Managing as a freelance technical communicator

Alison Peck

TAKING THE PLUNGE

When it all started…

Summer 2004 – spate of redundancies October 2004 – relocation not an option

BUT Children had left home – space in house No mortgage – so less financial pressure Already had basic equipment

November 2004 – Clearly Stated was born… the start of an adventure!

Did I do a business plan?

A very basic one, yes No borrowing required Minimal capital outlay Free marketing (existing network)

Calculated: Average earnings required to maintain

standard of living How long till first job before panicking

Was that enough?

Emergency fund

What happens if you don’t find work?

The client goes bust?

You’re ill?

Where do you want to be…

… next year? … in 5 years? … in 10 years?

There will be detours along the way…but don’t get lost!

GETTING WORK

First contact

I’ve had an enquiry! Do I have the skill-set? Do I have the capacity? Do I have the software?

And also… Is it interesting work? Have I worked with them before? How did they hear of me?

What do they want?

High-level stuff: Are they looking for another pair of hands? Some suggestions? A fully managed project (consultancy)?

And does everyone know!

Low-level stuff: What are they going to get? What am I going to have to do to produce it?

Legal issues…

Legal status: Sole trader or limited company?

Terms and conditions… yours or theirs? If you don’t like something, say so

Insurance: Professional indemnity Public liability Business insurance

Estimating/quoting

Be precise in your quote! Who pays for re-work? Under what circumstances? What about expenses?

Costing options: Daily/hourly rate Fixed price – my ‘internal’ hourly rate Range with a cap – security for both sides

Big issues for me…

What is this going to cost me… Equipment Training Time with my family Reputation Stress

Do I want this work?

Big issues for the client…

Are they ready for me? Are they giving me ‘make work’ tasks? Do they know what their priorities are?

How realistic are the timescales?

Would they be better with a contractor? More expensive – paid when not needed Readily available – not doing anything else

What are the implications?

I have: Many concurrent clients More than one project/product per client Numerous deadlines…

Can work flexibly, switching between projects – usually more economical

Changes and delays cause clashes not on the client’s project plan!

The plan…

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 40

25

50

75

100

125

150

Project 3Project 2Project 1

The reality…

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 40

25

50

75

100

125

150

Project 3Project 2Project 1

Can we minimise the risk?

Have incremental deadlines (drip-feed) Share when something is time-critical Don’t assume that people are doing

nothing else Co-ordinate/collate review comments

when possible Ask what would help if deadlines are tight

Who’s in charge?

Named point of contact Responsibility can be delegated

… but not too far down the chain

If it’s obviously ‘wrong’, question it

Why use freelances?

Advantages

Fill short-term need (skill-gap, capacity)

Wide range of experience

Fresh pair of eyes, new ideas

Enthusiastic – not jaded

Disadvantages May not be aware of

history with project

Initially not aware of corporate culture

Unsure of boundaries or status within project

Out-of-sight can equal out-of-mind

BUSINESS AS USUAL

Everyday issues

Work–life balance

Delegate when it makes sense

Cash flow

Motivation

Learning curve can be steep

Getting bigger

Became an employer on 9 July 2012

This has changed a lot: Type of projects we can undertake Capacity (not doubled, but increased) Complementary business skills Future of the business

What would I do differently?

Set a more realistic rate for my services (need to keep working on this one!)

Have a clear direction for my business from the beginning

Always find out who has decision-making authority for my client

Say “no” more often

Any questions…?

Contact alison@clearly-stated.co.uk www.clearly-stated.co.uk