How I survived a move from comfortable payroll to being freelancer

Since I left my job in the corporate world, a lot of my former colleagues and others who are interested in building a career as a freelancer / self entrepreneur approached to me. They all wanted to learn one thing in the beginning - how I survived without a salary…

Let’s start with defining the “Survival”. In life there is nothing called enough money to be totally comfortable and secure. The fear for the future is the most dominating instinct that determines our decisions for today and tomorrow. So for me survival was step by step. Here is how I built my way financially.

Manager at a world leading corporate to “just a photographer”

Before telling you how I made it, let’s start with an easy question that I hear almost everyday -

Is photography your only work? But can you make enough money as a photographer?

- Yes. I make significantly more than a corporate would ever pay me. It was one of the reasons of this change. I have seen the career ladder in my company, I have looked at other companies, listen to what the companies have to offer and compared it to what I can potentially make being a portrait, lifestyle and branding photographer.

— My way to reduce my financial anxiety and make a living

1. Think long term

   There is really no way you won’t be able to bring income when you approach to your clients keeping a long-term vision in mind. I serve extremely well - I do more than I can do, work hard and communicate honestly and this creates future opportunities. My local clients are usually recurring clients so I have a cycle that keeps me on a good balance.

2. Plan Strategically

   I have read an article the other day. 95% of photographer candidates quit within 9-12 month period. Being a photographer is not only taking photos. You will be building an entire business plan - what’s your niche, what’s your customer persona, plan your social media activities, invoicing, company setup, insurance, gear ageing calculation etc. You need to have a road map preferably on a paper. Make sure you go back and see how far you have come and how much more to go, it will help you clear your mind and be less anxious.

3. Monitor Cash

   I had developed pretty solid skills to track numbers. I was known to be a master in reporting and analysis and it helps in my freelance business greatly. Write down EVERYTHING. I mean it. It is never too much data. How much comes in everyday, what are your recurring expenses, what are future expenses, what’s your best and worst case scenarios, how many orders, who ordered, when they ordered, how much you charge per hour (and per minute!!) These are my basic data points. Did I say write down EVERYTHING? Do it, you will thank me.

4. Time flies, equipments age.

   Consider changing your gears on regular basis. So have a plan for future expenses. Your computer won’t last more than 5 years, and let’s say it is 3000 EUR. That means you need to separate 500 EUR per year (40 EUR per month) to buy a computer in 5 years. Same calculation goes for every little thing. Having an expense plan will let you be worry-free when the time comes to say goodbye to your old items.

5. Find sponsors, supporters, collaborators

   Finding a sponsor is probably the last level of these 3 so start with supporters. Your friends should be your everyday support for marketing. They should keep eyes open for opportunities and immediately let you know when it appears. I got around 5 orders the first month only via referrals. Then continue with collabs. Find good profiles you can take photos of. Work patiently and carefully on them so you will have a solid portfolio. All these free work will bring you a lot of clients in the future. Remember - “Think long term”

6. Don’t shoot cheap!

   I can’t really stress enough this one. Shooting for small amount of money will have a direct impact how people perceive you. You want to shoot for 30 EUR instead of 200? You know what, shoot for free instead. Never underestimate yourself. Never lose self-confidence. Your work is worthy and costly. Once you get into it you will see how great the amounts you spend month over month are. Also remember once you are a cheap photographer, you are always a cheap photographer. I offer extra prints or downloads, first ordering option etc. to my recurring clients because they also know I am running a business.

7. Don’t be scared. Don’t be too comfortable.

   There is a fine line between not making the step because you’re scared and being too comfortable and procrastinating for too long. There is usually a way back. You can try and see how it goes and you can go back to your company if you don’t think it is for you. You don’t have much to lose. But remember this is not an easy lifestyle especially in the beginning. Be ready to be up at 5 AM and sometimes work 15 hours a day. Know yourself, how much you can live without salary and how ready you are to make sacrifices. Knowing all these will help you think more realistically.

These were 7 things that I try to do everyday to have a sustainable freelancer lifestyle as a photographer. In the next blog posts I will write more about freelancer life pros and cons. :)