The Gig Life: How to Move From Full-Time to Freelance

Why does freelance life call out to you? Most people want to be gig workers because we crave flexibility – to do the kind of work that gets us excited, while also being able to take time off when we want to. This sounds great on paper, but ground realities are slightly more complicated. To understand the nuances of gig work, you’ll have to take off your rose-tinted glasses and accept that gigs will take up your time, effort, and energy in the same way that full-time work does.

However, you will have the ability to choose the kinds of companies and projects you work on. In India, the gig economy is still in its early stages, so the culture of working for three months and taking three months off isn’t viable yet. However, you can choose to space out your gigs in a way that gives you more flexibility than a full-time job would. It’s crucial that you understand (the sometimes unglamorous) realities of gig work before you decide to quit your full-time job.

If you’re in finance, data analytics, project management, or communications, the good news is that companies are fairly open to taking on gig workers at all levels for these functions. HR strategy is another field that is increasingly being outsourced to gig workers. Swiggy, India’s largest food delivery platform, approached me to set up their Talent Management strategy. This goes to show that companies are willing to take on gig workers not just for junior, scripted work, but also for strategic and analytical roles.

How to Prepare for Gig Work

Before you take the plunge, it’s important to clearly define your personal purpose. What do you want to experience and learn beyond a corporate life? You should know your “why”: why do you want to shift from a full-time job to freelance work, which is not a very mainstream choice? To discover your purpose, look at the past jobs you’ve had, and what aspects of the work struck a chord close to your heart. What areas made you happiest?

I was previously the Head of L&D, Culture and Diversity and Inclusion at Diageo India. In my journey of discovering my purpose, I asked myself these very questions. My answers led me to a few insights: I was passionate about building capability and transforming culture. I wanted to live my dream while enabling others to enjoy their work and achieve their aspirations. My purpose guided me to make the choice to step out of a full-time corporate role to help others achieve their growth potential.

So the first step you should take if you’re looking to transition from full-time to freelance is to clearly articulate your personal purpose. This will help you define your area of expertise and attract the kind of work that truly resonates with you.

The next step is to make a list of the pros and cons of freelance work. Come at the decision from a practical perspective. Stepping out of corporate life would mean giving up the comfort of a regular paycheck at the end of every month. How will you sustain yourself without it, especially during periods when you don’t have a gig lined up? You would also need to think about how freelance work would impact your household income and expenses. You should also list out the benefits you expect to gain from being a gig’er.

After 20 years of corporate life, I wasn’t sure if I could pull off being a freelancer while sustaining myself. I grappled with whether it was worth the risk of not having a stable income. I planned my exit from corporate life a year before I actually quit my job, and within the first month of quitting, I had second thoughts. But eventually, I found my bearings. Stories of people who were successful gig’ers – learning immensely with the projects they took on – empowered me to keep going. Knowing that my husband supported my decision and had my back was also comforting.

After you make a list of pros and cons, take time to introspect on which factors bear significant weight to your life. What is important to you? If you’re someone who derives immense peace of mind from a regular paycheck, then gigs may not be for you.

One of the most exciting opportunities that gigs afford is the ability to choose the kind of projects you take on. In corporate jobs, people tend to be largely restricted by their job descriptions, and usually spend their time meeting goals and deliverables. Gigs allow you to do what you love, but across various companies. In order to make the most of this prospect, you should narrow down your areas of interest and expertise from the get go.

Uncertainty can be daunting, and taking a plunge into the unknown world of freelance is no exception. The great news is that there are a lot of successful gig specialists out there who can help you visualise what to expect. Reach out to these gig specialists, most of whom you can easily find on LinkedIn. You could ask them what a day in their life looks like, and about the challenges and benefits they experience.

These conversations will give you a better sense of whether the gig life is for you, at this point in time.

When you’re looking for freelance work, you will need to put yourself out there as much as possible. People can only connect you with potential clients when they know about what you’re doing and the kind of work you’re looking for. Especially in India, personal networks still play a huge role in landing projects. Referrals from friends were what helped me the most when I started out as a gig worker.

Personal Brand: Positioning Yourself for Gigs

People who work in corporate companies usually don’t think about personal brands, as they’re comfortable with showcasing their work under their corporate identity. However, as a freelancer, you’ll have to start building a strong personal brand that will give people a sense of who you are and the work you do.

Start on LinkedIn. Create a profile, and use it to talk about the one or two areas you excel in and want to focus on. Don’t dilute your message by sharing any other content, even if it is interesting to you. For example, I wanted to do freelance work in Talent Management and Diversity and Inclusion, so those were the areas I focused on. Share your story, core strengths and relevant milestones you’ve achieved.

Once you’ve done this, tell people that you’re a gig specialist looking for work. Activate your network, and grow it both in depth and width. Your network will be your biggest resource. Reach out to your connections and ask if they know of anyone hiring for the kind of work you are interested in. If not, simply “cold calling” – asking a connection to be introduced to a colleague in a specific department in their company – is an option to consider.

When you’re reaching out to your networks for work, start small. Don’t bite off more than you can chew by taking on too many projects at once, especially in the very beginning. You don’t want the struggle to deliver to affect the quality of your work.

Once you’ve landed your first gig, ask your clients to share their experiences with you as references on LinkedIn. The more gigs you take on, the more you’ll grow this bank of references and boost your credibility. You could also share interesting insights from the gigs you’ve taken on. With a strong personal brand and great references, you will be well on your way to attracting your dream projects.

Finding Work

Increasingly, there are online platforms that are looking to bring structure to the unstructured nature of the gig economy. TapChief is a great place to begin if you’re a gig worker looking for a project. When you sign up for an account, you can look for opportunities for work, build your network, or even get guidance on areas you might be uncertain about – project costs, for instance.

The Devil’s in the Details

When you start taking on projects, be clear about how you manage your time. You should space your gigs out in such a way that you’re not impinging on the time you’ve invested on Project A to work on Project B. Don’t get greedy and take on too much, especially if you chose to be a gig worker to have more flexibility. Be clear about how much time each project will need, and balance that out with how much free time you want for yourself.

When you’re negotiating terms with your client, make sure you’re clear about how often you’re expected to travel, or how many times per week you’d need to be physically present in the office. Don’t just verbally discuss this, build it all into your contract. How do you align with the company’s leave policy, for instance?

You also need to figure out how you want to price your services. I typically use one of two models. If the project I’m taking on is of a strategic nature (where benchmarking, research, and consultation is involved, for instance), I would charge clients on a project basis. So, you’d think about how much the entire project would cost, based on the scope, timelines and deliverables. If the project is not very strategic, I charge based on the amount of time I would need to invest and come up with a rate. Some gig workers even come up with a daily or hourly rate for their time.

A New Way of Working

One of the biggest challenges that you’ll face as a freelancer is that companies are still unsure about how to deal with independent workers. The World Economic Forum has slated gigs to be the future of work, and companies in India are keen to jump on the bandwagon. Yet many of these companies simply aren’t ready for it. There’s a lot of confusion about how gig workers should be treated.

One question companies should ask is, how do we extend inclusivity to this alternative workforce? Do we invite gig workers to office outings and celebrations? As a full-time employee, you automatically build camaraderie between other members of your team. There’s an inherent sense of belonging. As a gig worker, you simply won’t feel like you’re a part of the team. The people you work with will see you as a transient presence who is around for a specific purpose, after which you’d leave.

When you start a project with a new company, don’t be surprised if fitting in takes a little longer. You might feel a little lost while you adapt to the culture and language of each new workspace you enter. The onus is on you to make an effort to break the ice and build relationships with your coworkers. Having a good rapport with them will not only help you get things done effectively, but also help you widen your network. You should always keep the lines of communication open, so that these people might be able to give you a reference or even lead you to your next gig.

Companies are also not very clear about what kinds of terms to offer gig workers, beyond just compensation. How do you position yourself to attract and retain great gig workers? Furthermore, are you making intelligent use of what a gig worker has to offer? There are projects I’ve taken on where I know that there’s so much more I could be doing, but the limited scope of the project prevents me from getting too deeply involved.

You’ll also have to deal with the common misconception that the work a freelancer produces is somehow of a lower quality than that of a full-time employee. Companies often carry this perception that full-timers will get things done because they have long-term goals to plan for. It’s difficult to establish that level of trust with gig workers with whom they’ve only interacted a few times.

So don’t take it personally if you find a client helicoptering more than you’re used to. Simply reassure them that the job is being done, and always be very forthcoming in your communications with them. Take initiative to give them updates on how the project is unfolding, and be present to answer their questions.

That said, you should also protect yourself from being exploited by companies who are looking to extract more work from you than they’re paying for. ‘Scope Creep’ is a common struggle you’ll encounter as a gig worker. This is when the scope of the project keeps growing beyond what was agreed upon, because the client feels it’s linked to the outcome. If you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself doing a lot more than you set out to do, without being compensated for it.

If you sense the onset of Scope Creep, be very clear about drawing lines on what the project’s scope and deliverables are. Firmly but professionally remind the client about what was agreed upon when you started the project. State that you would be happy to take on more, but be clear that those would be considered additional gigs, and be charged accordingly.

You will also need to work out legal formalities and documentation, especially with taxation. For a gig worker, it’s no longer as simple as filing your income taxes once a year. If you hit a certain revenue, you will need to pay GST, and file your taxes on a monthly basis.

With open communication, clear expectations, and a willingness to be proactive in building a rapport with the teams you join, you’ll be able to sidestep some of the challenges you might face along your journey of doing work that fulfills you.

1. Define Your Purpose

Look at the jobs or projects you’ve had in the past and ask yourself which aspects you were most passionate about. What was the kind of work that made you feel motivated and fulfilled? Use this to craft a personal purpose.

2. Create a Plan

If you’re still at a full-time job, make a plan before you jump into freelance work. Set timelines, and most importantly, activate your personal networks by letting your connections know about the kind of work you’re looking for.

3. Complete Any Documentation and Legal Formalities

Before you jump into freelance work, do thorough research into legal formalities such as how to file your taxes, and even how often you should do so.