Leaving a stable and decent job for something uncertain is indeed a big risk. But as they say, you either “take the risk or lose the chance”. Would you rather get stuck in a job that pays ‘OK’ or a job that pays “Well”? The gap between these two words is SIXnifigant. (Word being used playfully if you know what I mean “wink”)

So, if the idea of going homebased has ever crossed your mind, here are some tips based on my experience that may increase your success rate.

For a married individual, it’s important to consult your wife or husband if ever you’ve decided to pursue a career in freelancing or work from home. Why? Both of you must be on-board with the idea and the risk that you are taking. This will also avoid this line from ever coming up “I told you going freelancing is a bad idea” – The Blame Game. Once the two parties agreed then you should prepare yourself for the worst – this is what I always think of – where am I going to end up if my journey amounts to failure?

1. Bring up the worst case scenario – picture this in your head. What would be the worst case scenario if my journey failed? To me the worst case scenario was I have to re-apply to the same company (I have a proper exit) or to a diff company.
2. Once you’ve identified the worst case scenario, now think about how you are going to start over from that point. Is it possible to bounce bank after you’ve gambled everything?
3. If you can bounce back after failure then I suggest go for it, take the risk. But if you don’t see any redemptions in your worst case scenario, then this may not be a good time to transition.

When the idea of working from home came to me I didn’t have any savings. So what I did to prepare are these:

Equipment Preparation Start building your computer unit and buy accessories (keyboards, monitor, mouse, etc) every payday. (Unless of course your equipment of choice is a laptop)

What comes next is identifying the best internet service provider or connection in your area.

Don’t rely on hearsays. Do a research. If your friend tells you that X telecom works amazing in their area, you can’t expect the same thing to happen for you. The speed of the internet these telecom provides sometimes depends on the location.

You will experience rejection and depression coming from all sources.

The first form of rejection will come from your family. In our culture, the mentality is go to school – get a job, and that’s it. So when you tell your family or relative (if you’re that type of person who includes family and relative in decision making) prepare for lines like “Why would you leave your job?, you’re already stable” “What you’re pursuing is not even certain” – sound familiar? This is the main reason why a lot of people settle for a job they don’t’ enjoy – the best example is my mom. My mom settled for a job that pays “ok” for 30 years though she’s able to invest in properties and send us to school that was never her passion. She excels in cooking and baking which in her time are not as extravagant as it is in our era.

The second form of rejection – inability to land a job. If you’ve gone through numerous interviews in the past then you should already be used to the feeling of rejection. But if not then brace yourself. Finding a client online is very difficult here’s why:

1. You are a stranger living on the other side of the globe.
2. You don’t have the skills they’re looking for.
3. There are better candidates than you.

The Final form of rejection – Self rejection. If you’ve gone through first and second rejection, most definitely your faith is already shaken, you will start to question your abilities and your decision.

You have to prepare yourself to these rejections. It will be hard to handle them by yourself. You need to find someone to confide to. Someone with unbiased and open mind and not someone who will tell you these lines like “I told you”, “You already have a decent job then you left, look what happened”. You don’t need people like that. What you need is someone who will tell you “Based on the feedback you receive from failed interviews, what are your opportunities? Let’s work on those”.

Information is so close to us as ever. It’s very accessible, utilize it.

You cannot really be good at something you do not understand. So do a research and find out what freelancing, virtual assistants, and work from home are all about. Use this avenue to set your expectations straight.

When I first entered the freelancing world, I was given an expectation that it’s easy. You just press a button and wait for someone to answer. When someone answers you use the script available for you. Sounds easy right? But the reality of it is different, way different.

You know how recruiting works — they look at your experience and skills first, because they try to identify if you’re fit for the job or if they have other use for you. So it will not hurt to have couple of skills in that resume or portfolio.

Your BPO experience doesn’t have that much of a bearing in the freelancing world. So, if you’re thinking you’ll get by with just BPO experience, you are mistaken. Your BPO experience surely amounts to good communication skills and customer service skills, but those are common skills in the freelancing world.

I highly recommend Udemy when it comes to online courses as it is an established and trusted channel. You can also register in iServV’s “iLearn” section and take free or paid courses facilitated by yours truly.

Be weary when choosing a course and always look for reviews and the content of the course itself.

Identify where you’re good at and build on it. Put focus on it and enhance it until it’s a skill that you excel at.

This is a good source of information about how the freelancing world works. You can also ask questions in their board and get news feed about job openings.

I’m currently a member of the following groups: Offline Filipino Freelancers (OFF) and The Freelance Movement

The rationality behind this is contentment. If you’re already employed and kept seeing testimonials from other people on how successful they are, you will either be discouraged or motivated. Both by the way may have negative implications in your career.

1. Discouraged – because you don’t have what they have, you’re not earning what they're earning.
2. Motivated – in a way that you want to be like them, you want to do what they do to achieve what they’ve achieved compromising your current job.

You may argue that you can handle it, but believe me it’s going to be hard.

Yes, I’m talking about agencies or outsourcing companies. If you’re really having a hard time getting a client on your own, consider applying in agencies as they have connections and reputations behind them.

But be careful in choosing agencies. Majority of these agencies are low-ballers.

Stay with an agency that offers a fair salary structure and offers up-skilling like iServV. Otherwise you may not get salary increase and your knowledge, stagnant. (We are back to the office set-up where in there is limited growth)

Don’t give your clients hints like “My computer is broken, my computer is slow” to somehow send a signal for them to send you a computer or money to buy a computer. It is your responsibility to produce these devices. And these clients maybe generous, but they’re not naïve to not know when someone is trying to take advantage of them.

Don’t mention health emergency, bonus, and any hints that is related to financial as this is very unprofessional. They have nothing to do with this.

If you do your job well they will proactively offer you these.

Freelancing is a risk, but if you prepare your chances of succeeding will increase.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” — Benjamin Franklin.