These days, it’s not just enough that you have a typewriter and impeccable grammar in order to become successful in freelance writing. At some point in our career, we need to invest on things in order to grow.
And when it comes to investing, the first thing that you need to learn is that it is a continuous and ever-changing process. It is just like filling your car with gasoline. Yes, the petrol that you poured can take you to faraway places, but you need to refill your tank again after sometime. You need to learn a new writing skill in order to satiate your readers, and you might even need to upgrade some of your gadgets. In this post, you’ll learn about the essential things that freelancers should invest in to boost their craft and their business.
1. Technology
In this day and age, it is important that freelancers have mobile gadgets in their arsenal, especially if they are frequently travelling and covering events. This will allow them to easily connect with their readers and be updated with the latest events. Usually, a freelancer’s common tools are a laptop, smartphone, and tablet. But for those who want to expand their services into non-writing jobs such as web or graphics design, they can get an all in one PC like an Apple iMac or a Lenovo ThinkCenter that can handle intense tasks.
2. Retirement Fund
The good thing about being a freelancer is that you don’t have to battle horrible bosses or follow strict corporate rules. However, the downside is that you do not have any hefty company-sponsored retirement package.
But don’t worry too much because you can apply it on your own. Every time that you receive payment from a project, make sure that you save 10% of your earnings to your retirement plan. If you feel that it’s too much, you can contribute something lower. Even though your savings are small, the most essential thing here is that you form the habit of saving money as early as today.
3. Education
This doesn’t pertain to writing only. You can take seminars and workshops on various fields such as web design, photography, crochet, fencing, mountain hiking, public speaking, and any other kind of activity that you want to learn. Since your schedule is very flexible, why not make the most out of it, right?
Got any other investment tips that you would like to share? Don’t hesitate to post your thoughts in the comments!
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This is a guest post by Leona Green, freelance writer and digital marketer.
Great list! I’m really starting to invest more in e-courses, e-books and programs that I think will help me expand my skill set. There are tons of fantastic free resources out there, but every now and then you’ll find a paid book/programme that’s really worth the money.
I’ve also invested a lot into my computer. For example, having two monitors really helps with my workflow. Being able to have a design on one screen and the code on the other makes all the difference!