Entrepreneurs, freelancers, and other self-employed professionals have always struggled to take vacations, and the recession is making it even harder.
Competition among freelancers is increasing.
Being out of pocket can mean missing one of a diminishing number of business leads, and the rising tide of unemployed professionals has heightened competition for freelance work.
Guru.com, a freelance job site, saw its total membership grow to 906,979 in July, up 15% from the same month in 2008. And rival Elance.com received 131,000 new applications from freelance professionals in the first half of this year, a 40% increase compared with the same period in 2008. Applicants must pass an admissions test to join.
Some self-employed professionals may be able to stay connected to clients from afar using cell phones and other devices. Some entrepreneurs are finding a happy medium by keeping close enough to their businesses while on vacation to handle emergencies. In lieu of lengthy vacations, many self-employed professionals say they're taking a day or two off at a time to avoid burnout, usually tacking them onto a weekend or holiday.
Solo entrepreneurs may be able to take even more time off by enlisting trusted peers to temporarily fill in on their behalf, adds Sara Horowitz, founder and executive director of Freelancers Union, a national membership organization in Brooklyn, NY, for independent workers. "Build your network and start having people who you can outsource work to," she suggests.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, August 4, 2009
