If you’re ready to make the change in your freelancing career, you’ll want to integrate as smoothly as possible from platform freelancing to private freelancing. There are several details to focus on to help you do just that. You owe it to your customers and your own sense of professionalism to keep this shift as comfortable as possible.  

Transitioning from platform to private freelancing

The main thing about changing from platform to private freelancing is focusing on the core details that will guide your way to success as responsibly and as stress-free as possible.

• Figure out your “why”: We all consider, and make, the changeover from one to the other for one or more reasons. Before you take any steps, focus on just why you want to become a private freelancer. Remembering those core concepts will help you build a private business that actually meets the needs that you set out to accomplish.

• Ease into private work: Don’t just make the change overnight. You need to gradually move your business over from platform to private freelancing. Be careful in this process, of course. Some platforms don’t allow you to “steal” your clients, so make sure you follow all of the rules! However, you do it, gradually move over your business revenue streams. At first, it’ll be 90% platform and 10% private. Then 50% platform and 50% private, and so on.  On that same note, don’t be surprised if you’re never 100% private freelancing. This is not a failure! It’s just smart — keeping more than one revenue stream open is great for when you want to organize your freelancing business plan carefully!

• Get the support of someone who’s done it: No matter how smoothly the transition is going, make sure that you’ve got the support of someone who’s done it. They don’t need to be in your niche, and you don’t need to share details if you don’t want to. But having someone that you can vent with, who understands the frustrations or exciting points, will be a great ally to this often long-winded process. If they offer advice, take it!

• Enjoy the journey: At times, transitioning your freelance work will be scary, stressful, and challenging. When you hit those milestones when working privately, make sure to celebrate them. Enjoy the journey in all of its twists and turns. Will it go exactly as planned? Unfortunately, no. But when you look back in several years, it’ll be a story worth telling. So, you may as well enjoy the process!

An important professional transition

Whether you’re a freelance writer like me or you’re into the consultation business instead, working privately with your own rules will be exactly what you’ve always wanted.  

While private freelancing may not be suitable for every single person out there, it certainly helps figure out just what you want to get out of the process! Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Just as a reminder, I’m still looking for questions for my upcoming Ask a Writer series! If you have a question that you’ve always wanted to ask me about my professional life, please comment or contact me privately. I’ll address it in its own blog post!  

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