Firstly I just want to acknowledge that when I quit my job back in 2017 it was obviously a very different economic climate, and I don’t have any dependants to worry about, so I understand that making a leap from full time to freelance isn’t as straightforward for everyone.

But I just thought that I would do a video for anyone who is considering it and just wants to make sure they’re taking everything into consideration before they do so.

So here are just a few things I did and wish I did before I went self-employed.

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These are all the things I did…

Start a side hustle

I actually started a little side hustle when I was still working full time.

I started adding designs to sites like Redbubble and Teepublic just on evenings and weekends and built up some passive income from there for about a year or so before I quit. It didn’t pay enough to live off completely, but it was good to have at least a little bit of income coming in from somewhere other than my job.

I still have those designs up and I don’t make even half as much as I did back then as I just don’t put as much work into them any more. But it still does continue to add to my overall income so setting up any kind of passive income stream will usually benefit you in the long run, whether you want to go freelance or not.

It would have probably been a better idea to be setting up my actual small business on evenings and weekends while I was still working, but I’ll go on to why I didn’t do that later in the video.

Have a savings target

I think I worked out how much I would need to save to pay for all of my bills and expenses for 6 months and aimed to save that much. To do this, as soon as I had decided I was going to quit, I limited how much I was spending on luxuries.

There are so many great blogs and videos out there on how to budget and save in a short amount of time if you’re unsure how to go about it. And I don’t think you necessarily need 6 months of saving either, especially if you have your side hustle and you already have a plan of what you’re going to do once you’re freelance, but that is just what I did. Or you may want to try and save for even longer.

Give yourself a deadline

Because I had saved 6 months’ worth of money, in my head I gave myself 6 months to figure something out and start making a freelance income. And I think that deadline really helped me to stay focused and on track.

Image by Towfiqu barbhuiya from Unsplash

Have a back up plan

I did however also stay on good terms with my ex employers just on the off chance I wanted my old job back. I really didn’t want it to come to that though, so I think that was also good motivation to keep going with my freelance stuff and I think it is good to have that as some insurance as well, just in case.

Continue to learn

Within those 6 months, as I wasn’t busy selling stuff, I learned everything I could find about small businesses, Etsy, and design. And then once I got my Cricut machine, I learned everything I could about Cricut and vinyl decals.

I read books, listened to podcasts, watched youtube videos, did short courses, and just practised and put stuff out into the world to see what people liked.

And that is how I eventually ended up with my vinyl decal business.

If you want a bit more backstory on how I ended up there I tell it in a bit more detail in my ‘Can you make Money Selling Vinyl Decals’ video here.

And then the last thing I did… and I think this is the most important one really…

Believe in yourself

I just really believed that I could do it. I obviously had some doubts and worries, which are totally normal, but for the most part, I was just so positive that I would figure something out and make it a success. I actually think I manifested my business before I even knew what manifestation was.

But that does lead me on to the things I didn’t do, which could have been helpful…

So as I’ve mentioned, I didn’t really know what I was going to do when I quit. It took me about 3 months to get a Cricut, and my vinyl business didn’t really get started until a few months after that.

Have a business idea

As much as I don’t regret how it happened because it gave me time to experiment and learn lots about business, if you don’t have the ability to save and want to transition from full-time to freelance straight away, and maybe as soon as possible, then knowing exactly what your business is going to be is definitely ideal. And working on that whenever you have any spare time around your main job is also a great idea.

But also don’t let it make you think you can’t achieve a full-time income from it because you’re only putting in part-time hours.

Have a pitch ready

The next thing is because I didn’t have a plan I didn’t really know what to tell people when they asked why I was quitting my job. And it’s exhausting trying to explain yourself without a solid answer. So even though it is none of anyone’s business, people love to ask. Even if you just say something vague, I would suggest having a line ready for when you get that inevitable question. It is worth speaking to people about it though because you never know when someone may have a random connection that could help you out, or have a tip for something helpful.

Do your research

I didn’t do enough research on accountants, and I ended up with a really condescending woman who billed me way more than I expected, and I’ve done my own accounts ever since. However, you do need to know the basics of what you need to do to set yourself up as a business or as self-employed.

Just take the leap!

Also, don’t think you need to do ALL of the research or have ALL of the answers before you take that leap.

And that is my last piece of advice… I feel like when you know it’s time, you just know… so take the leap and stop talking yourself out of it.

Remember I have a number of courses on starting your own vinyl decal business on Skillshare, just click on the link below. They’re free for 2 weeks for all new Skillshare members!

Check out my courses on Skillshare!

I hope you found that helpful.

Let me know in the comments if you’re thinking of taking the leap and have any other tips for going freelance.

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