“The business plan is a start-up thing. I’m not a company!”
This is, more or less, what a professional would answer when asked if he has drawn up a business plan for himself, at least sketched out.
The business plan, according to a freelancer, serves others. But, at the most, it does its customers.
Yet, that’s not the case.
The first step after qualification
Anyone who intends not to continue with the studio where they practiced should take the time to understand what they want before making the final decision.
For some professionals, the title is a lifelong dream, hard-earned after years of study and, often, underpaid work.
For others, the title is a turning point in life, which comes after having made ends meet for years with makeshift activities, relegating the study to night hours or weekends.
For still others, the title arrives quickly, after a linear path and so rapid as to be almost unexpected.
For everyone, the title is, like a diploma or degree, one of those life goals reached, which is worth stopping for a moment to define better the new goal before getting back on the road.
A change of city
Changing cities involves a paradigm shift, especially if you move from city to province or vice versa, or even change region.
The centers of interest change, the mentality changes, prices and consequently people’s expectations change trivially.
The professional activity is not a flower shop, which could be the same in any city and context.
The professional activity lives and thrives if it is in tune with the environment in which it is located. Therefore it is necessary to find the right note to allow it to vibrate in harmony with it.
Separation from a partner
This is an ugly translation of a good English sentence, which could help you decide between solo or associate activity.
Certainly, the market today is increasingly moving towards professional associations, especially if they are multi-professional: accountants and labor consultants, lawyers, and accountants, but also more associated notaries or more associated lawyers.
The moment in which we part is the one in which the ancient Latin brocard (jokingly) that says: “We have always done this” could be, depending on the case, a lifeline or, on the contrary, an uncomfortable constraint reminiscent of an annoying link with the past.
We start over by separating, but the same applies to the association case—each with its skills, disappointments, and expectations.
Where to start from? From the business plan of the freelancer
Whatever the reason for the change, the first thing to do is to be clear about the goal.
Some might say that the goal is “to work,” and it might already be something, in some cases, but “working,” in the business plan of a freelance professional, is the means, not the end.
“Working” cannot be a hope, and hope cannot be the chosen method for presenting oneself to the market.
More than a business plan, for many professionals starting from scratch, the words business plan could be translated as “battle plan.”
Where do I want to go? At what time? What resources do I have available regarding money, personnel, and time?
The business plan of a start-up looking for angel investors or public or private funding requires numbers; the business plan of a freelancer, however absurd it may seem, requires ideas before numbers.
How to continue? With the freelance business plan
Once the plan of attack has been defined, that is, where you want to go, how and at what time, you have to do it all over again.
Yes, because when you go out on the market, whether it’s the first time, the first time in a new city, or the first time with or without a partner, you never know what will happen.
A bit like when you have expectations, the reality is always different.
For this reason, the business plan must be a constantly evolving tool: with reality, trends, and oneself.
What to look at?
A good business plan, even if only sketched and not fully detailed, must keep in mind some predetermined elements.
Suppose the type of business has already been decided. In that case, the labor consultant will be a labor consultant, the accountant will be an accountant, and the lawyer will be a lawyer – it is true that within each profession, it is possible to find a niche of specialization. And, therefore, the market to refer to.
Who is it aimed at, then? By what means?
A business plan has a lot of marketing, another element often completely ignored by professionals.
A defined strategy is better than a sketched strategy, and a drawn approach is better than a strategy that doesn’t exist. Click here for more information.
