When we are independent, we have both professional and personal goals, but also, for most of us, financial goals. To be honest, it is not at all obligatory for a freelancer to set up a business plan, especially if there is no creation of a heavy structure to manage. That said, it is an excellent tool that will allow you to be organized in your finances throughout your activity. But what are the main questions to ask yourself before starting this work?
What is your overall vision of freelance work?
You may be about to start your first year as a freelance professional. But have you thought about how your activity is going to be carried out as a freelancer? Have you considered that this status will take you away from the peaceful life of an employee or civil servant? What is your limit to reach (or not to cross) between personal / professional life? To what extent are you prepared to sacrifice your holidays, your outings with family or friends? Or conversely, to what extent are you willing to limit your financial income to privilege those moments spent with your loved ones? Are you willing to go into debt and not make any profit in order to finance your cash flow while your clients pay you? What hard times are you ready to take: a difficult period without activity, loss of potential in a market or customer or obsolescence of a technology on which you are positioned?
These are all questions that it is essential to ask yourself before setting up your company. Your ability to project yourself with this new status will allow you to persevere or to slow down when necessary. So do not hesitate to write down all the questions on a piece of paper and answer them one by one before starting your adventure. You will see that as you go along, things will take shape and your overall vision may change. To do this, we will help you ask yourself the fundamental questions to get started.
What are your financial goals?
This is the essential question that every freelancer has to ask himself. Not that money is an end in itself, but rather a means to balance the other parameters of your life such as family, friends, professional development or self-esteem. A financial balance, stability of your income and even a nice increase in your turnover will allow you to continue your adventure more easily.
What are your long-term prospects?
When your global vision will be put in place and a certain daily rate will allow you to reach a certain financial, personal, professional ideal, you will then ask yourself the following question: and now, what am I going to do? You might as well ask yourself this question now, because as Auguste Compte says: "to know in order to foresee, in order to be able". This evolution is all the more important as it will force you to adjust several parameters at the same time: your global vision of your freelance activity, your financial objectives, and the type of market you wish to target.