When is the right time to start freelancing?

Photo courtesy of Iwerzhon Photo

The truth is that there's probably never going to be a perfect time to start your new freelance career. There is always bound to be some personal or global event that makes it seem like you are considering the craziest thing in the world to most people.

For example, when I started freelancing we were in the middle of an economic boom, the industry I left was paying record rates for the work I was doing and times were good. Surely quitting to set up on my own was insane, to do so abroad even more so. Conversely, now we're told that we're at the beginning of a long recession, times are going to be hard and we should tighten our belts. Surely anyone setting up thier own freelancing business now is doomed to failure?

You see, either way blaming the economic climate would have seemed the sensible thing to do at the time. 'I can't quit now, it's stupid to give up on all this money' vs. 'I can't start up now, it's stupid to waste time on that I need to find a job.' In reality, both are excuses.

It's very easy to set up a straw man argument and convince yourself that things are impossible now and that if you wait another six months you'll be in a much better position. Whenever you think of or are given a reason why you shouldn't do something, try to work out what the exact opposite scenario would be. Could this argument also be used against you if circumstances were different?

So, what should you do?

I'd suggest starting right away. Whether you're still in gainful employment or you've just been made redundant and are looking for a new job. Whether you've already moved to France and are wondering how to make some money or you're planning to in the future. None of these situations preculde you from getting going with your new freelancing business. Every situation is unique and you will have to make the best of the situation you are in.

I started my company in my spare time (lunchbreaks, evenings and weekends) and I didn't expend a great deal of effort doing so. All I wanted to acheive was some level of comfort that I could attain new clients, generate interest in what I was doing and get the word around that if any work came up I'd be interested.

Bootstrapping a company, that is to say starting up with very little overhead is one of the easiest and quickest ways to get up and running. It has the benefit of not costing you much (if anything) and allowing you to try out the business before you commit all your time and effort to it. If it fails or it turns out you don't like it try something else, you will not have lost anything and you only stand to gain in experience.

In the next post I'll enumerate some useful resources and things to think about to help you get started in bootstrapping your new freelancing business.

5 things to think about before you drop everything and move to France.

Before we get down to the nuts and bolts of freelancing abroad I'd like to spend a little time exploring France, it's culture and it's people. I suppose you could call it 'setting the scene'.

If you're thinking about moving abroad and haven't yet done so this list should give you a few things to think about before you book the ferry. Some of the points may seem a little negative and I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but over the last couple of years I've seen and heard about many unhappy English speakers here and even seen quite a few return to their home countries. Most of their unhappiness would probably have been preventable and the major causes that come to mind are listed below.

1. Very few people are going to speak to you in English.

Most of the French population learnt English at school but you probably won't find many outside of tourist areas that are willing to admit that they remember it and even fewer who are prepared to actually converse with you in it.

It is possible to 'get by' without speaking the language, but it's painful and hard going. Simple tasks such as trying to explain that you've been short changed in a shop or phoning for roadside assistance because your car has broken down can become an ordeal.

I'm not saying that you need to speak French absolutely perfectly either (I don't), but you will need a working knowledge and be able to understand most of what is being said to you. Personally I think this is fair enough and most people would expect the same of anyone moving to the UK.

Unfortunately, unless you're three years old, learning a new language is going to take quite a bit of effort. I'm yet to see anyone 'just pick it up by living there' so it helps to think of this as an investment in yourself. It will pay dividends when you want to find work or friends and I've found the locals much more receptive to those few who even try to speak than those who don't.

Learning from a book and/or tapes is going to be a good start, but you'll ideally want to sign up for some lessons and practise as much as you can in an entirely French speaking environment.

2. Making friends

Think of France and you think of countryside and vast open spaces. If it's your dream to live 'au fin fond de la France' (in the middle of nowhere) don't be disappointed when you don't immediately meet lots of new friends and become the center of the village social scene.

It takes a while to get to know people when you move anywhere and in France it will probably take a little longer. On the day we moved here I happened to meet one of my new neighbours walking down the road and I asked her if she knew a local farmer I had just spoken to, 'Oh no', she said, 'we've only lived in the village for ten years and we don't know many people yet.'

The rules of engagement are slightly different to what you may be used to and will probably seem a little formal and standoffish at first. On the whole though I've found people to be nothing but polite, warm and very welcoming. The onus will be on you to make the effort and at times it may seem a bit disheartening but keep plugging away and I can guarantee that you'll make some excellent friends.

3. Cost of living

It's a well known fact that booze and property are both cheaper in France than in the UK. It's less well known that most other things are about the same price or even more expensive. It's tempting to think that you're going to be able to live your new life on virtually nothing but you will need to be realistic. Second hand cars, for example, will sell for a lot more than you'd imagine.

Also, here is a graph of the Pound versus the Euro over the last five years.



As you can see there's been a bit of a downward trend since mid 2007. If you're going to be bringing in any income in pounds stirling from whatever source (sale of house, invoicing clients, pension funds) you'll need to keep in mind that it's not going to buy you as much as it once did. The same thing applies if you're planning to bring in income in US dollars or any other currency, you will, to some extent, be at the mercy of the foreign exchange rates. There are ways to mitigate some of the effects of this that I will cover later.

4. Taxes

You're going to have to pay them and, in many cases, they're probably going to be more than you're used to. As in the UK income/corporation tax is based on how much you earn and there are some quite reasonable schemes of payment with relatively low rates which we'll cover later. Opting not to pay income tax and 'working on the black' is an approach that I would strongly advise you not to take, not only is it unfair on those who do pay their cotisations it could end up with you getting into quite a bit of trouble. I know of one English fellow currently residing in a local prison for tax evasion related crimes. It's also worth remembering that it's illegal to knowingly employ someone working 'au noir', so the really cheap english odd job man building your new pond could end up as a false economy in the long run.

Regardless of whether you own or rent a property you will also need to pay 'taxe d'habitation' and if you own your own place then you'll also need to pay 'taxes foncières'. It's worth finding out what these will be upfront as it differs from department to department and can be quite high.

5. Don't rush

If you're coming from the UK or the US you'll probably be used to a certain pace of life and have expectations of how and when things should and will be done. You'll discover that local businesses probably won't share your expectations or sense of urgency and may find yourself forced to adopt a holding pattern whilst things get done. You may find that many businesses seem to be permanently closed and others will shut their doors at exactly the time you'd imagine they'd be busiest.

There is no point fighting this, it's just the way things are and once you've got used to it you may even come to appreciate this more laid back aproach. The only alternative is to grow increasingly frustrated and disillusioned and you don't want that.



Hopefully that hasn't scared you off, none of these are major challenges for most people but it is worth a little time thinking about them now before jumping in. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

It's easier than you might think...

Two years ago, depressed by the spiraling property prices and daily commute into London (UK) my wife and I decided to decamp and move abroad. Specifically to France, although in retrospect probably anywhere would have done.


Photo courtesy of Iwerzhon Photo

For a while I've been meaning to write about the experience of quitting the 9-5 job (although often it was 7-7), going cold-turkey on city life and moving a small but profitable consultancy to a different country.

This blog is my attempt to rectify that intention. As this is the first post (first post, yay!) I'm deliberately not going to give much away, but here are a few of the topics I'll cover :

1. Freelancing in France and abroad- How to find and keep work, what work works (and, more importantly, what doesn't). Although I'm in France most of the advice will translate to working from anywhere (even just working from home)

2. Productivity & Time Management - I know it's been done to death on the internets, but with any luck you won't be in London or San Fransisco. Time is different here and there's almost certainly no wi-fi hotspot in the village bar - I don't even get a mobile phone signal in mine.

3. Paying taxes abroad - Demystifying the bureaucracy, what happens if you still have income back home, tips on paying less.

4. Language - A fascinating but occasionally frightening topic for some. I don't want this to be a blog about learning French - there's plenty of that around - but there are some important things you should know.

5. Companies - Do you need to set one up, can you keep an existing one in a different country, are there any alternatives?

6. Culture - What to expect, will the locals be happy to see you? It's great for a holiday, but could you live there?

7. Interviews and Opinions - Over the last couple of years I've met quite a few people working freelance in France. What are their stories?

8. Moving - How do you get into the position of being able to quit your day job, sell up and move? Do you even have to quit or sell anything?

All that and more will be coming soon.

A bientôt,

Richy