Two women in an agency working on a project. — Photo: Kobu Agency

Adapted from Starting Your Freelance Business, Chapter 5 of the book How to Start a Successful Creative Agency

Let’s say you’d like to transition from a 9–5 job in marketing, advertising, or communications to full-time freelancing. You could be a writer, graphic designer, front-end programmer, or filmmaker.

How do you make that move? Most people can’t afford to quit their jobs and start looking for freelance clients.

Maybe you already have a bit of freelance work as your side hustle, but that’s not enough to live on.

This Trick Helped Me Go From Full-Time to Freelance

I was a copywriter with a full-time job. I had a little bit of freelance work I did evenings and weekends.

Then I was handed the perfect opportunity, one that might work for you too.

I got a call from a friend who was an executive at a medium-sized agency. He had an interesting proposal for me.

Find a Half Full-Time Job

He wanted to know if I was interested in joining the agency. However, they couldn’t afford me full-time. Here was his proposal: how about working for the agency for half days?

I would be given an office, computer, and the services of the creative department assistant while I worked there from 9–12. It was their job to keep me busy during those hours. For that, I would be paid a fixed salary.

If they needed me for more hours, I would get paid by the hour for which I filled out timesheets.

The rest of the day, I could use the office to work on and develop my freelance business.

Half-Day Full-Time, Plus Half-Day Freelance—An Easy Transition

This was the perfect setup for me. I looked at it as working full days, half for them, half for me.

I liked having an office to go to (an easy subway ride away, no car commute). It created structure and discipline.

And my half-day salary was more than half of my previous salary, so it felt like a raise.

Then I used my afternoons to develop my freelance work. I made calls and contacts to build it up.

One day, a printing rep came in and said he had a client that could use some writing help. Would I be interested in meeting with them?

Yes, I would.

That one contact eventually led to so much writing that I left my half-day job and worked full-time freelance out of my home.

I did that for six years until I got so busy that I decided to start my first agency. I took all of my freelance clients with me.

Don’t Get Two Half-Day Jobs

For this to work, you need to leave yourself the time to develop your freelance business. That means you don’t find two half-day jobs that take up all of your time.

Remember, your goal is to transition to full-time freelance. Your half-day job is a cushion to get you there.

How Do You Start This Type of Transition to Freelance?

If you’re working full-time now, the obvious place to start could be with your present employer. Ask whether a similar arrangement could work for them. They might be able to save money (just pay you half days plus $/hr for anything beyond that), while still having you there.

If you don’t think that would work, ask colleagues, contacts, or people you previously worked with at agencies. Contact agencies where you’d like to work. They might find it an intriguing offer. Contact other freelancers with whom you could partner on projects. Put the word out on social media. Or, how about calling a head-hunter?

What You Need to Make This Transition Work

Ideally, you need to know you can live on a half-salary and whatever freelance you have while you build your business. It helps if you saved up or have a partner with a reliable income. Just assume that for maybe a year or more, you’ll have less income.

Think about it. See whether you could make this transition to freelance work for you.

How to Build Your Freelance Client Base

To make this a success, you’ll need to find enough clients to fill up half of every day. Once you get to that point, you can start thinking about going full-time freelance. Of course, that will either take more clients, or a few clients that give you lots of work (my preference).

Here are some tips for building your client base:

Network: Attend industry events, join professional organizations, and connect with potential clients and other freelancers in your field
Cold email: Let’s say there’s a company looking to hire software developers. You would want to reach out to potential clients via email with a brief introduction and a pitch for your services. Be as specific as possible.
Create a portfolio: Showcase your best work in a portfolio that you can share with potential clients.

Manage Your Time

Managing your own time can be a challenge. Here are some tips for managing your time effectively:

Create a schedule: Set a schedule for your workday, including when you will work on projects, and when you will take breaks. Also, remember to schedule admin tasks.
Set boundaries: Set clear boundaries with clients about when you are available to work and when you are not. You don’t want clients calling late in the evening and on weekends.
Use time-tracking tools: There are many time-tracking tools available. Do a search to find the one that’s best for you. Many offer free trials so it’s easy to get started. Why do you want this? So you can monitor how long it takes you to do certain tasks and projects. Are you charging appropriately for your time? This is very important when you’re full-time freelance.

Invest in Personal Development

Freelancing offers the opportunity for personal growth and development. Here are some ways you can invest in your personal development:

Take courses: Take online courses or attend in-person workshops to learn new skills and stay up-to-date in your field.
Attend conferences: Find conferences in the industries you’re interested in. For example, if you write about health and wellbeing, find those types of conferences. You’re more likely to find prospects there than at marketing conferences that are attended by people like you.
Seek out mentorship: Find a mentor who can provide guidance and support as you navigate your freelance career. You can sometimes find mentors on community sites like Discord or Reddit.
By managing your finances, building your client base, managing your time, and investing in your personal development, you can succeed as a freelancer and enjoy the benefits of being your own boss.

Additional Tips for Freelancing Success

Learn what clients value most in a freelancer. Note: it’s NOT the lowest price.

There are many ways to bill for your services. Here are the best pricing models for creative services.

Here’s how to increase your billing with detailed estimates.

New Book For Freelancers

I’ve just published How to Become a Successful Creative Freelancer. It’s the essential business guide for freelance writers, designers, developers, filmmakers, and photographers.

Whether you’re just starting as a freelancer or have years of experience, you’ll learn a lot from this book.

It’s broken down into easy-to-understand chapters with strategies and tips you can use today. Not just “what to do”, but also “how to do it”.

It’s available now in Kindle ebook and paperback on Amazon.

Want to Grow An Agency? The Agency Book is For You

If you’re looking for tips on how to build and grow your agency, you’ll want to read How to Start a Successful Creative Agency.

Available at Amazon (Paper & Kindle), Kobo (ebook), Apple Books (ebook), and Gumroad (PDF).

The book is packed with useful information to help creatives start and grow their business.

Get. This. Book.

“Continuing to read @StroteBook and I can’t recommend it enough! No matter where you are in your journey, it’s got a breakdown on how to take your business to the next phase. Get. This. Book.”

Macklin Youmans on Twitter