“Legitimizing” Freelance Work

One of the great hazards of freelancing is the isolation of working alone, on your own.  Coworking spaces have become important and successful in no small part because they are a “respite from our isolation” (per Zachary Klass [1])

There are other mental challenges for freelancers.  It’s not quite as bad as “a worker who is his own boss has a fool for an employee”, but there certainly can be a lack of recognition and respect.  We all have experienced some form of imposter syndrome, or just plain self-doubt.  But a freelancer may have no one except themselves who even knows their successes and failures.  That’s rough. (And again, coworking communities can be very helpful.)

Jessica Thiefels writes for the Freelancers Union Blog about another aspect of this psychology, suggesting “5 ways to legitimize your freelance business”  [2].

First of all:  ouch!  Freelance work is legitimately work, but, without the trappings of formal employment it can seem like a hobby even if your livelihood depends on it.  So, yes, freelancers must “Take your freelance business seriously”—noone else will do that for you.

Thiefels’ steps are all pretty logical and probably obvious.  “Legitimate” means first and foremost, creating a formal business entity, along with a “rate sheet” and, of course a “brand”.  In short, act like a business, and you’ll feel like a business, and be taken seriously as a business.

Two other steps are less obvious, but equally reasonable:  insurance, both for you and for the business entity.  Nothing says “grown up” like having insurance, no?

These are two tips.  We can add two more:  join the Union, and join a coworking space. The former will help a lot with the formalities, and the latter will help with the psychology.

1. Zachary R. Klaas, Coworking & Connectivity in Berlin. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2014. https://www.academia.edu/11486279/Coworking_Connectivity
2. Jessica Thiefels, 5 ways to legitimize your freelance business, in Freelancers Union blog. 2019. https://blog.freelancersunion.org/2019/08/05/5-ways-to-legitimize-your-freelance-business/