How to be a successful gig economy worker

  • Choose your clients wisely to make sure you are paid on time
  • Be transparent and upfront about the mistakes you make,.
  • Learn to say no to projects that pay too little.
  • Plan ahead financially as there will be down times.
  • Manage the time between projects. Learn something new then.

In April 2018, after a year of considering it, Bengaluru-based Sonali Dash finally took the plunge. She quit her 10-year-old corporate career of management consulting to become a yoga teacher. It was a big step in her life. “Quitting corporate was challenging as I was used to the financial security my 10-year-long career had offered me,” says the 34-year-old.

To push herself to give up her comfortable salary, she planned it all—she did a post graduate in yoga to upskill, saved for two years and took worst possible scenarios into account. The combination of financial and emotional support helped Dash till her new career became stable enough.

Brush up your skill sets

What helped Dash through the turmoil of the initial few months was that she had researched well. Before you jump off your existing career, you should understand opportunities in the new line of work you’re heading into, says Sanjay Lakhotia, co-founder, Noble House Consulting, a platform specializing in finding HR consultants for companies. 

Choose your clients wisely

To make sure you get paid at the end of a project, do a background research on people you work with and be sure they are able to pay.

Be transparent

Always be upfront on the mistakes you make, never bloat up the hours you clock. You’re building relationships in the long term so transparency and honesty are important.

Learn to say no

You might be desperate for more clients, but don’t work with people who are paying you too little, don’t respect your work, or have impossible expectations.

Plan ahead financially

Freelancers see spurts of money. There would be a few months that you earn a lot and then a few months of no payments. Always have an extra cushion to make sure that all your regular expenses are paid for.

Manage the breaks

Every consultant or freelancer has a downtime when they don’t have clients and aren’t earning anything. Don’t stress yourself, instead, upgrade your sills, network, connect with your ecosystem and build a profile. 

Read the complete article at Livemint.com