The Asymmetries of Freelancing

Every new year, I can expect a slow period in my freelancing work. January and February end up being a great time for personal projects. Usually, the slowdown is short. Nothing to be feared.

People talk about how freelancing has a risky, scary cycle: the feast-or-famine cycle.

And you’d think that this cycle is predictable and stable, when in fact, it’s unpredictable and skews to one end or the other. Long stretches of work, occasionally long stretches of slowdowns. The cycle isn’t symmetrical at all.

In reality, freelancing is full of asymmetries. Lots of asymmetries that are good.

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You invest in publishing content, and you get invited on podcasts.

You develop a specialty, and you get work from surprising new clients.

You assemble peers and create community, and you land in new friend circles.

You craft a website that speaks to a specific struggle and helps on a specific journey, and you might find a great new client at just the right time.

You take advantage of reinforcing side-effects from learning new things and sharing them with others, and pretty soon you have a content flywheel.

You broaden your curiosity, and you explore random topics, and pretty soon you create new insights, new connections and new analogies.

You do your best work for this one great client, and soon your reputation precedes you.

Avoid breaking your word and you’ll outlast the ones who risk their reputation.

Add variety to your client list and you might get new product ideas.

Talk with other owners, and you’ll become a better one yourself.

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Staying an employee might shield yourself from your fears of freelancing. You’d be shielding yourself from the asymmetrical benefits of freelancing too.