Freelancing Advice: Get an Office?

Web designer Cameron Moll is leaving his freelancing career after 18 months to take a traditional job. He says “it was a blast while it lasted” and shares his tips for succeeding as an independent.

Here’s a good tip on smoothing out your cash flow:

Smooth out revenue flow with residual income. As a freelancer, I launched Authentic Jobs to assist companies and applicants with targeted job seeking, with the added benefit of creating a more consistent income for myself. Hourly and lump sum billing, as many of you know, isn’t always consistent month to month. Supplementing that income with recurring revenue — hosting, product sales, advertising, a web app, etc. — isn’t only wise but often essential, too.

I’m not sure I agree with all his advice, however. He suggests that freelancers get office space outside their home:

Secure office space within 6-12 months. One of the most challenging aspects of freelancing is you can’t turn off work. It’s always there; omnipresent in the forefront of your mind, any hour of the day, just about anywhere you are. You need to separate work and play, business and pleasure. Regrettably I never did. I worked entirely at home, and I now look back and wish I would have provided a physical and mental partition between work and family simply by finding office space outside of the home.

Whether or not you need to lease office space depends so much on the particulars of your situation. Working from home is one of the main reasons I love web workerhood. Though it’s true I don’t have a strict boundary between work and family (my version of “play”), I wouldn’t give up starting work in my bathrobe at six am, wearing shearling-lined slippers all day, and getting the laundry done during work breaks. Plus, given I have a dedicated office in my own home, I couldn’t justify the expense.

What about you? Do you think a freelancer needs office space outside the home? If you’re already freelancing, what important lessons have you learned?

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