The freelance life is always interesting, and sometimes saucy. And it’s usually very source-y. More tips on how to find the right voice for your story.

This morning The Media Online ran a story of mine on Freelance resources for sourcing sources. As an added bonus, here are some more tips to help you make sure you always find the right person for the right story:

Keep an inspiration board

Not everything is online. I have a pinboard (yes, an actual wood and felt one) where I pin things that I’m sure will somehow be useful in the future, even if I can’t see how right now. I clip out adverts for life coaches, psychologists and alternative therapists as sources for stories on mental well-being. I collect business cards of doctors, dentists, podiatrists, chiropractors and fitness instructors for use for health stories, and those of baby and childcare experts to use for parenting stories. I save flyers for interesting workshops, ads for unusual products and brochures for special interest groups, because you never know when they might come in handy for a story.

Join forums, read blogs and attend workshops

These are all great ways to meet new people and join interesting conversations. The more people you know, the wider your pool of contacts, not to mention ideas and stories. Collect business cards and URLs in a Rolodex (or a simple A-Z notebook), and if someone doesn’t have a card, take down their details the old-fashioned way and store them. You never know when you might need them.

Live a little

It’s easy to spend so much time behind your screen that you forget how to communicate with real people. The more you get out there and simply live your own life, the more links you will make that may be useful to you in the future. You may meet a chatty cashier who would be perfect for a story on working women. Or your beautician may tell you about her nephew’s friend who runs an NGO that’s great for a human interest story. You can pick up invaluable contacts at social or networking events, and friends (of friends (of friends)) can become extremely useful links (see next point).

Play broken telephone

Keep the chain going. If one person can’t help you, they may know someone who can. Recently I needed to source an HR expert. I don’t work in a company, but a friend used to. She said her sister now does. Her sister put me onto the HR department, who found me the right rep for my story. Always ask. And if that person can’t help you, ask who they think can.

What are your most successful tips for sourcing sources? What’s the most difficult sourcing challenge you’ve overcome? I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line on lauren@laurenshapiro.co.za

Like anything in life, freelancing has its pros and cons. Here I’ve jotted down a few of the areas I considered in taking the plunge, and why I still think freelancing is the way to go.

Time management

I like being mistress of my own time. I love not having to apologize to a boss when I want to attend Parents Day at my kids’ school. I love being able to take a vacation without having to fill in twenty types of leave form. I love my morning yoga classes, and occasionally blowing off work to bask in the sun in a gorgeous open cafe.

The flipside is that I often have to work outside of traditional office hours – at 5am while the kids (who, naturally, are awake with the sparrows) are entertained by Thomas the Tank Engine; at 5pm when hubby walks in the door to take over the little critters; and late into the evening when most folk have put work farthest from their minds.

But it’s a fair trade (pun definitely intended).

Job security

Some people say they prefer the security of a salary, but with current retrenchment rates, I’m not sure a conventional job offers much security at all.

As a freelancer, I can’t really lose my job. Sure, I can lose clients (which naturally happens from time to time), and that can be a blow to the bank balance, but the chances of every client leaving me at once are extremely small indeed. To me, that in itself offers a sense of security.

At the end of the day, finding a new client is easier than finding a whole new job.

Earning potential

In a conventional job, no matter how hard you work, your earning potential is limited to what is in your contract. In freelancing, the sky’s the limit. I love that when I have a specific financial goal, I can increase my workload in order to reach it, rather than have to give up something else within my budget.

It’s extremely hard work – and certainly at this life stage with small children I don’t often match the monthly bottom line of my friends in salaried positions – but that’s because of the way I choose to balance my time. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Variety

I love the thrill of each new project. Brainstorming, pitching, researching, and pulling it all together, and that satisfying little sound my email programme clicks when I press “send” and I clear the decks for a brand new exciting project.
I’ve worked on newspapers, magazines, websites and blogs; company brochures, community projects and more. It’s wonderful to realize the different opportunities each medium presents, and to work creatively within those parameters. The content is never the same, either, which means I never get bored at work. How many people can say that? I love my life.

Control

Sometimes it’s nice to know exactly where you stand; to be told what to do and how to do it. It’s comforting. But it can also be restrictive and boring. Without the structure of a conventional job, freelancing has the potential to leave you feeling a little out of your depth. But once you take control of the situation, you can reap the benefits of flexibility.
I love that I can turn down jobs that clash with my values (and I have, politely, done this). I love that I can take on jobs that mean something to me, even if they may not pay well or meet my stated professional goals. I adore that I can stem the flow of work during high pressure times like school holidays, and increase it when I’m feeling inspired (or broke).

These are the gifts that come with going freelance. But it goes further. Feeling in charge of my life also makes me a better wife, mother and friend. It even helps me keep the home running smoothly, because I am inspired and in control, and can adjust both schedules to balance where necessary.

In sum

I certainly didn’t choose a freelance career because it’s easy. But it’s stimulating, challenging, & extremely rewarding.

Going freelance may well be the best decision I have ever made. It hasn’t been all easy, but the pros have far outweighed the cons.

After I left my office job in June 2011, I frequently bumped into people in the street, malls and cafés who said things like, “So, what are you doing with yourself these days? It must be nice to have so much free time!” I would smile sweetly at these people, but I really wanted to smack them up the side of the head with a can of sardines.

The notion that freelancing isn’t a “real job” makes my blood boil. (The irony that not one of these people was in an office during office hours was not lost on me either.) Sure, I “don’t have to work” when I don’t want to, but that means I won’t get paid either.

Freelancing should not be seen as an alternative to working. It is an alternative way of working. It requires discipline, motivation and organization. It requires sweat and tears, and if you bite your nails, maybe even a bit of blood. It requires a passion that makes your head dance to your heart’s tune, and the humility of acknowledging your place in this big, wide, wonderful universe. More than anything, it requires the courage to start the journey, and to stay it, even knowing what risks lurk around every corner. So next time you see me nestled at a café at 10am on a Tuesday morning, think twice about how I got there. Or better yet, join me for a coffee.