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“After 5 Years as a Freelance UX Designer, Things Are Going Well. Help! What’s the Next Step?”

"After 5 Years as a Freelance UX Designer, Things Are Going Well. Help! What's the Next Step?"
My name is Nolwenn Nasri, and I am a freelance UX / UI designer. In 2020 I completely questioned my freelance activity. Here's my unfiltered experience.

My name is Nolwenn Nasri, and I am a freelance UX / UI designer, as well as the founder of Freelances Travel, a small company which dedicates to the organisation of coworking stays with other freelancers. In 2020 I completely questioned my freelance activity. Here’s my unfiltered experience.

Ah, 2020… a year that was very unique for all of us.

But I think it might have been especially special for me because in 2020, I became a mother.

Becoming a mother is wonderful. But it’s also a huge upheaval. My daily life was completely turned upside down, and I launched into an intense introspection of various aspects of my life; with the desire to do things differently.

This introspection focused in particular on my activity as a freelance UX / UI designer.

Let me give you a bit of background: I have been freelancing for 5 years, and my activity as a freelance UX / UI designer has been going well for some time. The projects followed one after another, I didn’t have too many problems getting new assignments, the clients were satisfied. In short, everything was going well.

But I was no longer sure where I was going, how to choose my assignments, how to guide the development of my activity. How should I manage my time? I was satisfied with my income but I felt an urge to do more and more, I constantly felt guilty about not working “enough.”

In short, I was a little lost.

Agreed that this is a “rich man’s problem.” A lot of freelancers struggle to find assignments. But it still caused me a lot of frustration.

So I decided to hire a leadership coach.

It was a big decision because it was quite an expense. But I felt I needed it. And it turned out to be an investment that paid off.

What did the coaching sessions consist of?

I imagine you are about to say: “but Nolwenn, what has this to do with your freelance activity?”

These exercises had the aim to take me out of my comfort zone. To make me gain confidence in myself. To make me make decisions and take responsibility for my choices.

I realised that I had two alternatives: 

  • either maximize my working time and grow my business as much as possible to generate more income, or
  • set a target income to achieve and devote a minimum of time to it, enjoying all my remaining time to develop my sides projects and take care of my daughter

I chose the 2nd option.

After 5 years as a freelancer, my goal is not to earn more, but rather to reduce my working time.

This decision was a big step for me.

But it was still necessary to take concrete measures to move towards this goal. For me, this was done in 3 main steps:

1. Define my priorities for my freelance activity

Today, I consider that I wear two hats: on the one hand, my activity as a UX / UI designer, which allows me to generate the bulk of my income, and on the other hand my Freelances Travel project, which I approach more like a playground.

Whatever the project, I realised that what interested me the most was to forge rich relationships with people, to bring value, to share my knowledge, and to create strong connections. 

This is the reason why I decided, in addition to keeping my two hats, to save time to cultivate these connections by either interacting with members of my network on LinkedIn, or by creating content for my Youtube channel.

2. Define concrete objectives in terms of income and working hours

I used a very simple calculation: my ADR (average daily rate) is currently 500 euros; my monthly turnover target is 4000 euros excluding tax per month (no need to specify that, but after charges and taxes, I have about half left net).

4000 divided by 500 equals 8.

Conclusion: I no longer seek to increase my customer volume, on the contrary. I’m just looking to “staff myself” over 8 full days, on assignments that interest me.

Discover Time Management Tips in remote for IT Professionals

3. Seize my time and stop feeling guilty

I have adopted a fairly compartmentalised weekly organization. Tuesday and Thursday are my “production” days. I’m off every Friday to take care of my daughter. And, the rest of the time, I take care of Freelances Travel, my Youtube channel, and I chat with members of my network. Without forgetting of course to keep me a little time to manage my accounting and prospecting. 

I also learned to detach myself from the eyes of others. Many people around me do not understand why I do not seize all the mission opportunities that present themselves to me. Why am I not looking to generate more income? But it’s my choice and I accept it!

And you, how do you see your freelance life? What is your definition of a successful career as a tech & IT freelancer? Where do you draw the line between income and working time?

Read our article The IT Jobs Market of Today

Follow Nolwenn on Youtube, LinkedIn and on Freelances Travel.

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IT Consultants Tips for your daily life as a freelancer

Short or Long Assignments for IT Freelancers – Which Ones Are Best for You?

Short or Long Assignments for IT Freelancer - Which Ones Are Best for You?
And is often a key part of the career plan of an IT freelancer. So what length of mission to choose between Short or Long Assignments for IT Freelancer?

One of the big advantages of working as a freelancer is flexibility. Flexibility in the choice of your schedule and yourplace of work. But also in the choice of your projects and the duration of your missions. Before to learn how to ensure a constant stream of work and how to advance your career, it’s necessary to know which assignments is the best for you. Short or long, the duration of an assignment is a determining factor in the choice of an assignment. And is often a key part of the career plan of an IT freelancer. So what length of mission to choose between Short or Long Assignments for IT Freelancer? What is a short or a long mission? What are the advantages and disadvantages of long and short assignments when you are an SAP consultant, a freelance web developer, or even a cybersecurity consultant?

Short or Long Assignments for IT Freelancer? Choosing a short assignment when you’re an IT freelancer

What is a short mission?

In the world of freelancing, we commonly call “short assignment” all assignments ranging from one day to 3 months of activity. However, in the field of technology and IT; where missions are on average longer than in other types of trades. We tend to consider as short missions all missions which duration is less than 6 months.

Particularly suited to professionals who have decided to go freelance; short assignments represent the ideal opportunity for a “beginner” freelancer to put their technical skills into practice. But also to expand their references and develop a significant capacity for adaptation.

What are the advantages of doing a short assignment for IT freelancer?

Short assignments are the opportunity for IT freelancers to string together different assignments for several clients in various industries. This heterogeneity of experiences is often favourable to the development of soft or interpersonal skills. And generally offers a rich educational environment.

For teleworking enthusiasts? Be aware that customers are more likely to offer you the opportunity to work remotely for short assignments.

In tech and IT, the duration of the assignment often depends on the area of ​​expertise. And always falls within the time frame of the company’s needs. A consultant who participates in a two-year SAP migration project will a priori be more likely to be offered a long assignment. While a cybersecurity expert may intervene in the context of short assignments if it is to resolve temporary problems – although a holistic approach is often necessary and will result in longer assignments.

On the remuneration side, short assignments can be advantageous. Why? Quite simply because they often imply an urgent character. This will give you a better chance of getting a high ADR (Average Daily Rate). But who says short mission says more missions. You must be able to easily find projects or clients to avoid too long or too frequent intermission periods.

What are the downsides of short missions?

The main drawback of short assignments is the constant challenge of constantly having to look for a new assignment, thus requiring the regular renewal of your client portfolio.

This also translates into a very variable turnover. You must therefore expect to have to manage particularly irregular income.

Also note that short assignments do not favour integration into a team. If you have a strong need to belong to a group, chaining down short assignments can create loneliness and dissatisfaction in your day-to-day as an IT freelancer.

Short or Long Assignments for IT Freelancer? Choosing a long assignment

What is a long mission?

More and more companies are hiring freelancers for long IT projects. These long assignments last more than 6 months and can reach 24 months of activity with contract renewals.

Long assignments are generally entrusted to freelance consultants who have broad enough shoulders for hefty work.

Why favour long missions?

First of all, carrying out a long assignment ensures the IT freelancer has regular remuneration and medium-term visibility into their finances. Enough to take a weight off your shoulders.

In addition to this financial stability, this type of mission offers satisfaction to workers who favour work from A to Z on a project and who want full integration into an IT team – while retaining the freedom inherent to the freelance status.

Finally, long assignments can also be an opportunity to discover the work within an organization, to measure the possibility of a longer-term collaboration with permanent contract.

Also discover our interview “After 5 Years as a Freelance UX Designer, Things Are Going Well. Help! What’s the Next Step?”

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What are the limits of long missions for IT freelancer?

Long assignments anchor the independent consultant in a certain routine which can be compared to the status of a permanent employee.

The experience obtained on a long mission is also often less rich and diverse than that resulting from a multitude of longer missions. But they allow you to go deeper into projects and develop other types of skills.

So, what should you choose when you are an IT freelancer?

There is no one mission duration that is better than another. The duration of the assignment is an adjustable variable which depends on the motivations and personality of each IT freelancer.

Depending on your preferences in terms of types of projects, your ability to easily find assignments, and your appetite for a team configuration, you will prefer short or long assignments. And remember: nothing prevents you from alternating long and short missions.

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Growing your career: permanent & freelance IT Consultants

4 Indicators of a Successful IT Freelancer

4 Indicators of a Successful IT Freelancer
KPIs

With any self-employed activity, tracking your performance is necessary to identify what works and what needs to be improved to achieve optimum results. The slow summer months can be a good time to carry out this type of assessment and ensure you are doing the best you can to be a successful IT freelancer.

But what are the best indicators of success for your self-employed activity? Follow these key indicators to draw appropriate conclusions and make effective resolutions, both in terms of income and of work methods

Has your turnover increased compared to the previous year?

What was your turnover this past year? Was it higher or lower than the previous year? Although freelance income can vary widely from month-to-month, looking at the bigger picture will help you assess your performance. Compare this year’s figure with what you achieved the previous year over the same period. Deduct from it the percentage of evolution. If that percentage is negative, it might be time to change certain things.

When calculating your turnover, do not forget to take into account all your expenses. Then divide your total turnover by month to get a comprehensive overview of the year.

Did you have more expenses than last year?

Another indicator of the health of your one-person business is the total amount of your expenses, especially compared to the previous year. As a successful IT freelancer, your charges should be in theory low, especially if you carry out your tasks at the client’s office or from your own home.

If the expenses incurred are made in the interest of your activity and this has resulted in an increase in your gross turnover, this is a good sign. On the other hand, if your expenses have increased more than your earnings, you have things to ask yourself.

Are you managing your time well?

Time management is essential for any successful IT freelancer. You must organize your days to be as productive as possible while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. thinking of allowing yourself moments of rest.

But that is not all: as an successful IT freelancer, you must also reserve some time for housekeeping. Make sure you allocate time to deal with administrative duties, as well as to search for your next assignments.

Have you managed to retain customers this year?

Customer loyalty is a key indicator of a successful IT freelancer, as it reflects the ability to build trust and ensure satisfaction with clients. The higher your loyalty level, the more likely you are to be contacted again by this client. But you are also more likely to get good recommendations; the best asset for finding new assignments.

You can also look at your customer portfolio and calculate your average income per customer: you may find that some customers have asked for too much time compared to what they paid you.

If you are doing short assignments and a client represents almost all of your turnover, you are in a delicate situation that must be taken into account. You in danger of depending too much on this unique client. In the case of long missions, this indicator is obviously less relevant.

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