Comments on: Three reasons why freelancers are safer during a recession

By: Alex Kitchin

Alex Kitchin — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:49:53 +0000

much of my work comes from small independent business, who are unfortunately rather vulnerable at this time, so a drop in price may be a path i will have to take in order to keep securing jobs.

By: Alex Kitchin

Alex Kitchin — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:49:00 +0000

much of my work comes from small independent business, who are unfortunately rather vulnerable at this time, so a drop in price may be a path i will have to take in order to keep securing jobs.

By: Michael Rose

Michael Rose — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:31:39 +0000

Jesse, I like what you say about being able to drop your prices whenever you want. Obviously we’re going to need more hours, or clients, to make ends meet, and find more economical ways of achieving the same results, but the freelancer is definitely more able to flex and flow as the situation demands.

By: Michael Rose

Michael Rose — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:31:00 +0000

By: Leif Kendall

Leif Kendall — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:07:33 +0000

Hi everyone – thanks for your comments. It’s great to hear that this article has been interesting and useful – even for those who’ve already had the same ideas! Look forward to hearing from more of you…

By: Leif Kendall

Leif Kendall — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:07:00 +0000

By: Jesse Skinner

Jesse Skinner — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:36:25 +0000

I totally agree freelancers can succeed – I wrote an article about this today actually (but before I read this one!):

http://www.thefutureoftheweb.com/blog/5-ways-freelancers-can-succeed-in-bad-economy

By: Jesse Skinner

Jesse Skinner — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:36:00 +0000

I totally agree freelancers can succeed – I wrote an article about this today actually (but before I read this one!):

http://www.thefutureoftheweb.com/blog/5-ways-freelancers-can-succeed-in-bad-economy

By: Clare Stoves

Clare Stoves — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:49:50 +0000

I’m just about to go freelance. This has given me a bit more confidence today. Thanks guys!

By: Clare Stoves

Clare Stoves — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:49:00 +0000

I’m just about to go freelance. This has given me a bit more confidence today. Thanks guys!

By: John

John — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:06:31 +0000

I too have seen this... my company has been promising extra people for a long time now. It keeps getting pushed back. There is no room for extra developers or producers... more sales people, sure, but nothing to help businesses grow and develop.

IF new projects are given a green light the creative freelancers will be called in for sure.

That's a big if though, people are so uncertain I don't see many new projects emerging, except maybe online where fail fast (and cheap) models rule.

By: John

John — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:06:00 +0000

IF new projects are given a green light the creative freelancers will be called in for sure.

That's a big if though, people are so uncertain I don't see many new projects emerging, except maybe online where fail fast (and cheap) models rule.

By: Jon Aizlewood

Jon Aizlewood — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:00:22 +0000

I totally agree. In fact, I see the freelancer/contractor role becoming pivotal in the coming months in the UK, with C-levels pushing back permanent head count in favour of short-term, high-value bodies. This exact scenario is unfolding at my current workplace, and I can't imagine it will change anytime soon.

Additionally, freelancers (at least web-related) offer skills that will surely become even more crucial in a sinking economy. The web, although we're all used to it and take it for granted, is still relatively untapped by those brick n' mortar stores owned by baby boomers etc. who need a low-cost, quick win, high value solution (ie a kickass website that gets quality traffic) to address their problems.

Ultimately I'm remaining highly optimistic that any freelancing that's directly web-related will only stand to benefit from this credit crunch; the Web is cheaper, more accountable and in many ways much more effective than any other channel. Go freelance, go web, and thrive!

By: Jon Aizlewood

Jon Aizlewood — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0000