Rachel successfully navigates a graphic design freelance career alongside a full-time design job. Working from Vancouver, BC, Rachel has been freelancing for over 2 and a half years, dedicated her evenings and weekends to growing and maintaining her successful business. Rachel’s tip for fellow freelancers is to have another creative outlet besides freelancing – you don’t have to look at a computer screen to be creative!
1) Hey Rachel, it’s a pleasure for us to have you in our inside series! To start, could you tell us a bit about yourself and what are you up to these days?
Thanks for contacting me! This is very cool. Well I guess to start I’m Rachel, I’m 27, originally from Calgary, AB, Canada and currently living in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I have a Bachelors of Design from the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary and as soon as I graduated, I packed up my car and drove west! That was 2 and a half years ago and I’ve been freelancing since then.
2) What was your inspiration and when did you actually decide to become a freelancer?
I freelanced a lot during school so I had some experience when I graduated. I always liked talking directly with the client and collaborating with them one-on-one. Once I moved cities, I needed additional income (as Vancouver is one of the most expensive cities to live in) and freelancing became essential to paying bills! I worked on some major branding projects and I was able to obtain some contract work at some agencies and build my “out-of-school” portfolio from there. I now have a full-time design job so I keep my freelance to evenings and weekends.
3) Was it difficult for you to start freelancing? Could you share with our readers the most important lessons you learned on the way?
I learned a lot that first year… well I still am, every day something new. Important lessons I learned the hard way: quoting clients, but I feel like everyone has to learn that one the hard way in some fashion.
4) And what do you think are the main reasons why freelancers fail or prefer to go back into fulltime employment?
Probably consistency of payment and job security? I would love to go full time freelance but I have student loan payments I need to maintain.
5) Now tell us, how do you find new clients that are interested in your services? How do you set yourself apart from your competitors?
Honestly, the first year that I lived in Vancouver, I was unemployed, didn’t have enough freelance clients to fill up my time AND I was broke so I didn’t go out much… so I taught myself as much SEO as I could. I used my website as a guinea pig and it started climbing up the search ranks and I started getting emails from potential clients! It was crazy how well it worked. I am still working with some of those clients today.
6) Do you use other freelancers or companies to provide skills that you don’t possess or to delegate tasks that are not directly related to design?
Up until now; I try to take on clients I am comfortable with handling on my own. I am thinking about creating a list of resources in order to grow my capacity, but haven’t started yet.
7) What’s your typical day like – do you work a “normal 9-5”? What is your work-life balance recipe?
As mentioned, I do work 9-5 but after that; I usually come home, relax for an hour or two, and then work a few hours before bed. I also work on weekends during the day. My schedule is a bit all over the place, but I always write a plan for the next coming days before going to bed. So I can ensure I have planned correctly.
8) Is being a freelancer what you expected? Do you work more hours than you had first anticipated?
I think freelance is going better than I expected! Mainly because I don’t have to chase work down as much as I thought I would. The SEO thing really works! I can’t get over it! I do work more hours than I thought I would, mainly on emailing and billing! No one tells you in school how many hours would be spent emailing people and billing…
9) What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting a freelance career? And, in your opinion, what does it takes to be successful as a freelancer?
Start small and don’t beat yourself up when a potential client won’t accept a quote. I used to get so frustrated and I would ask myself “should I lower my rate? is my portfolio not good enough?” No! It’s all good! There are always clients around.
10) What are your future plans? Do you have any interesting projects coming up?
Eventually full time freelancing, then having a very small boutique agency of some sort. Unsure how or when yet, long term goals.
Where to find Rachel:
Website: rachelteresapark.com
Email: hello@rachelteresapark.com
LinkedIn:Rachel Teresa Park
