Freelancing 101

Goodday.....

What you need to know if you're about to enter the professional design world. This is one of the most popular topics that comes up when I meet a group of soon to be graduates.

Hold/Challenge/Book

What do these terms mean so that you don't wind up packing your bags and moving to SoCal because you were placed on hold for 2 months and thought you had a lock on a job. True story. This actually happened to a friend of mine who moved out from the east coast to discover he didn't have a job. Talk about awkward.

Why freelance to begin with? Well, the advantages are many. It's easier to get a short term assignment than a full time job right out of school. It gives you and the employer an opportunity to try each other out- often for a short period of time.

It's also a great way to build up your portfolio. Fast. You can experience many company "cultures" in a short period to learn what environments you excel in. When you are ready to go on staff, you'll be much more informed and will be in a better position to command a higher starting salary.

Consider this before making your final selection, freelance or otherwise. Where will you grow the most? Not financially, but artistically. How will the experience add to your long term value? Don't fall into the trap of high day rates.

Okay, now for the business protocol. A hold is when a company asks to reserve you for a period of time. This might be a few days (common for designers) to several months (usually for animators). If you accept, the company has that time locked in but aren't liable to pay you if they don't book you. As the date approaches it's a good idea to check in with the company. It's a first right of refusal and one shouldn't accept if you can't commit.

When someone books you, they are verbally agreeing to your services for a period of time and at a specific rate. Often times within the motion industry you will be booked according to a day rate. Companies vary on how they define a day so make you ask and agree to this.

Some companies define a day as from the time you start to when you go home. In some instances I've heard that a freelancer did not go home for 48 hours but was only going to get paid for a single day. Ask for your rate and be clear about your terms. Do so first verbally with the staffing coordinator then immediately follow up with an email to confirm. This will help mitigate any misunderstanding in the future.

You are not confined to day rates. Other options include hourly or project based. Some will want you to work from home while others will require that you come into the office. Build a strong relationship by consistently under promising and over delivering.

Whatever you do, don't agree to do something and then change the terms in the middle of the engagement. That's a quick way to damage your reputation. However, it is acceptable to discuss the terms of your booking if the company doesn't hold up their end of the bargain. You are not powerless here. So don't give up that power because you feel like you are being bullied.

There will come a time when you have a hold placed on you and someone else requests the same time. You have a number of options here. First you should offer the person a second hold (meaning that if the first party release you, the second company moves into their first slot). Second, you can offer them a challenge option (they are agreeing to book you if the first company releases your hold). If this is the case, then call up company A and politely tell them that someone is challenging for the time. They will then be pressured to make a decision to either release or book you. Depending on their decision, you will then communicate to company B what happened. Believe it or not, some people have 3rd and 4th holds placed on them. That's an enviable position to be in.

Some other loose tips:

If a company books you and then the job is cancelled (unfortunate reality of our industry) you are entitled to 100% of the agreed upon fees. As a sign of good faith, you may offer a reduced rate of 50% or something you are comfortable with. After which, you are free to pursue another booking and potentially earn double.

Discuss any potential issues up front. It will be far less uncomfortable talking about potential conflicts before you start as opposed to during or after. This has happened to me as an employer and it did not reflect well on the individual to do so. It's not a deal breaker but let's start with best practices.

Hope this helps and happy freelancing.