Leaving the grind of corporate 9-to-5 in favor of a job you can do from anywhere is a tantalizing carrot to dangle in front of your nose. Though it’s tempting to fantasize about the beach onto which you’ll plunk your towel and laptop, be savvy about a big leap to a mobile workstation.
Voyageur U is the top resource for solopreneurs, fractional executives, and successful service providers reaching for the stars. Visit our website today to discover the many ways membership can help you succeed as an independent superstar.
Why consider a portfolio career?
Removing yourself from a traditional brick-and-mortar employee role has several advantages:
- More control over your fees and income (no more feeling inadequately compensated in an employee role)
- Total schedule freedom (you can base your client acquisition off the work hours you’d like to have)
- Potential to maximize revenue with unique programming and service packages
- Little to no overhead (when all you need is your laptop and a couple of software subscriptions, you get to keep most of your after-tax dollars)
- Total mobility (you can complete projects and meet deadlines from anywhere in the world!)
Though there are plenty of bright spots in independence, you’ll also need to beware the unique set of challenges you’ll face as a freelancer.
Home-Based Career Challenges
- You must be exceptionally self-motivated (otherwise, you risk not acquiring new clients or enough project work to support yourself or your family).
- It’s lonely out there! (Work-from-home careers can feel a bit isolating. If you enjoy being part of a team in-person, this hurdle could take some effort to overcome.)
- Distractions abound outside of the traditional office — focus is the key to success. (Working on the beach is NOT the same as vacation time. You’ll need to set clear work and recreation time boundaries to ensure your viability as an independent-for-hire.)
- It takes a minute to build a client base or paid project funnel, and you must be dedicated to client acquisition with clear strategy and implementation.
You’ve considered the up and down sides of obtaining a job you can do from anywhere. Now it’s time to narrow your search scope to find the position or the clientele that will supply your paychecks.
Top Jobs You Can Do From Anywhere
It’s crucial to match your existing skill sets (or the ones you want to develop) as you look for work outside the office. Here are several popular choices that may provide an opportunity with which you can grow.
- Writing: Content is king in the last few years, and there’s no end in sight. All companies need digital and print content that gets them seen and heard online and in real life.
If you’re skilled at writing in general, it may take only a bit of additional training before you’re writing marketing content that helps businesses bring in new audience members and sales.
Other writing opportunities include technical writing, writing for training manuals, web copy, SEO articles or blog posts, editing, and content strategy or management.
So, if you love to write and are willing to deepen or update your skillset, it may be a no-brainer for you to pursue a freelance, contract, or remote writing position. - Graphic Design: Graphic designers can niche their skills toward a precise sector, industry, or business type and easily pivot out of a typical 9-to-5 workday. Most small business owners will need graphic design services for start-up, website updates, brand pivots, print and digital advertising, and more.
- Finance: Take your accounting or finance skills mobile, and serve the cliente that fascinate and inspire you. Every business owner needs a reliable accountant or bookkeeper in their back pocket.
Landing a few clients and showing up consistently with quality work can mean a truckload of referrals to keep your income steady. You may find that your busy times revolve around yearly tax and audit milestones, but you can capitalize on slower times of the year and get out of town without jeopardizing any client relationships.
As long as you’re reachable for questions, projects, or challenges as they come up, providing financial services independently is a safe bet for time and financial freedom. - IT services: Whether it’s troubleshooting software or overseeing online security, an IT skill set can be ideal for flexible remote work. If you can add SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or SEM (Search Engine Marketing) to your list of skills, so much the better.
Digital marketing continues to be a growing, changing field. If you nerd out on algorithms and stay a step ahead of the Google update curve, you can be a boon to any size business. Once you have a few clients that love your services, it’s fairly simple to accumulate referrals and create more value for client retention. - Sales: With more and more businesses asking their teams to work from home, even sales professionals can find more opportunities to shine online. Perhaps one of the most lucrative online avenues for sales professionals is affiliate marketing.
You can find a range of products you love, and sell them with your proven methodologies. If you have a large social media following, email list, or industry clout, affiliate marketing can be an easy transition from an office job.
Work Anywhere Must-Dos
Working from home means extra freedom as well as extra responsibility. You’ll need to consider how to manage your time to accomplish your projects while leaving plenty of free time to enjoy your office-free situation.
When you transition away from standard employment, it’s quickly apparent that you need extensive organization and focus. Otherwise, you’ll burn out trying to work in your business and on it at the same time.
Having a supportive network of colleagues and mentors is crucial to maintaining the freedom you leaped for. Voyageur U is that team. We have tools to help you get and keep clients, manage your time, and enhance your skills as a freelancer.
Transitioning to sustainable, professional independent is possible and probable with the right help. Visit our website today to learn more about how membership can help you reach the top of your freelancing game. We help you make sure you can enjoy the beach as your office and a vacation, wherever you choose to land.
