When I was a kid growing up in Southern California, my job search was only limited by the number of interviews I could get to on my bicycle or skateboard. A few years later, that expanded to how far I was willing to drive in my VW bug. When the Internet blew the top off of the job market in the early 1990s, I suddenly found myself competing against Divyansh, Raghav, and Uthkarsh in Bangladesh—even though the job was less than three miles from my apartment in Southern California. Then in the first quarter of 2020, the poop hit the fan.
Little did I know, it would take a global pandemic to turn things completely on its ear—literally overnight. According to the Department of Labor, the U.S. economy has lost more than 30 million jobs as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. Other estimates put the number higher than 40 million. At the same time, 20 million furloughed workers have resorted to unemployment benefits; often for the first time in their lives. “Depending on how you count it, you’re talking about something like a quarter of all U.S. jobs being disrupted by the pandemic,” said Erica Groshen, a former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner appointed by President Barack Obama.
Many of the jobs hardest hit started in the service sector: food and beverage, the travel industry, and hotels. But, as the pandemic continued its unbridled spread, job insecurity bled into other so-called “safe” jobs like paralegals and financial analysts.
The News is Not Good… Or Is It?
“Our best guess is something like 60% of the employment reduction is going to be temporary, and 40% is going to be permanent,” said Nicholas Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University and one of the co-authors of the Becker Friedman Institute paper, COVID-19 Is Also a Reallocation Shock. “Looking through history at previous recessions, often these temporary layoffs, unfortunately, turn out to be permanent.”
While I’ve always had my suspicions that our bloated workforce was due for a change, I really didn’t know when and if that would happen. You see, I’ve been a home-based freelance writer for the past sixteen years. Truth be told, I’ve been almost immune to the challenges others have faced. I spend most of the day working at home on my computer writing articles like these and ghostwriting books for clients; relatively free from the economic threat of the coronavirus. My home is my office, I spend virtually nothing on gasoline and dining out is as close as a shuffle to the kitchen refrigerator. As long as my clients are doing well, I am too. But, that could change.
In Uri Berliner’s article, Jobs In The Pandemic: More Are Freelance And May Stay That Way Forever, he writes about the changing face of the workforce. Even before the pandemic hit, there were indicators that the job market was rife for change. 
According to a study by Upwork, the popular freelance job platform, freelancers have increased from 17% of the workforce in 2014 to over 36% in 2020. At the same time, employers have eliminated millions of full-time, permanent jobs, never to return.
Many workers have leaped into freelancing out of necessity rather than choice. That’s exactly what happened to me in 2009 when the economic downturn sent me scrambling into the unchartered waters of freelancing. While I’d made a few bucks freelancing on the side, I wasn’t prepared for what was about to happen: the roller-coaster life of feast or famine. Having worked for “the man” for most of my life, I had no small business training or any understanding of how to make a living on my own. Nor, did I want to.
My Early Days as a Freelancer
One day, after I’d already exhausted every bogus online cattle call on Craigslist, I registered for a freelance writing account on Upwork. At the time, they were known as oDesk and were one of the few places a new freelancer could hang their shingle. While I have to admit that I did land a few paying gigs, it wasn’t pretty. The only reason I made any money at all was because I already knew how to write—fast. To make the effort worth my time, I had to write 1,500-word articles in less than an hour, and even then my salary was deplorable—even for a newbie.
By 2011, I had published two of my own books, as well as hundreds of articles for LIVESTRONG, the popular wellness website. It started out as a lark when they were looking for health and wellness writers to help them build their new website. Since I’d earned a master’s degree in exercise physiology and had over ten years’ experience as a clinical exercise physiologist, I was a shoo-in. At my peak, I was cranking out four to six articles a day; sometimes 40,000 words a week. And that was on top of a full-time job. My most profitable experience came like manna from Heaven in the form of a request from the popular website, eHow. They wanted to know if I’d be able to write a series of two-sentence descriptions for 400 videos—in 24 hours. I gladly agreed, cleared my desk, and went to work. I made $2,000 in twenty-four hours. Since then, every self-proclaimed “fitness expert” who has ever done a sit-up, jumped on the bandwagon and the opportunities started to dry up, as well as the level of compensation. It’s still that way today.
Since I became a working freelance writer in 2004, the business of writing has changed dramatically. It’s brutal. Today, every Tom, Dick, and Harriet who have written letters to grandma claim they’re writers. And, make a living at it. The truth is, less than 5% of working writers make over $35,000 a year. Other industries are slightly higher. A study conducted by Morning Consult reported that 55% of freelance workers (other than those in writing and publishing) made slightly under $50,000 a year, with 42% saying that they earned $50,000 or more a year. That’s not much when you factor in taxes, rent, food, and utilities. Forget about dining out—which we can’t do these days anyway. To make matters worse, freelance gig employers like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, and PeoplePerHour take as much as 20% right off the top of every one of their writing contracts.
Nevertheless, the number of freelancers continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Currently, there are 68 million freelancers in the U.S. job market. That number includes freelancers in all types of businesses from computer geeks to online training specialists and is expected to grow to more than 90 million by 2028. For most, it’s a one-way street. Their old jobs have either been eliminated or will likely shrivel up and die soon. With nowhere else to turn, workers intent on surviving will find themselves trying dozens of creative, new ways to make a living.
How On Earth Did I Get Here?
I never intended to become a freelancer. It wasn’t something on my bucket list. Instead, I planned on following in the footsteps of the greatest generation of workers after the close of World War II. Men and women who stuck with one job for thirty years then retired comfortably with social security and their pensions. Unfortunately, those days have come and gone. The average worker today will change careers between two to six times during their lifetime with little or nothing to show for it. And every time they do, they start again on the lowest rung of the ladder, with few, if any transferable skills. Many of those changes weren’t even their decisions. After giving 110% to their employer, they were pink-slipped through no fault of their own; usually, because they were downsized, or terminated because their new boss didn’t like the way they looked. That’s not including acts of God like hurricanes, tornadoes, and pandemics that seem to be increasing in number and frequency.
It’s because of job insecurities like those, that 60% of adult workers have turned to freelancing; that’s up from 53% in 2014. Even before the pandemic, people have decided that they want more control over their professional lives.
In a study by MBO Partners, 67% of respondents reported that “being their own boss” was their primary reason for freelancing. 
Seventy-six percent of women said they liked “being able to prioritize flexibility” more than anything else.
Another reason why people like the concept of freelancing is, within certain limits, they can work almost anywhere they want. Fed up with sky-high rents, student loans, and mortgages they’ll never be able to afford, many freelancers are moving to more affordable communities—often free of sales tax and other expensive overhead in big cities like Los Angeles, New York City, or Chicago.
The beauty of making a move into freelancing these days is for most people, there is simply no alternative. It’s a matter of sink or swim. When you put the decision in those terms, it takes the pressure off of asking yourself, “Am I doing the right thing? Am I ready to go into business for myself?” For many, it’s their only recourse.
The keys to success working as a freelance or independent contractor involve taking four important actions: 1) building an online platform, 2) creating a unique specialty, 3) developing a positive image, and 4) creating a sense of self-worth.
Building an Online Platform
Do you have an elevator speech? If not, you should. But what is an elevator speech? It’s a simple, thirty-second pitch you present to someone if they asked you what you do for a living during a short elevator ride to their executive suite. When people ask you what you do for a living, do you squirm, wiggle and sweat while saying,
“Well… uh, actually, well, the thing of it is, what I usually try to do is, um, attempt to write a little about some things or another that I like.”
If you answered that way, you’re dead in the water. Instead, when people ask you what you do, be ready to draw a well-rehearsed elevator speech from your holster like a six-shooter,
“I’m an award-winning freelance writer and ghostwriter who works with people who have something to say but may not know how to say it. That’s why they hire me. To capture their thoughts and ideas, that result in stories unlike anything anyone else has written.”
It’s that simple.
Whenever I ask currently employed people, “Do you use social media?” they scoff and say, “Oh, I used to use LinkedIn, but I gave it up when I got a job.” That’s the wrong answer. In this day and age of rapid, ever-changing online opportunities, savvy freelancers understand the importance of maintaining an active online presence; usually Facebook and LinkedIn, with an emphasis on the latter. It can take years to develop an online presence, so the time to start building one isn’t when you think you’re going to be laid off. The time is now.
According to Business Insider Intelligence, LinkedIn surpassed half a billion users in 2017. LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Wiener said the company’s goal is to be the core of networked professionals and 70 million companies, worldwide. In my post 10 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Leverage Your Exposure and Find Work, I wrote, “LinkedIn is the most used business-related social media site among Fortune 500 companies. It’s where 550 million movers and shakers in 220 countries spend their spare time. It’s where they look for high-quality content and users. Every week, LinkedIn feeds are seen by 9 million subscribers. That translates to more than 36 billion impressions a month, or 468 billion impressions a year. When marketing executives were asked about the top social media platforms for business-relevant content, 91% reported that they chose LinkedIn. Less than 29% chose Twitter; 27% chose Facebook.”
Remember that all of the guidelines to success you used to depend on have changed. And they’re likely to change even more as business professionals like yourself try to figure out what will work and what won’t in a new, untried climate. Successful freelancers have to be willing to constantly adapt. That means remaining open to trying new things; things you’ve never tried before because you couldn’t see the point.
Creating a Unique Specialty
When someone asks you, “What do you write about?” most new freelance writers respond by saying, “Oh, I’ll write about anything.” While that might sound like great, flexible advice, it’s the kiss of death. If you needed open-heart surgery, would you go to a general practitioner or podiatrist who advertises, “I do everything. Cosmetic surgery, bunion removal, and transplanting your spleen. I do it all.” Probably not. Telling people, you do everything is a huge red flag. It’s a warning to new clients that you’re desperate for work and they should go somewhere else. While you might miss out on a few jobs, you’ll give yourself time to hone your skills and become a recognized master at what you do best. Then, people will tell others about you, and they’ll tell others.
Developing a Positive Image
After you have a few great experiences under your belt, begin developing a bullet-proof, positive image. If you don’t already,
you should have an attractive and easy to navigate website that informs people in a nano-second who you are, what you do, and more importantly what you can do for them. It should display liberal samples of your work, making it easy for new clients to decide if you’re a good match for their needs. These days, you don’t need to be an experienced web designer to build a quality website. There are dozens of affordable packages available that use attractive templates and will run anywhere from three to ten dollars a month. If you’re still uncomfortable delving into a new website, check with your local community college. They’ll be able to connect you with hundreds of hungry students in their computer department who can build an attractive and functional website for next to nothing.
Once you have your website up and running, tell everyone you know exactly what you do and who you’ve had as clients. Building a new business means you’ll need to constantly be in full-on marketing mode. This includes putting all of your contact information in your email signature at the bottom of every email you send. That includes a small photo of yourself (for some reason, people like to see who they’re dealing with), your telephone number, website address, email address, as well as links to your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. I’m always amazed when new freelancers tell me, “Oh, I don’t want to give out my email and telephone number. I might get hacked.” Really? Seriously? There are two problems with that argument: one, in this day and age, if someone wants to hack your information, there’s nothing you can do to stop them. If they’re crafty enough to invade the Pentagon, your account should be easy. Two, you’re in the business of being recognized! It amazes me that people trying to build a new business and an online platform don’t feel comfortable sharing their contact information.
Creating a Sense of Self-worth
How much are you worth? Not how much stuff do you own, but what is your time worth to you and your customers? Studies have shown that Ninety percent of new freelancers under-estimate their own rates; usually by fifty percent or more. The overwhelming responses aren’t restricted to just writing and publishing. New freelancers of every industry undervalue themselves and have no concept of what they should charge their customers. Is this important? You bet it is. If you went shopping for a brand-new Ferrari and found one on sale for $950, what would you think? Chances are the first thing that would cross your mind is, “I wonder what’s wrong with this car? Why is it so cheap? I certainly don’t want to buy that car.” Your labor is the same thing.
When someone asks you, “How much do you charge? do your research and be prepared to quote them market values for what services you provide by the project and by the hour. Are you afraid they’re too high? Are you concerned you’ll lose a prospective customer? That probably won’t happen. Why? Because quoting new clients a competitive market value will say volumes about what you can offer the client and what you think about the quality of your work. If you really want to help them, you can always negotiate a lower price; a price that even if it’s lower than your original quote, is still competitive. If they still balk at your prices, then chances are, they’d balk at anything you propose. You probably don’t want those types of people as your clients.
To come up with an estimated hourly rate, Jennifer Bourn suggests the following approach. Divide your annual desired salary by the number of hours worked each year:
- 40 hours/week × 52 weeks/year = 2,080 hours
- $100,000 desired salary ÷ 2,080 hours = roughly $50 per hour
It takes into account all of your overhead, as well as time off for a vacation. But don’t take that figure as gospel. There’s a lot of 
leeway in different fields. I suggest looking into what other people in similar positions are charging and review their work. But beware. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
One of the biggest challenges for new freelancers is determining the market value for their services. Unlike the construction industry that estimates building expenses by the cost of material and labor, soft industries like consulting, computer programming, writing and publishing require few, if any, tangible resources beyond the ability to think, breathe and act. That scares the living daylights out of most newbies and causes them to undercut not only their own value but the industry as a whole. Adding fuel to the fire is hopping onboard freelancing sites like Upwork and relinquishing your self-esteem for the rock-bottom rates they advertise. Don’t do it.
When I started writing for Upwork back in the early 2000s, I was new to the freelance game. I had no idea how much to charge, what I should write about, and how to ensure repeat business. I just wanted to work and build my portfolio. But, since I also had a full-time job to fall back on, I really wasn’t particular how much I made. Or, didn’t make. So, following the advice above, I looked around the Upwork neighborhood to see what my peers were charging. That was a huge mistake. The overwhelming majority of Upwork freelancers were charging $15 to $35 an hour. Upwork ghostwriters were quoting $300 for a 50,000-word memoir. Unconscionable rates where quality ghostwritten books by seasoned professional writers run the gambit from $22,800 to $80,000 with byline credit. If no credit is given to the ghostwriter, that range jumps to $36,200 to $100,000. But, without any alternatives, I signed on and went to work, deflating both my professional standing and the industry as well.
After six months, I started hanging out with a higher class of working professional writers—people I found in the LinkedIn neighborhood and through other industry-specific organizations like the Association of Ghostwriters. Eventually, word got out as I built my website and portfolio, and job offers came rolling in. As they did, I paid closer attention to what the market value actually was for writing professionals; not newbies undercutting each other on freelancing sites.
The Dawn of a New Day
While there are plenty of resources available for those contemplating the freelance life, the only thing you can guarantee is things will continue to change; not only for independent contractors but all other forms of business as well. Internet providers and communication 
apps like Zoom have been swamped overnight and are scrambling to keep up. The number of Zoom subscribers skyrocketed from 10 million to more than 200 million in March 2020, including 90,000 schools across 20 countries.
In a message from Eric S. Yuan, Chief Executive Officer for Zoom, he said, “We did not design the product with the foresight that, in a matter of weeks, every person in the world would suddenly be working, studying, and socializing from home. We now have a much broader set of users who are utilizing our product in a myriad of unexpected ways, presenting us with challenges we did not anticipate when the platform was conceived.”
To help keep up with the demand, Zoom is offering training opportunities to help new subscribers:
- Trainings and tutorial webinars
- Live daily demos
- Upcoming webinars
- Video trainings
- Webinar sign-ups for various platform trainings
And Zoom is only one tool new freelancers will be using to conduct virtual business. The beauty of it is, working with clients in Perth, New Zealand is as easy as working with someone who lives down the street. Even my new friends, Divyansh, Raghav, and Uthkarsh in Bangladesh. Savvy consumers are warming up to the idea that you no longer have to meet in Starbucks to do business. In fact, it’s easier and more productive to work from your homes—if you’ve kept up with the technology and business etiquette. What’s that? Business etiquette?
With so many prospective clients looking for someone to do their work, there’s been a rapid return to proper etiquette. Yet, even today, it’s the standard operating procedure for job applicants to be “ghosted” when the number of applicants far exceeds the 
number of job openings. I recently applied for a ghostwriting job at Scribe Media. They required that I painstakingly rewrite an uncompensated 4,000-word test assignment. I waited and waited and waited with no response. Finally, after four months, I received a canned email template (which obviously wasn’t sent by a human being) giving me the bad news: I hadn’t been selected. I found out later that they hired fourteen part-time candidates out of a field of 17,000 applicants. I had no idea there were 17,000 seasoned ghostwriters in the business. Of course, most of those applicants probably weren’t ghostwriters—just wannabes Scribe wanted to train. In fact, companies like Scribe Media are often threatened by seasoned writers. Nevertheless, it seems old business tactics die hard for some companies. But you shouldn’t have to stand for it.
Successful freelancers can’t afford to embrace those deplorable behaviors if they expect to build their business in the face of fierce competition. Simple things like returning telephone calls or Zoom meeting requests the same day (and often across multiple time zones) will put savvy freelancers miles ahead of their competition. Other things like offering product discounts and free add-ons will demonstrate to your clients that you appreciate their business.
In simple terms, big businesses have gotten fat. It took an international pandemic to wake everyone up and get back to basics. People have been scrambling to make ends meet for thousands of years and they will for another thousand. But serious, classy workers have already figured out ways to rise above their competition by working for themselves. And the others? Well, that’s the subject of an entirely different discussion.
Allen R Smith is a syndicated writer and ghostwriter living in Oceanside, California. He is a three-time award winner for America’s Funniest Humor and has published thousands of long and short-form articles in print, on the web, and social media.
Smith has been featured on NBC News, ABC’s The View, and KYSL Radio. He has also been published in The Writer Magazine, The Denver Post, The Aspen Times, and was a founding writer for Lance Armstrong’s wellness website, LIVESTRONG. Smith was also the Gear Editor from 2008-2011 for Onthesnow.com, the most visited winter sports website in the United States.
Smith’s first book, Ski Instructors Confidential: The Stories Ski Instructors Swap Back at the Lodge was published in 2005, is in its second printing, and continues to sell around the world in book stores and online. His second book, Watching Grandma Circle the Drain was published in 2011 and has received rave reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and dozens of independent websites and blogs. He has also contributed to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners (2010) and The Gigantic Armchair Reader (2008). His latest book, Monkey in a Pink Canoe was published in April 2014 and earned the Best Humor Award from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association.
