February 1st of 2015 will always remain burned in my memory as a day of nervousness and triumph. I was sitting at my desk, and after months of internal debate and external talks with friends, I picked up the phone, called my boss, and put in my notice to leave. I'd had a fantastic job at a production house for the last five years, but it was time to strike out on my own as a freelance director. Now looking back, when friends ask for advice on whether they should quit their day jobs and go full-time freelance, I recall what I did (and wish I’d done) when it came to taking the freelancer plunge. So here are my top pieces of advice on what to do to prepare for quitting your day job. (And if it’s not obvious - you should do these things before you quit).
Ask Yourself, “Why Am I Quitting?”
This may seem simple but you need to ask yourself why you want to quit. If it’s because you see your friends, or random Tongalers who write blog posts about being a freelancer, living a seemingly wonderful life in the fast lane, that’s the wrong reason. Social media is a smoke and mirrors game, and all of us freelancers struggle. While I can’t define the reason that’s right for you, I can tell you that for me personally, it was the feeling of wanting to do something more. There are inevitable limits to any full-time job and I wanted to reach beyond what was offered to me and go after directing commercials. That’s exactly why I quit.
Get Your Finances In Order.
I was always taught by older, much wiser freelancers that you need to take a hard look at your cost of living expenses and establish a hard line in the sand of how much you need per month to survive. Then multiply that by twelve and have that amount in your back pocket. That might seem like a heavy lift financially, but it’s the smart and safe way to ensure that if work dries up you’re not starving. It’s also smart to realize that during your freelancing career there will be plenty of times (like the winter months) when work may slow, so having that financial flexibility can really come in handy.
I’d then be sure to open some form of business banking account. For example, I have a business checking account that remains linked to my other accounts but keeps my freelance income separate. I also opened a fantastic business credit card which gets rewards on business purchases and then keeps those expenses organized.
Last, I’d recommend opening a Quickbooks account online and using that to track your spending. You’ll want to start maximizing your write-offs the day you go freelance.
Talk To Your Spouse or Partner.
To be transparent, I was married when I went full-time freelance and I wish I had been more upfront with the realities of what that decision entailed when talking to my significant other. My wife didn’t work in film, and looking back I’m not sure I factored in the ways the decision would affect our joint lifestyle. You need to have an honest and blunt conversation with your partner about when and how you would quit your job. If they don’t work in the field, don’t skim over the reality check that there will be times when you’re not working for weeks on end, that your bank account might fluctuate heavily, and that regular business hours aren’t really a thing. Unfortunately, there are times where I have to answer the phone at dinner on the East Coast because of an incoming West Coast call. Lay out every bad situation with your partner, but also explain to them why you want to go freelance. This will help guide a healthy conversation.
Get Your Social Media and Website in Order.
This is again something I did not do well at first. You should start by identifying exactly what you’re offering the freelance world and adjust your social media and website pages to advertise that. I personally don’t think being a jack-of-all-trades is a good thing for freelancers. When I hire a sound person for example, if they are advertising their lighting gear on their website, I then assume they don’t just focus on sound. You really need to hone in on that niche you’re after and focus attention there. I would be sure to have a full website, Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo page, and LinkedIn all consistent with what you do. Make it clear and apparent the skill you’re offering the freelance world, the market you’re targeting, and the work you’ve been a part of.
There’s also a level of spin you can put on things when writing up info about yourself. Take the Wrinkle In Time project I did for Disney through Tongal. As part of that project, Ava Duvernay watched the short films that I and other filmmakers created, so for my write-up on my website it says ‘a short film supported by Ava Duvernay.’ Every freelancer spins verbiage to their advantage, so you should start this trend out of the gate. I would actually recommend clicking around Tongal’s leaderboard and finding the business websites of some of their top filmmakers to see how they’ve laid things out.
Ask Others for Critical Feedback.
If you can’t handle blunt feedback, you are in the wrong business. You need to get others - and not your close friends or your parents - to look at your work critically. And then you need to take that criticism to heart and do something about it. Once you cut a reel, build your website and develop who you are as a freelancer, get eyes on it strictly for feedback. I remember mailing out DVDs of my reel back in college to various commercial directors with a note that said ‘Please be brutally honest. I’m not looking for work, I’m looking for critiques.’ I truly believe lots of people in film like helping other filmmakers improve by offering critical thoughts on their work vs. just handing the job to someone else. When you get that feedback, there’s a chance you may learn that your work or skill sets aren’t quite ready to justify quitting that full-time job just yet.
Don’t Undervalue Yourself.
A very frequent question you'll be asked is ‘What is your day rate?’ And while you may be younger or less experienced, a smart rate will say a lot about you as a freelancer. You should know the market rates for what you offer. And while you should be charging less than others if you’re fairly new, don’t undercut everyone else. When I hire out of town crew on travel jobs, if I see someone’s rate that is hundreds less than what I know the going average prices are, I automatically assume they don’t know what they’re doing. Cheaper isn’t better. Find out what others are charging for comparable skills and gear, and go from there.
Don’t Burn A Bridge.
If your full-time gig is in film, how you quit your job can have ramifications on your future freelance work. People talk, cities are small, and we’re in a very incestuous field of business. Make your employer still want to work with you after you leave. I remember putting in four weeks notice instead of two. I also told them why I was leaving and (thankfully) they completely understood and were incredibly happy for me. Looking back on the months that followed, the majority of my freelance work actually came from my previous employer, and I stand by the fact that I have a good working relationship with them still. But as tempting as it is to trash people on the way out, you never know who in this industry knows whom. Maintain a positive attitude on the way out no matter what.
Once You’ve Quit - Tell People You’re A Freelancer!
This might seem obvious, but it’s sometimes overlooked. Once you’re ready to officially quit, you should have a list of emails ready to be sent the following day. Let’s take a graphics person in a mid-sized city for example. I would target production houses and agencies within a one-hour radius who don’t have many graphics examples on their reels, and let them know you’re a new gfx freelancer in town and wanted to send your work their way should the need ever arise. Don’t outright ask for work; make it more casual than that. They probably have their go-to people but you wanted to let them know you exist. To take it a step further, you could offer the opportunity to meet for coffee in person and tell them about how your skills could add to their business. And if you’re targeting a business that already has a graphics person in-house, for example, offer up the possibility of taking on overflow work.
Another thought is to tell others who have similar skills to yours who you are. Maybe you email other gfx freelancers in your city and say you’d be willing to take their overflow work or jobs they pass up with the promise to do the same for them down the line. We see this business as competitive, but often we can actually help one another. The bottom line is to play to the realities of business and personalize reach outs to make that human connection. Places are always looking for new talent, so what you offer could open up new business possibilities to them.
Overall, I hope you enjoyed these pieces of advice to help you on your freelance journey. Having the flexibility and change of scenery in going from job to job is something I value heavily, and I don’t regret going freelance for a second. But remember to take a critical look at yourself and your situation, because maybe that leap isn’t for you.
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Note From Tongal: “Do Quit Your Day Job" is part of a series of Tongal Community-written blog posts that were originally sourced in the Tongal Blog Open Call Project. Read more Tongal Community-written posts here and then Pitch us a topic you'd like to write about for the Tongal Blog!
