If there is one great advise any seasoned Freelancer will ever give you- is that there is a pattern in the Freelancing business. There is the low season and there is the high season. Both seasons may occur 2-3 times a year based on the category of service you are offering. Low seasons is that month in the year where you record low sales while high season is the one that you record high sales.
In the video production business, based on my own analysis- low seasons occur 3-4 times a year while high season are distributed into 4 different months in a year. I will not be specific on the months because it changes all the time.
High seasons are the most exciting ones because you are making good money from Freelancing. On the other hand, low seasons are the most boring ones because there is less work and the earnings are very small.
In this blogpost, I will share with you five things that you can do during the low seasons in the freelancing business to build yourself and stand out from the crowd.
Update Your Profile
It’s really hard to update your personal profile when you are busy working. It may take you a whole year to update your profile with the latest projects you have accomplished. Commit yourself to do this during the low seasons. It is the best period since you have a lot of free time to do it. Add your latest accomplishments and change a few things to make yourself stand out from other freelancers. In the video production category, take your time to create a very enticing show reel or Trailer.
Take a Vacation
You may find yourself busy and working at the time when everyone is going for their summer vacation and free when everyone is back. In such occasions, you will postpone your vacation. Plan your finances well so that you can go for a vacation on low seasons. The best thing about this is-if your vacation falls in a time when few people are travelling- you will get save a lot of money on accommodation and travel cost as the demand for the same is low. This is a good thing as you will be motivated to travel and explore more.
Learn Something New Related to Your Skill
Let’s say you specialize is in a specific niche of a particular skill. A good example in the video production business is Video editing with Adobe premiere. During the low seasons, it will be a great to learn motion graphics with Adobe after effects. You will be surprised on how much this will add value to your Freelancing portfolio. On the other hand, take your time to learn how to set up an online business and sell your skills. With more and more people gaining confidence in your skills-you will be a step higher in building a business from the services that you are offering.
Identify Long-term Investment Vehicles
While you enjoy doing what you are doing, you will not want to do it forever for money. At some point in your career, you will want to invest your income on projects that generates income passively. This will depend on your experience and a clear understanding of what you are investing in. Do your research each time you have free time and less work on your table. The result of this research is- you will have a better understanding of different investments and the price for each. Having this in mind will motivate you to work towards a goal.
Meditate/Fast
Most people don’t take this serious but it is the key. Commit your low seasons to meditation and fasting as this is the only path to enlightenment. Fasting cleanses your body and meditation cleanses your spirit. Renowned Hollywood actors take 8 days of dry fasting. This is one of the greatest challenge that you can give to yourself. Try this and thank me later.
And that is it.
If you need help to create and produce professional screen-cast video tutorials, let me know here.
Until next time, bye and take care.
You can follow me on twitter @cheptiony
1 Comment