many ways to get out of it. I will focus on one for now — freelancing.
Now, I will say one thing, before I go further. I am grateful for the experiences that I have earned and gained so far. They have shaped by career and have helped me grow professionally. It’s not ALL that bad.
Why I dislike with corporates
This is entirely on my own experience of being in the corporate world for about 7 years so far and working for 4 different companies. I give you my top 3 reasons:
Reason #1: I don’t get paid enough for what I do and what I am capable of doing. The company wants me to perform to the best of my abilities to achieve results, but the remuneration is not there to compensate for my skills and time spent.
Reason #2: If you’re not ass kissing you don’t get anyway. I am not an ass kisser and never considered myself to be one. Yes, I can play politics, but I don’t like kissing someone’s ass just to get a promotion. The promotion should come from hard work and results — doesn’t work that way in my experience.
Reason #3: I don’t feel comfortable in the corporate environment. It doesn’t suit me and I don’t play nice with everyone. Problem is corporates, you have to play nice with everyone — that’s the expectation, right?
What am I doing about it?
I got into freelancing about a year ago. Since then I have had a few clients, one of whom I have worked for since 10 months. I got lucky in this regard as it doesn’t happen all the time, and right at the beginning.
Truth be told, I have not exited corporate completely, and here’s why:
I still need the stable income while I am building my freelance business and transitioning to become a full time entrepreneur.
Now, before you say yeah but you are a freelancer, I will explain what I mean now:
The freelancing is a stepping stone in becoming a full entrepreneur where I will start my own business. However, I need to keep a stable life to support my family and gain capital to fund a new business.
At the same time, I need to keep the corporate income until my freelancing business gets to a point where I have one or two stable clients that can sustain me. I am reaching that point and can soon leave corporate.
Important: Don’t make the mistake of waiting too long. If you do, then you freelancing becomes a hobby and not a real business. If you want to become fully independent, then you have to take a leap.
How to enter the freelancing world
There a few ways to do it. I suggest going through an intermediary like Upwork or Guru. Yes, they take 20% of your earnings, but you have the full protection. It’s a nice way to get started. Sure, as you build your freelancing business, you may find some clients offline. There is nothing wrong with that so long as you have a mechanism in place to protect yourself.
One of the best things about freelancing is you can do what you want and what you’re good at. Be unique and find a way to turn that uniqueness into a thriving business.
I will go more into potential solutions to work outside of Upwork or Guru separately.
Final Thoughts
If you’re in corporate and don’t like it, get out of it and do something different. A potential route for that is freelancing. You can build up your freelance business then leave corporate.
Just make sure to conserve the delicate balance of building your business, maintaining the corporate job, and taking care of yourself. You need full strength to go out on your own and grow your business.
