Book Tip: The Freelance Way
This year is a real rollercoaster for everyone. I consider myself lucky because I can work from home, but it is still one of the most challenging periods of my life. To escape a little bit from the hard reality and charge my battery, I return to one of my oldest hobbies — reading.
I have been loving reading since the time I learned to read. And because there are so many great books that can not be read in one lifetime, I would like you to bring a few recommendations that deserve your attention.
My first book tip is The Freelance Way by Robert Vlach. The English version of this book was released last year, so I thought it is an excellent time to revisit it. I read only the Czech version, but I am looking forward to reading the English translation in the future. The author claimed it should be more concentrated content on fewer pages (456 pages vs. 760 pages in original) with some extra information.
Highlights of the book
A good name
Focus on building on a good name as a freelancer. This is a crucial aspect of your business. Your job, results and the overall image is directly connected to your name. It must be protected, and it strengthens and grows with people you work for. A good name can be shattered not only by mistakes, forgotten or broken promises but also by gossips.
Invest in yourself
In this book, the author is making this advice from many viewpoints. Invest in workspace and tools that make you work efficiently and comfortably. Do not fear to use coworking space or coffee shop, when you cannot work from home. Invest in your know-how, and if you feel stuck, seek help. Other freelancers could be in similar situations before. There are also consultation services that can provide you a piece of useful advice. And sometimes, it is better to leave to work to professionals — mainly in the case of lawyers and accountants.
Prepare for everything: good, bad, and even something between
Personal finances and risk prevention is a challenging part of freelancers life. Manage incomes and expenses, deal with non-payers, be prepare for the worst, and more. Vlach himself recommends being prepared for the optimistic scenario, pessimistic scenario, and something between them. In this way, it is more likely you can handle the most difficult situations life will through at you — even a pandemic.
Good advice
Successful investor and freelancer David Gladiš recommends: do not make an important decision when you are: hungry, tired, frustrated, or in time pressure. Thoughtful choices can save you a lot of trouble in the future.
Conclusion
I would recommend the book even for people who do not consider themselves freelancers, people in Tech especially. I think there are many interesting thoughts in the book that can help everyone, even if they are employed and happy. There is a false concept that freelancing is so easy. That is not true, and this book can prove that it is not a straightforward path you can choose. But if you will, it can bring you a lot of benefits that standard “9 to 5” job can not provide.
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