Comments on: Freelancer’s Survival Guide: Flexibility

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[…] Kristine Kathryn Rusch » Freelancer’s Survival Guide: Flexibility […]

By: Kris

Kris — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:12:37 +0000

In reply to James A. Ritchie. Good stuff, all. Thanks for the links and the insights. James, I particularly like the "You gotta have something to do when you ain't got nothing to do." Wonderful.

By: James A. Ritchie

James A. Ritchie — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:17:57 +0000

One of the most important posts to date. Flexibility is something that, if you’re really lucky, may never be needed, but if you do need it, it had better be in place beforehand. When the orders just stop, there often isn’t enough time to look for another way out.

We took a mild slap when the housing bubble burst, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been because we saw it coming long before it happened and hedged our bets. Some of our friends did not, and thought we were foolish to get as far away as we could. Several of them are now in bankruptcy, and others have lost everyting they had put back for retirement.

I began my writing life with traditional westerns, which were pretty hot at the time. Fortunately, I saw the coming downfall in time to move into other areas of writing. Many western writers did not, and very few survived.

“Hope for the best, but plan for the worst” is a good motto for any business.

And flexibilty is as important for business as it is for a Yoga instrutor. About thirty years ago, I remember hearing someone talk about why he had a hobby. He said, “You gotta have something to do when you ain’t got nothing to do.”

It stuck with me, and it not only applies to hobbies, but for business owners, as well.

By: Lyn Worthen

Lyn Worthen — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:55:31 +0000

As independent technical communications consultants, members of the STC Consulting community have been discussing the need for flexibility for several months. Bette Frick, an associate fellow of the STC, based an article in the May 2009 STC journal “Intercom” on the following quote from the December 2008 Costco Connection:

“When times are good and money is flowing, specialize; when times are not so good and money is tight, telescope. Telescoping is our marketing rule of thumb for extending or adding to the range of services you provide to existing customers without undoing your reputation in the business specialty you have developed. It means observing and listening for things your clients need that you could offer to do for them more economically than they could do for themselves or by turning to other specialists.”

For her article, Frick interviewed a number of professional tech-comm consultants, myself included. Many of us had experienced the need to expand our skillset over the years beyond a single offering, and found that the ability to be flexible was an important factor in our remaining more employable than colleagues who had focused on a single niche. I can personaly say that flexibility and diversification in my own skills has been critical to my career at all stages, not just when the economy has been tight. Thanks, Kris, for bringing this much-needed topic into the Freelancer’s Guide!

(If you want to read Bette Frick’s article, you can find it here: http://www.stc.org/intercom/PDFs/2009/200905_41-42.pdf )

By: wim

wim — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:27:35 +0000

I’ve been self-employed for over 15 years and have had the same thing happen several times: All of a sudden, the orders stop. It’s one of the scariest things you can experience. You can go form making a living to struggling for survival pretty darn fast.
Varying your product line and distribution system is what did the trick for me: I started writing and making instructional DVDs. I was lucky to work with some big names in my field and am now complementing those products with self-published products. On-line training courses are my next project.
The whole idea is to line up those different products and distribution systems so I’m no longer dependant on just one. Lots of work, but it’s a great adventure.:-)

Thanks for another great chapter in this guide. Awesome!

Wim