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| [millstone*] |
Every freelancer has experienced them, the dead times when the phone
does not ring and the only emails that you receive mention deceased distant relatives with large inheritances in very exotic countries. Ever so slowly, the feeling of failure and despair
grows until even the most experienced entrepreneurs, including translators,
start to have doubts. As the ebbs of business are inevitable as its flows, the
only aspect that freelancers can control is their reactions to the situation.
In my experience, with understanding, strength, perspective and belief, the
quiet seas become an acceptable part of a long voyage.
As each business has its regular flows and unpredictable elements,
freelancers can help maintain their emotional balance by analyzing the known
and accepting the unknown. In practice, certain months traditionally have more
or less work, generally due to holidays, with variances by country. For
example, December is a great month for retail in Europe and the US but a
terrible month for most other businesses as customers focus on Christmas and New
Years. By contrast, December in Israel is a normal month, unlike late September
through mid-October when the Tishrei holidays (Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and
Succot) paralyze the country. On the other hand, some slowdowns are completely mysterious. The
reasons why a given month had been traditionally busy but is very slow this year are
often not clear unless some even event having a major effect on a given economy
has occurred, such as Corona or a hurricane. Wisdom is accepting that it is
impossible to predict or understand all events and wait patiently in the
meantime. Not every down period is the fault of the freelancer or avoidable.
These periods of low activity create anxiety and even depression, which
can lead to lethargy and despair. It is ineffective to advise people not to
worry when there are bills to pay. Instead, it is more practical to leverage
this emotion and use the free time to improve market position. There are always
ways to improve a business, many of which require significant time to plan and
implement. These practical actions include improving or building a website,
contacting customers, taking online courses, writing articles, exploring social
media and investigating other avenues to expand the business. It takes a strong
will to harness the negative energy and render it positive in the long term. In
some cases, quiet times are not only unavoidable but also necessary to create a
successful business.
One of the hardest skills to develop is perspective. It may take years
to view the ups and downs of a business work with a calm spirit and quietly
roll with them. I have been a translator for almost 19 years ago and no longer despair
when work slows down although I still find them annoying. I now use slow times
to plan trips, conduct complicated purchases (currently a sofa), spend time
with family, get exercise, see doctors and plan an expansion of my services, not to mention play computer games. I
generally find it difficult to find time for these activities when I am busy.
My time investment may not be immediately profitable but it will lead to
greater financial success in the future and personal happiness in the present.
Quiet times do not have be non-productive times if a person can approach them
as part and parcel of business.
Ultimately, people choose to become entrepreneurs because they have some
type of vision, however unclear it may be. They believe in their skills and
ability to provide a product or service that customers will purchase. While periods of low business may be emotionally trying, they do not
necessarily signify that the person and business model are deficient in any
significant way. The causes of such quiet times often go far beyond the matters
of the entrepreneur and may be temporary. In other words, like farmers,
entrepreneurs must have faith in the future. Panicking and lowering prices or
abandoning a business are not generally not healthy or effective reactions.
Sometimes, we need to remind ourselves of past successes to retain the assurance
that “we can do it”. Whether it is confidence, faith or stupidity, perseverance
and long-term success go hand in hand, tempered by an objective analysis of the
market and the flexibility to make changes. In short, successful, happy
freelancers have confidence in themselves and the future regardless of current
circumstances. This confidence in itself attracts customers.
A very close friend of mine, Sarah Wrench, who unfortunately died in her
twenties, wrote a fantasy book in which part of the plot involved people entering
a cell in a huge heavy circle with one entrance. Alone in their cells and not
knowing what others were doing, they had to push until the circle turned and
reached the sole exit. Freelancers, especially translators, can relate to that
feeling of working in a void. Sometimes, the work flows but other times,
nothing seems to happen despite all one’s best efforts. However, when
entrepreneurs grasp the known and accept the unknown, overcome and reverse
negative energy, gain a perspective of the business and apply it and keep their
faith in themselves and remain steadfast, these times not only do pass but lead
to better days.
* Picture captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet.
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