| you’ve always wanted to work for yourself or | | | | client sites, and luncheon meetings. |
| you are just looking for a change of occupation. | | | | Mind the Work |
| Perhaps you were recently laid off and see freelance | | | | Every business needs someone to mind the work. |
| work as an opportunity to continue your career. | | | | This sounds like the business manager to me. In this |
| Regardless of your reasons, there are 3 points every | | | | role, the business manager is responsible to run the |
| project manager should consider before engaging as a | | | | office, answer the phone, manage the contracts, |
| freelancer. | | | | invoice for work completed, manage accounts |
| I recently heard someone on the radio talk about the 3 | | | | receivable, pay the office expenses, and make sure |
| points. I’m sorry that I can’t recall his | | | | the payroll is ready on-time. In a small office, the |
| name, but he stated that, “Every business | | | | business manager also creates and manages the |
| needs 3 things, someone to find the work, someone to | | | | business budgets, forecasts sales, manages contract |
| mind the work, and someone to grind the work.” | | | | milestones and deliveries. |
| These points were so important that I had to write | | | | Grind the Work |
| them. Let’s take a moment and discuss each | | | | Every business needs someone to grind the work. |
| of the points to see how they apply to a freelance | | | | This is the role that actually does work that will be |
| project manager. | | | | invoiced to provide the funds required to run the |
| Find the Work | | | | business and make the payroll. It’s a full time |
| Every business needs someone to find the work. | | | | job to perform the contracted services within schedule, |
| Actually this role of finding the work is essentially a | | | | under budget, while achieving the quality of service |
| dual role with responsibilities in marketing and sales. As | | | | expected by the client. |
| the marketing manager, this person is responsible to | | | | A freelance project manager is a one-person show. |
| identify and describe the services to be provided by | | | | The freelancer must fulfill all 3 roles to run a successful |
| the freelancer, that is, to create any marketing | | | | one-person business. The freelance project manager |
| collateral including brochures, advertizing, whitepapers, | | | | must somehow balance the needs to find and mind |
| and fliers that will be used by the sales role to identify | | | | the work while still having time to grind out the work. |
| and secure new business. | | | | The freelancer who focus on project delivery, but |
| In the sales role, this person will beat the streets looking | | | | doesn’t make the time to look for the next |
| for the next job. Typically this includes prospecting, | | | | contract will soon be out of business. Likewise, the |
| qualifying, and selling the services to new or existing | | | | freelancer who finds a job and focuses on delivery |
| clients. Selling services can be time consuming; | | | | without remembering to invoice will also soon be out of |
| consider the time spent on phone calls, in-person | | | | business. |
| meetings, writing proposals, responding to RFPs, and | | | | In summary, you may be a great project manager, but |
| negotiating contracts. All of these activities are | | | | freelancing requires sales and business skills to run the |
| resource intensive, non-productive, and expensive | | | | business. Make sure you cover your bases before |
| when you consider your time, the cost to travel to | | | | embarking on your new career. |