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Key Takeaways Working for yourself versus having others work for you bring differing degrees of flexibility and autonomy.
Freelancing grants you complete control over your workflow, but business ownership teaches you how to relinquish some control and replace it with more growth opportunities.
Which path is right for you depends on what professional route you’re best suited for and most appeals to you.
When I started my public relations career, freelancing felt like freedom. I could pick my clients, set my schedule and choose my projects. But as the years went on, I realized that freedom has limits … and those limits were my own — specifically, my time, my energy and my capacity. If I kept taxing them all to the max, there was the real danger of crashing and burning. That’s when I realized that launching my own PR agency with a support team to assist my efforts might be a viable solution for my future.
If you’re considering the same thing — transitioning your gig or contractor career into a full-fledged small business — you should know that being a freelancer and running your own company aren’t just two different sides of the same coin; they’re two entirely different animals.
Related: Your Story Isn’t Just Branding — It’s a Blueprint For Beating the Competition
The freelancer lifestyle: where flexibility meets fragility
Freelancing offers many advantages — if it didn’t, so many people wouldn’t be doing it. You have your autonomy, the thrill of landing a new client on your own, the satisfaction of singlehandedly delivering results you can be proud of. Freelancing keeps you nimble, adaptable, and always learning. Best of all, you get to work directly with your clients one-on-one, often witnessing the impact you make immediately.
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