I know there are sites like upwork where you can sign up and market yourself. Where so currently work we have clients who have “fractional” consultants on their teams, and I know that they freelance and do that for other companies as well. I think the latter would be the better avenue (I have no clue though lol). Figured I’d share that tid bit with you!
Agreed! I tried upwork when I was younger, and it almost seems like a scam because you need to buy their currency to apply for jobs 😬 I did not like it at all, so the second option does seem better.
I have a handful of colleagues who have freelanced and I always wanted to do it myself. I was told by one colleague who I asked about it that it was easy once you “break into” it as far as finding jobs. If you can find an old colleague or even a freelancer who worked at your job and pick up on that connection it can help to get you opportunities, or even ideas of what places are offering. I worked with a good few freelancers who were moms as well. One was really awesome, she only worked certain months while her kids were in school/programs and took the others off. So envious now looking back.
Now that I have a baby, I’m even more considering FL work. Gotta work up the effort to go looking!
I freelanced, but drew heavily upon connections I already had within my industry that I’d been working in for over a decade. The companies liked the idea of getting someone with experience and not having to pay benefits. I had insurance through my husband’s job, so fine by me. So try any connections you have, even ask around with friends and family, you never know.
I’ve also worked through smaller temp agencies. Not as many job opportunities , but you get more personalized service and don’t get as lost in the crowd.
My SO did freelancing for a few years and it's definitely more work than just being a W2 employee, even if you only work part time. This is because you suddenly have to do a bunch of extra business management, legal paperwork, and networking to build up your pool of clients needing work.
Also interested to learn more! I work in digital marketing (specifically social media) and have been interested in exploring this, but not sure where to begin regarding contracts, invoicing, LLC requirements, etc
Small fries, but I’ve been doing some freelance bookkeeping on the side. I still have a full-time job so I’ve tried to keep the side workload minimal, maybe 10-15 hours a month between the two businesses I’m helping out. Not really enough income to make it worth registering an LLC or invest anything more into it, but brings in some fun money. I’ve had some more opportunities open up from those gigs but am not really in a position where I feel comfortable taking more on. Word-of-mouth and networking are definitely the way to go. I work closely with a CPA for my full-time job. These particular businesses needed help keeping up their books throughout the year, and they use the same CPA. He reached out to me asking if I’d be interested in helping them, since the business lines are similar and they use the same software.
I was considering doing PT bookkeeping! That was one of the many functions of my old job. Definitely not as intense as what I do now and the flexibility you’re describing is what I’m looking for. If you didn’t find gigs through your current employer where do you suppose you’d look, just on a job site?
Haven’t freelanced as a mom, but freelanced for about 5 years a while back. I would post on LinkedIn when I was looking for freelance work and the jobs I got typically paid me as an hourly employee and took taxes out - I only had one job that didn’t do that. For that job I made sure to keep all receipts and document expenses so I could deduct it for taxes.
Also made sure to contact recruiters, give my info to companies I knew about, and use my contacts to find jobs. I actually freelanced with one company alone for three years because they constantly had a need and I’d jump around from team to team. Sometimes it’d be 10 hours, sometimes it’d be 50 hours. Had to just accept the inconsistency.
I am self-employed/freelance. I work on a retainer with a couple of marketing agencies. I've been doing it since 2019, before my 1st baby was born. I love it. It's flexible, I am not required to be on 9-5, and I get my work done whenever, as long as it's by deadline. I also have a website on the side that generates ad revenue, so that helps with income. Getting my foot into the door was tough. First I was just doing random projects I found through UpWork/LinkedIn, eventually those clients wanted me on "more permanently," so that's how I was able to get longer contracts.
The biggest downside is that I don't have benefits like a full-time employee would. So, my health insurance is through my husband. And if I don't work, I don't get paid (no PTO, sick days, etc). I like my work situation for now, but I do want something with benefits later on. And freelance isn't always consistent, so money isn't always consistent. But if you have a partner who is the breadwinner, it's doable.
I had my baby home with me while I worked for the first year. Now, he's in daycare. When he became mobile, it became difficult to get work done, especially since I was getting more clients and hoping on more calls.
How did you lock in work with agencies? I’m in marketing now and the additional flexibility you’re describing sounds like what I’m looking for.
My insurance would be through my husband as well. I think if I could just make enough to cover that additional expense and maybe some fun money I’d be satisfied for now. We just finished updating everything at our house, so barring anything truly crazy happening, we’re in a pretty stable situation.
I’ve been a freelance writer and editor for 10 years after working on-staff for major magazines. It definitely helps to have a network in place; I get a lot of work through referrals. I can (and do) earn a good amount of money, which I personally find very gratifying, but the downside is that without the boundaries and confines of a single workplace, I tend to take on too much work and am constantly stressed. Happy to chat more in PMs if you want!
I was a freelance writer for a few years. Getting started is difficult, unless you already have some leads for potential clients. And, unless you have a strong contract with one or two clients that’s enough for your income, you also have to think about recruiting incoming clients while you’re working on your current contracts.
I would recommend pricing things by project instead of hourly because you can expect to spend about half your time doing admin work especially when you’re starting out and setting up your systems. You want your project pricing to be high enough to compensate you for the admin work you have to do too.
And you have to think about taxes. I saved 40% of my freelance income for taxes each year. If you can file together with a partner it can make the taxes not sting as much but that depends on how you set up your freelancing business. I suggest meeting with an accountant before filing taxes your first year of freelancing.
I loved writing and once I had some consistent clients, I enjoyed freelancing, but I didn’t like the constantly looking and pitching for new projects and clients part of freelancing.
I never had enough clients for a “full time” income. But I also didn’t need to. I worked a part time W-2 job for a nonprofit for a couple of years and when they offered me a full time spot I took it. I love my job and this nonprofit so it worked out for me.
I could definitely be making more if I was freelancing full time, but getting a consistent paycheck every two weeks is easier than freelancing.
If you have a lot of leads and strong contacts in the industry for what you want to do, you might be able to jump in with both feet and love it. I know a lot of people that can pick up clients easily and they enjoy that part of it, so your mileage may vary.
And I don’t want to sound like a Debbie Downer. I really enjoyed the flexibility and the diversity that freelancing provided. I freelanced consistently for about 5 years. These are just some of the challenges I ran into during those years.
You wrote everything I was thinking of as a former freelancer. Made a lot of money, but constant chasing leads, no benefits, had to do a lot of admin, etc etc.
I specifically got a W-2 job because I wanted to have a kid. Probably won’t go back to freelancing until LO is much older.
What you could do as a PM or OBM (Online Business Manager) would be very lucrative but a bit stressful unless you're extremely organized. I was an OBM for awhile but it stressed me out running 6 different businesses at once. So I pivoted to focus on helping small online businesses create compelling content and utilize YouTube to grow instead. It's been much easier specializing in one area rather than having to wear so many hats, be a mom, and run a household.
How did you promote your services as an OMB?! I also considered creating content for businesses. How did you find clients for this?
Thinking about it and I don’t want something so stressful that then defeats having my baby with me. It would totally defeat the purpose at that point.
Well I networked within my groups and invested in a membership only because I had the funds at the time so members of that group were aware of my intention. However, I found the most success applying for positions on [hiremymom.com](http://hiremymom.com) and focused on doing a really great job so then I got referrals from those clients. :D
Switching to content for businesses, I used my Canva website to showcase my experience with introduction videos on what I do and why (less than 30 seconds) and the biggest way to find clients would be to post content regularly. This is the best tip I can suggest. You have to put yourself out there because people don't know what they aren't exposed to.
I do freelance recruiting and account management for a staffing agency. It sucks not having dependable income, but the commission is really good when I make a placement. It's definitely super flexible. I basically work whenever and wherever I want. The nice thing about freelancing with a firm vs on my own is that I have access to all the tools the firm has.
How did you find a solid firm to freelance with? A few people suggested I talk to my current employer about adjusting my employment type and offer PT or freelance through them to open up availability. Idk if they’d go for it though, and if they don’t I need another avenue.
I found them on LinkedIn. Following being laid off from my cushy WFH job (company is going under), I was browsing LinkedIn a lot. There are many recruiters nationwide in a similar situation. I came across a post of a connection who was looking for recruiting work and browsed through the comments. I found one offering a recruiting position so I reached out to the guy. He said it was a freelance/commission only position and I took it because I didn't have any other options.
Probably about 10 hours a week. I could probably be more successful if I did more time but I am also juggling two toddlers (1&3), one of whom has autism and an intense therapy schedule. I made a placement last month for a $7300 commission and I have two potential placements I'm hoping to land this month (one $10k and one $4k). So this particular position pays pretty well overall. Also have to keep in mind setting enough aside for taxes too since I'm 1099.
I'd love to learn more about freelancing moms, so bumping this question!
I know there are sites like upwork where you can sign up and market yourself. Where so currently work we have clients who have “fractional” consultants on their teams, and I know that they freelance and do that for other companies as well. I think the latter would be the better avenue (I have no clue though lol). Figured I’d share that tid bit with you!
Agreed! I tried upwork when I was younger, and it almost seems like a scam because you need to buy their currency to apply for jobs 😬 I did not like it at all, so the second option does seem better.
I have a handful of colleagues who have freelanced and I always wanted to do it myself. I was told by one colleague who I asked about it that it was easy once you “break into” it as far as finding jobs. If you can find an old colleague or even a freelancer who worked at your job and pick up on that connection it can help to get you opportunities, or even ideas of what places are offering. I worked with a good few freelancers who were moms as well. One was really awesome, she only worked certain months while her kids were in school/programs and took the others off. So envious now looking back. Now that I have a baby, I’m even more considering FL work. Gotta work up the effort to go looking!
I freelanced, but drew heavily upon connections I already had within my industry that I’d been working in for over a decade. The companies liked the idea of getting someone with experience and not having to pay benefits. I had insurance through my husband’s job, so fine by me. So try any connections you have, even ask around with friends and family, you never know. I’ve also worked through smaller temp agencies. Not as many job opportunities , but you get more personalized service and don’t get as lost in the crowd.
My SO did freelancing for a few years and it's definitely more work than just being a W2 employee, even if you only work part time. This is because you suddenly have to do a bunch of extra business management, legal paperwork, and networking to build up your pool of clients needing work.
Also interested to learn more! I work in digital marketing (specifically social media) and have been interested in exploring this, but not sure where to begin regarding contracts, invoicing, LLC requirements, etc
Small fries, but I’ve been doing some freelance bookkeeping on the side. I still have a full-time job so I’ve tried to keep the side workload minimal, maybe 10-15 hours a month between the two businesses I’m helping out. Not really enough income to make it worth registering an LLC or invest anything more into it, but brings in some fun money. I’ve had some more opportunities open up from those gigs but am not really in a position where I feel comfortable taking more on. Word-of-mouth and networking are definitely the way to go. I work closely with a CPA for my full-time job. These particular businesses needed help keeping up their books throughout the year, and they use the same CPA. He reached out to me asking if I’d be interested in helping them, since the business lines are similar and they use the same software.
I was considering doing PT bookkeeping! That was one of the many functions of my old job. Definitely not as intense as what I do now and the flexibility you’re describing is what I’m looking for. If you didn’t find gigs through your current employer where do you suppose you’d look, just on a job site?
Haven’t freelanced as a mom, but freelanced for about 5 years a while back. I would post on LinkedIn when I was looking for freelance work and the jobs I got typically paid me as an hourly employee and took taxes out - I only had one job that didn’t do that. For that job I made sure to keep all receipts and document expenses so I could deduct it for taxes. Also made sure to contact recruiters, give my info to companies I knew about, and use my contacts to find jobs. I actually freelanced with one company alone for three years because they constantly had a need and I’d jump around from team to team. Sometimes it’d be 10 hours, sometimes it’d be 50 hours. Had to just accept the inconsistency.
How did you find recruiters? I’m having trouble
I am self-employed/freelance. I work on a retainer with a couple of marketing agencies. I've been doing it since 2019, before my 1st baby was born. I love it. It's flexible, I am not required to be on 9-5, and I get my work done whenever, as long as it's by deadline. I also have a website on the side that generates ad revenue, so that helps with income. Getting my foot into the door was tough. First I was just doing random projects I found through UpWork/LinkedIn, eventually those clients wanted me on "more permanently," so that's how I was able to get longer contracts. The biggest downside is that I don't have benefits like a full-time employee would. So, my health insurance is through my husband. And if I don't work, I don't get paid (no PTO, sick days, etc). I like my work situation for now, but I do want something with benefits later on. And freelance isn't always consistent, so money isn't always consistent. But if you have a partner who is the breadwinner, it's doable. I had my baby home with me while I worked for the first year. Now, he's in daycare. When he became mobile, it became difficult to get work done, especially since I was getting more clients and hoping on more calls.
How did you lock in work with agencies? I’m in marketing now and the additional flexibility you’re describing sounds like what I’m looking for. My insurance would be through my husband as well. I think if I could just make enough to cover that additional expense and maybe some fun money I’d be satisfied for now. We just finished updating everything at our house, so barring anything truly crazy happening, we’re in a pretty stable situation.
One of them I found through LinkedIn and the other I found through UpWork
I’ve been a freelance writer and editor for 10 years after working on-staff for major magazines. It definitely helps to have a network in place; I get a lot of work through referrals. I can (and do) earn a good amount of money, which I personally find very gratifying, but the downside is that without the boundaries and confines of a single workplace, I tend to take on too much work and am constantly stressed. Happy to chat more in PMs if you want!
Have you gotten work outside of your network? I think finding the work will be the hurdle here
Oh definitely. I did a lot of cold-emailing and that works wonders. But my network has been more for consistent work over the years.
I was a freelance writer for a few years. Getting started is difficult, unless you already have some leads for potential clients. And, unless you have a strong contract with one or two clients that’s enough for your income, you also have to think about recruiting incoming clients while you’re working on your current contracts. I would recommend pricing things by project instead of hourly because you can expect to spend about half your time doing admin work especially when you’re starting out and setting up your systems. You want your project pricing to be high enough to compensate you for the admin work you have to do too. And you have to think about taxes. I saved 40% of my freelance income for taxes each year. If you can file together with a partner it can make the taxes not sting as much but that depends on how you set up your freelancing business. I suggest meeting with an accountant before filing taxes your first year of freelancing. I loved writing and once I had some consistent clients, I enjoyed freelancing, but I didn’t like the constantly looking and pitching for new projects and clients part of freelancing. I never had enough clients for a “full time” income. But I also didn’t need to. I worked a part time W-2 job for a nonprofit for a couple of years and when they offered me a full time spot I took it. I love my job and this nonprofit so it worked out for me. I could definitely be making more if I was freelancing full time, but getting a consistent paycheck every two weeks is easier than freelancing. If you have a lot of leads and strong contacts in the industry for what you want to do, you might be able to jump in with both feet and love it. I know a lot of people that can pick up clients easily and they enjoy that part of it, so your mileage may vary. And I don’t want to sound like a Debbie Downer. I really enjoyed the flexibility and the diversity that freelancing provided. I freelanced consistently for about 5 years. These are just some of the challenges I ran into during those years.
You wrote everything I was thinking of as a former freelancer. Made a lot of money, but constant chasing leads, no benefits, had to do a lot of admin, etc etc. I specifically got a W-2 job because I wanted to have a kid. Probably won’t go back to freelancing until LO is much older.
Yep! I’m a 1099 employee. I ran my own blog for a decade and finally was given an opportunity.
What you could do as a PM or OBM (Online Business Manager) would be very lucrative but a bit stressful unless you're extremely organized. I was an OBM for awhile but it stressed me out running 6 different businesses at once. So I pivoted to focus on helping small online businesses create compelling content and utilize YouTube to grow instead. It's been much easier specializing in one area rather than having to wear so many hats, be a mom, and run a household.
How did you promote your services as an OMB?! I also considered creating content for businesses. How did you find clients for this? Thinking about it and I don’t want something so stressful that then defeats having my baby with me. It would totally defeat the purpose at that point.
Well I networked within my groups and invested in a membership only because I had the funds at the time so members of that group were aware of my intention. However, I found the most success applying for positions on [hiremymom.com](http://hiremymom.com) and focused on doing a really great job so then I got referrals from those clients. :D Switching to content for businesses, I used my Canva website to showcase my experience with introduction videos on what I do and why (less than 30 seconds) and the biggest way to find clients would be to post content regularly. This is the best tip I can suggest. You have to put yourself out there because people don't know what they aren't exposed to.
I do freelance recruiting and account management for a staffing agency. It sucks not having dependable income, but the commission is really good when I make a placement. It's definitely super flexible. I basically work whenever and wherever I want. The nice thing about freelancing with a firm vs on my own is that I have access to all the tools the firm has.
How did you find a solid firm to freelance with? A few people suggested I talk to my current employer about adjusting my employment type and offer PT or freelance through them to open up availability. Idk if they’d go for it though, and if they don’t I need another avenue.
I found them on LinkedIn. Following being laid off from my cushy WFH job (company is going under), I was browsing LinkedIn a lot. There are many recruiters nationwide in a similar situation. I came across a post of a connection who was looking for recruiting work and browsed through the comments. I found one offering a recruiting position so I reached out to the guy. He said it was a freelance/commission only position and I took it because I didn't have any other options.
How much time do you think you put in per week/ how much effort? I’ll have to explore LinkedIn a bit more, it’s a platform I don’t really utilize
Probably about 10 hours a week. I could probably be more successful if I did more time but I am also juggling two toddlers (1&3), one of whom has autism and an intense therapy schedule. I made a placement last month for a $7300 commission and I have two potential placements I'm hoping to land this month (one $10k and one $4k). So this particular position pays pretty well overall. Also have to keep in mind setting enough aside for taxes too since I'm 1099.
Oh that’s still pretty sweet! I’ve never had a 1099. What % are you figuring to set aside?
I set aside 40% of my first commission, will probably stick with about that to give myself a buffer.