And so the trilogy comes full circle as a new Freelancer’s costs article climbs from the creative depths striking out at the empire…no wait the empire was Star Wars. This, is the Return of the Red-Eye, not Jedi. The sleep deprived freelancer’s eyes are fixed on the screen once more in the early morning hours as the deadline looms, gets pushed back, lingers around the corner for a bit, then again with the looming, on the article that begs to be written. Ah, the deadline, a freelancer’s nemesis.

We had some great suggestions, or attention shone on our oversights, after the first two articles so we felt that we had to come back for another run at it. Taking a third dip in the proverbial pool of freelancing prices and coming up with three more areas that freelancers should take note of as they weigh the pros and cons of the freelancing life. Make no mistake about it, my friends, this is more than just a job, it is a lifestyle!

The Road So Far

Previously on What Does True Freelancing Cost Pt. 1 and the follow up more originally titled What Does True Freelancing Cost Pt. 2 (Here you should imagine an 80’s big hairband rock classic of your choice playing over the rundown from the previous posts. Kansas’ Carry On My Wayward Son works fantastically, but again, you chose whatever works for you.). Two installments were filed, each one covering three costs freelancers pay to be the boss.

• #1 - Uniform
• #2 - Respect (Big up yourself!)
• #3 - Cashflow A-No-Go
• #4 - Freetime (thanks for the memories)
• #5 - Taxes (Death can take a number)
• #6 - Peace of Mind

And now…

#7 - Benefits (It’s not always all about the Benjamins)

After we wrapped on the second post, Amanda Cobb recommended that we make mention of the some of the extra financial burdens we freelancers face, that under ‘normal’ corporate circumstances would be included in your salary package. We are talking about the benefits. Freelancer’s are more personally burdened by these perks, having to provide them on their own.

The standards that most people take into consideration with any job, are healthcare and retirement. Insurance is an expensive addition to any budget, and when you work for a company that absorbs part of the cost of coverage that makes it more accessible. Freelancers however do not have this kind of sheltering umbrella, and if we are to have health coverage, we must foot the entire bill ourselves. Not to mention that we are not privy to the same discounted rates that we may qualify for under the corporate package.

With retirement, it is kind of the same boat, just a different lake. Usually, with most corporate jobs, some sort of retirement plan is setup and contributed to with each pay period. In most instances, these retirement funds contributed by the employee are matched by the employer, and retirement becomes a relevant option. Freelancers are again left in a bit of a lurch, as their retirement funds, if any at all, must be wholly contributed to by themselves. This can put the freelancer’s ability to retire, not only at risk, but several years off from when they could have checked out sooner with some kind of matching contributions. And I won’t even bring up annual bonuses…well, except for actually bringing it up.

#8 - The Office Party

A generally unconsidered cost by most looking to take the freelancer’s road, is the surrendering of the office party. In most corporate environs, there are some sort of celebratory holiday engagements that are sponsored by the office. An excuse to gather with your co-workers for non-work related mixing and mingling in the spirit of the occasion, not to mention the spirit imbibing!

Now while an office gathering of this nature can prove to be extremely dull and unappealing, the lack of said gathering option can be just as unappealing. Here, it is less about the opportunity to amass with the people you are forced to occupy space with throughout the work week, and more about the booze bought by somebody else. The drink that just tastes sweeter! In my experience, when someone else is footing the bill, the time spent is done less begrudgingly so.

For the freelancer, this kind of celebratory gathering is harder to come by, unless you throw the function yourself. The initial inherent problem with this option, is that you are throwing and therefore paying for the entire event. And given that you work for yourself, and just as often by yourself, then the guest list will remain a far cry short of qualifying as a party, and not just some lonely alcoholic drinking alone and dancing with themselves (completely blaming Billy Idol for making the latter sound more appealing and cooler than it actually is). The only other ways for the freelancer to fill this office party need is to crash someone else’s (this can also be a useful way to re-enforce your decision to be a freelancer far removed from having to deal with these people daily).

#9 - Fear Factor

Another relevant cost freelancers face, that was recommended by Molly Gordon, is of course the freelancer’s fear factor. This is referring to the fear that far too many freelancers have about the rates they charge for their work, and this persistent panic causes so many to undercut themselves when it comes to pricing. Freelancers are quite simply afraid of not being able to remain competitive, or simply remain working, so they charge too little for their time and valuable efforts.

This is relatable to #2 on the list, Respect. When the market is overrun by people who not only do not understand what all is involved in your work, but who let that lack of understanding determine the scale on which they are willing to pay, the freelancer is forced to make a decision. This decision, according to a survey conducted by Molly, shows that thirty-seven percent of the time, fear factors in, and that decision is made not in the best interest of the freelancer, but in the interest of the client. Perhaps that has been the plan all along. Freelancers are seen as easily manipulatable by the corporate conglomerates, and so they devalue our contributions to try and get them at a better price.

You can see this fear manipulation apparent in the explosion of spec work related sites springing up all across the vastness of cyberspace. The businesses have found a way to exploit this fear and turn the community of freelance designers against each other, ruthlessly competing for projects at not only prices farther south on the pay scale than they would normally be expected to accept, but also working with less time and input from the company than they would normally be expected to provide. Effectively causing us to devalue our own work by committing several designers to a project, having them slave away at meeting the possibly fluid design specifications, then only selecting one of the entries. Undermining both our processes and our field, and feeding the fear.

The End

…for now. But keep letting us know what important costs you feel we have overlooked in the comments section.

The Complete Series

• What Does True Freelancing Cost? Pt. 1
• What Does True Freelancing Cost? Pt. 2
• The True Benefits of Freelancing Pt.1
• The True Benefits of Freelancing Pt. Deux!
• Freelancing Benefits Episode III : Revenge of the Myth

More From Arbenting:

• What Does True Freelancing Cost? Pt. 1
• Freelancing Benefits Episode 3 : Revenge of the Myth
• The True Benefits of Freelancing Pt. Deux!
• What Does True Freelancing Cost? Pt. 2
• The True Benefits of Freelancing Pt.1