The First and The Last Time I Outsourced My Work
That's probably one of the biggest problems in freelancing, at least for me. When it's raining projects and clients, then it's raining like crazy. You don't know how long it's going to last. So, you do your best and you try to work as long and as fast as you can, because you never know when the next wave is going to hit you. This is the term one of the warriors, who's also a freelancer used to describe the periods when there's or there's no work to do. The projects and clients come and go in waves. Well, I decided to change something about it. Maybe, there was a way to take advantage of the situation. Maybe, I don't have to wait for a wave to a wave to do some job. So, I decided to give a chance to outsourcing. I don't know about the other fields, but in freelancing, the idea of freelancing has a particular negative meaning. So, for my own first outsourcing operation, I decided to give an advantage to local resources rather than the international freelance network. This is what happened.
The first project was to revamp an existing old CV and write a new cover letter for it. I thought this was a perfect match for my ex colleague's fiance. She was an English teacher in an elementary school, so I thought this would be a perfect match project for her. The second project was to write a new contract for my returning Aussie client. The first two contracts were for his company. He provided the existing docs and all I had to do was to organize them into a single doc. Definitely not a rocket science nor something that requires a special legal background. This time, I had to do something for him personally. He had some entrepreneurship plans. So, I said OK, this is something my brother-in-law could easily handle. After all, he used to work in NGO for quite some time, so this shouldn't be a problem for his set of skills. Finally, the third project was to take care of a marketing assignment for a young guy from China studying in London. I thought that this academic assignment was something I should handle myself personally. Yet, due to the tight deadline and high volume of work I invited one of my friends to help for a fair price, of course.
That was my master outsourcing plan. Instead of working on only one project, I will try to deliver 3 projects instead. The math should be on my side. When all the clients make their payments, I would be able to earn as if I were working on two projects in total, which was impossible at the moment without the help of other people. Better to outsource than to lose projects and say, sorry I can't work on your project, can you wait or give it to someone else. Right? I honestly believed that this was my first corporate moment, so to speak. I can and will organize people. I will accept dozens of projects. Who knows, maybe that will be the only thing for me to do in the future. To organize and coordinate, let other people do the work. My job is to find work, projects, and clients, then to assign them to the right people, and make sure that everything runs smoothly. That was the theory aspect. Now, let me tell you what happened in the real and brutal freelance life.
So, the first CV client asked quite a few revisions. Maybe, too many according to the standards of my colleague's fiance, I had previously assigned this project to. At one point she said, you know what, I'm done with this guy, he is unreasonable. So, I had to settle with the client and accept only one-half of the original price. I didn't have the time to check who's right or wrong because the other two project were waiting for me. So, I gave this amount plus half of my money to cover the price difference to the nervous fiance and I moved on. The second project, which included my brother-in-law and my returning client was completed successfully. Yet, the client disappeared. He sent me an email a few days later explaining that he got fired and that he is in a chaos. He didn't need the contract anymore. I didn't even bother to ask for the payment. So, I reached into my pocket again and paid my brother-in-law fair and square as promised. I was disappointed, but I didn't think all hopes are gone. I still had the project #3 to save the day.
I did my math again. When I get the money for this project, I would be able to cover all the losses. I'm not going to earn a single cent, but at this point just to prevent further losses seemed like an acceptable idea. So, I worked hard. The client, a young student who obviously enjoyed the nightlife in London too much, was impatient. Around midnight I called my friend because this was supposed to be a two men operation. Obviously, he was enjoying the night life too. Either he was in some club or he had some friends in his apartment because I couldn't hear a thing he was saying. The music was so loud and he was obviously drunk, so I knew what that meant for me. I finished around 7 or 8 am in the morning. I forget. The good news was that the student was pleased with the work. I got the money for my work and my buddy's work, as well. So, there I was where I began my first outsourcing journey. With no profit and completely disappointed and dead tired. That was the moment when I promised myself that this is going to be the first and the last outsourcing thing I ever did in my life.
Maybe this was some kind of a test or a sign, I don't know. Honestly, I don't care. I tried. I failed. The case closed. Maybe, I had chosen the wrong people. Maybe, I got to wrong cards in terms of clients. This could've been a completely different story, but I didn't. Maybe it simply wasn't meant to be for me. I admire and envy people who manage to organize, control, and guide dozens or hundreds of people for the purpose of one or more projects or in a company. I have decided to make peace with my role of a lone wolf in the freelance wilderness. I have to say it's less profitable this way, but it's much easier and simpler. Finally, I just couldn't accept the thought to give some people work to do and then not be able to pay them because regardless of the reasons something went wrong. All in all, I thought I was lucky. I'm done with outsourcing ideas and huge entrepreneurship dreams. The only employees I can accept right now are my eBooks, which I have to write first, of course. Have you had some outsourcing experiences, good or bad? Maybe you can tell me where I made the wrong turn. Yet, I'm definitely in no mood for another outsourcing try. Maybe, it's really better this way.
The first project was to revamp an existing old CV and write a new cover letter for it. I thought this was a perfect match for my ex colleague's fiance. She was an English teacher in an elementary school, so I thought this would be a perfect match project for her. The second project was to write a new contract for my returning Aussie client. The first two contracts were for his company. He provided the existing docs and all I had to do was to organize them into a single doc. Definitely not a rocket science nor something that requires a special legal background. This time, I had to do something for him personally. He had some entrepreneurship plans. So, I said OK, this is something my brother-in-law could easily handle. After all, he used to work in NGO for quite some time, so this shouldn't be a problem for his set of skills. Finally, the third project was to take care of a marketing assignment for a young guy from China studying in London. I thought that this academic assignment was something I should handle myself personally. Yet, due to the tight deadline and high volume of work I invited one of my friends to help for a fair price, of course.
That was my master outsourcing plan. Instead of working on only one project, I will try to deliver 3 projects instead. The math should be on my side. When all the clients make their payments, I would be able to earn as if I were working on two projects in total, which was impossible at the moment without the help of other people. Better to outsource than to lose projects and say, sorry I can't work on your project, can you wait or give it to someone else. Right? I honestly believed that this was my first corporate moment, so to speak. I can and will organize people. I will accept dozens of projects. Who knows, maybe that will be the only thing for me to do in the future. To organize and coordinate, let other people do the work. My job is to find work, projects, and clients, then to assign them to the right people, and make sure that everything runs smoothly. That was the theory aspect. Now, let me tell you what happened in the real and brutal freelance life.
So, the first CV client asked quite a few revisions. Maybe, too many according to the standards of my colleague's fiance, I had previously assigned this project to. At one point she said, you know what, I'm done with this guy, he is unreasonable. So, I had to settle with the client and accept only one-half of the original price. I didn't have the time to check who's right or wrong because the other two project were waiting for me. So, I gave this amount plus half of my money to cover the price difference to the nervous fiance and I moved on. The second project, which included my brother-in-law and my returning client was completed successfully. Yet, the client disappeared. He sent me an email a few days later explaining that he got fired and that he is in a chaos. He didn't need the contract anymore. I didn't even bother to ask for the payment. So, I reached into my pocket again and paid my brother-in-law fair and square as promised. I was disappointed, but I didn't think all hopes are gone. I still had the project #3 to save the day.
I did my math again. When I get the money for this project, I would be able to cover all the losses. I'm not going to earn a single cent, but at this point just to prevent further losses seemed like an acceptable idea. So, I worked hard. The client, a young student who obviously enjoyed the nightlife in London too much, was impatient. Around midnight I called my friend because this was supposed to be a two men operation. Obviously, he was enjoying the night life too. Either he was in some club or he had some friends in his apartment because I couldn't hear a thing he was saying. The music was so loud and he was obviously drunk, so I knew what that meant for me. I finished around 7 or 8 am in the morning. I forget. The good news was that the student was pleased with the work. I got the money for my work and my buddy's work, as well. So, there I was where I began my first outsourcing journey. With no profit and completely disappointed and dead tired. That was the moment when I promised myself that this is going to be the first and the last outsourcing thing I ever did in my life.
Maybe this was some kind of a test or a sign, I don't know. Honestly, I don't care. I tried. I failed. The case closed. Maybe, I had chosen the wrong people. Maybe, I got to wrong cards in terms of clients. This could've been a completely different story, but I didn't. Maybe it simply wasn't meant to be for me. I admire and envy people who manage to organize, control, and guide dozens or hundreds of people for the purpose of one or more projects or in a company. I have decided to make peace with my role of a lone wolf in the freelance wilderness. I have to say it's less profitable this way, but it's much easier and simpler. Finally, I just couldn't accept the thought to give some people work to do and then not be able to pay them because regardless of the reasons something went wrong. All in all, I thought I was lucky. I'm done with outsourcing ideas and huge entrepreneurship dreams. The only employees I can accept right now are my eBooks, which I have to write first, of course. Have you had some outsourcing experiences, good or bad? Maybe you can tell me where I made the wrong turn. Yet, I'm definitely in no mood for another outsourcing try. Maybe, it's really better this way.