在做了一年自由职业者之后, I joined forces with another freelancer to create a video production company: Peak Reach.
As of this Wednesday, the company is now one year old. There’s 4 of us in the team in our office in Salford and we're continuing to grow.
The last two years have been a roller coaster of a journey. If you’ve been tempted by the thought of being your own boss, thinking of going freelance or starting a company, then I hope the following lessons I’ve learned will be helpful and of some insight for you.
1. 无尾猿孤身一人，软弱无力. 类人猿在一起，强壮 -我一直记得这句话 & 《澳门十大正规赌博娱乐平台》中的比喻. 当我还是自由职业者的时候, I felt that I was at a limit to what I could achieve alone – there was only so much time, 预算, equipment and my own skills/expertise of what I could achieve. Making videos is a team sport and to make it happen, you need a solid team. Freelancing is very tough, it was no surprise to me that nine out of 10 UK film, TV workers experienced mental health problems. 而我的大部分工作都是为了在线/社交, I can’t tell you how great it is to be supported by the team. My advice would be to freelancers who love the freedom is to not work from home and get to a co-working space and form a collective. It doesn’t have to be anything trendy and expensive like a WeWork, there are other options out there. It’s great for business anyway with the networking aspect but furthermore it will do you wonders for your health.
3. Make sure you have a written agreement in place for jobs - It's tempting to jump right in and get started on the work. Drawing up a contract and getting the client to sign it may seem like extra hassle for them which may put them off, 但事实恰恰相反, as otherwise you both will probably have different ideas on what you're agreeing on. 即使只是列出你正在做的事情, 这包括的范围, the deliverables and the deadlines in an email and getting them to reply saying that it sounds good, 那么这就是一份法律合同. Both parties will be grateful for doing this step up front in the long run!
4. 自我创业被高估了 人们给自主创业描绘了一幅性感的画面. Being your own boss, complete freedom, only answering to yourself. 问题是，你要对更多人负责. You still have clients that you have to service and keep happy. It’s certainly not a 9-5 because you have to wear so many hats. 重新就业, 我可以直接出现, 开枪吧，把我所有的烦恼都扔在门外, knowing I was going to get a paycheck at the end of the month, 每个月.
5. 存钱，有一个坚实的现金缓冲 Build enough cash in the bank specifically for your business (separate from your personal savings) to sustain up to 6 months of no work. This isn’t just to bail you out if the business goes wrong, but it benefits you so much. 如果你没有, 你可能出于绝望而采取行动, taking on clients that don’t pay you what your worth and be trapped in the feast to famine cycle.
6. 记得为什么吗? 这听起来可能有点凄凉! 但这很艰难. Social media can be full of people posting their best lives online which makes us all compare and despair, so I wanted to try and shine some truth on subject. 也就是说，我喜欢我的工作. I love building something and I love being part of a solid team. Filming for me is a passion and I wanted to make a career out of it, so it’s important not to lose sight of that and really take time to enjoy and appreciate that I’m paid to do it.
你同意还是不同意? Do you have anything to add or advice you would share? 请在评论中告诉我. 谢谢!
