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.
