As the Upwork Ambassador for the Austin, TX, area, Scott Poniewaz organizes networking events for the local Upwork community. He also helps freelancers grow their businesses through workshops and trainings.
It isn’t just Poniewaz’s experience as a full-time freelance marketer and startup consultant that makes him such a helpful resource. It’s also the knowledge gained by co-founding and building several innovative companies, which gives him unique insights into the challenges a growing business can face.
“I got started freelancing when a company I had been with for a few years, despite achieving great growth and success, started to get stagnant,” Poniewaz said. “The positive was that it was operating like a well-oiled machine, but the negative was that the excitement had started to fade. At that point, I had already been doing some advising and consulting on the side. As I began to get more and more requests for my expertise, it just started to make sense that I finally take the leap.”
One of the most common questions Poniewaz receives is how he made the transition to freelancing full-time. His advice? Start small. “The misconception that you need to be full-time from the start is one that holds many people back,” he said. “In fact, I recommend that you test the waters with some night or weekend projects first. This gives you the opportunity to build new skills, expand your portfolio, or even explore a new path before going all-in. Then, as you gain clients and a solid workload, you can make the leap to full-time freelancer.”
As a full-time freelancer, he enjoys being able to help other companies grow while simultaneously building his own freelance business.”When running a company, you often have a team and a primary product you are trying to develop a company around,” he said. “As a freelancer, I am instead helping steer several companies down the right path while gaining far more experience across several clients than I would previously in the silo of my own, single company.”
While freelancing certainly has its benefits, it’s not without its challenges. To help ensure he stays motivated and productive while working virtually with clients across the country, Poniewaz strives to keep consistent work hours.
“I have specific hours that I’ll work. Having a set start time each day ensures I stay on track. I’m also a fan of the bullet journal system,” he added. “Each morning I lay out both the short-term and long-term tasks that need to be completed. It keeps me on-task and I’m less tempted to spend time on social media or working on lower priority tasks.”
In the Austin area and want to check out one of our events? Poniewaz has some exciting plans up his sleeve. “2018 will be full of surprises, so we’ll need to keep it secret for now. Just kidding! Keep an eye out for more workshops that will focus on specific topics that many Austin freelancers have been asking for, as well as more panels, more insights shared from clients, and a few fun events to get all of us out from behind our computers.”
Upwork Ambassador event invites are emailed to eligible Rising Talent and Top Rated freelancers in the metro area where the event is being held. If you’ve unsubscribed from our marketing emails but would like to resubscribe, please submit this form and we’ll add you to the list! For any other questions, please reach out to Upwork Support.
The post Transitioning to Freelancing Full-Time? Tips from an Upwork Ambassador appeared first on Upwork Blog.
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