Employment VS. Self-Employment - Advantages and disadvantages of being a self-employed photographer
For better or for worse, most photographers are self-employed. There are advantages and disadvantages to this reality and the article below examines those realities.
Advantages
Many bosses instead of just one
Think of it. If you somehow tick-off your one and only boss and he hates your guts, he can make your life miserable and possibly ruin you financially. If you have many bosses, it would take several firing you at one time to devastate your income. And even if you don’t care for one or two of your bosses (clients), you only have to put up with their crap occasionally. All those other times you’ll be with other clients (bosses), ones that you’ll probably even like or admire. It’s much easier putting up with people you don’t care for, if you know its only going to be for a short time. And if the client is really a jerk, you can just say, “I’m busy” when he calls. I tent to do this very seldom. I prefer to take their money. Can you think of anything better to do to someone you don’t like, other than take their money? Or maybe I’m just a little greedy. Ya, that’s probably it. :+)
You make your own hours
In theory anyway, you’re always free to take off work whenever you like. Have a soccer tournament you want to attend? No problem. You don’t have to ask permission from your boss, you don’t have to worry about getting on some office lost or schedule. You’re your own man (or woman). Free to come and go as you wish. Quite a sense of freedom, really…
Those self-employment perks
You get to write off all kinds of fun stuff. Cameras, computers, cars, and stuff like that. Even meals, when you eat with clients, or potential clients. And who do you know that isn’t a potential client? :+)
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Disadvantages
Many bosses instead on one
sure it takes a lot of effort and you really have to be a screw-up to get fired from several bosses at one time. But on the other hand, don’t forget that you had to find all those bosses in the first place. Think of how hard it was to find your current job. To build a client base, you have to find new jobs / clients / bosses all the time. You are going to loose clients. No client will be yours for life. Sooner or later, something will happen and you’ll loose every client. Maybe the guy will move or loose his job, or maybe he’ll be promoted to a new position that doesn’t hire photographers. As a self-employed photographer, you’re always looking for new clients to build your business or at least replace the clients you loose to normal attrition. If you aren’t constantly on the lookout for (marketing) you’ll soon find yourself looking for one boss instead of many.
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You make your own hours
Ya right! The truth is, I work much more than any employed person I know. Like I said, I’m a bit greedy. I can’t stand to turn away work. Not just because it’s a project and a good payday, it’s because it might just be more than a job I’m turning away. It might be a client I’m giving away. If I’m not available for that client’s project, they’re going to have to find someone else to work for them. And what happens if they like that new guy more than they like me? I’ll tell you what happens, I might well loose that client. And that sucks. That means that I have to go to all the trouble of finding a new client to replace that old one. That’s expensive to do and quite frankly, a pain in my butt. Clients are something you cherish and people you want to keep happy and content with you, if you don’t, make them happy and fill their needs, they’ll find someone else to keep them happy. That’s why I didn’t go on my daughter’s regional soccer tournament this year, That’s why I get up at six and get home at eight most night. It sounds like I’m bitching here, but I’m not. You see, I really like what I do and I really don’t mind most of the sacrifices that I make. It’s all about balance. You can only balance success with family if you have both. :+)
Those self-employment perks
Sure you get to buy all those fun toys and get to write them off, but don’t forget you have to pay for them too! There will be toys you really need that you’d rather not pay for, but you have to. There will be meals you can deduct, that you’d rather not have to pay for, but you know you have to. There will be bills, and bills, and more bills. Where did all these freaking bills come from? And what about the Taxes… Yikes!
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