right time to turn pro...?

[LewisShermer]

I split my rent with my housemate and that's £375 a month, the bills come it about £200-£300 a month, I live in the uk so health insurance isn't an issue. I'd have to rent studio space as I can't just keep on shooting product in my flat and having clients around... I'd want to make at least what I make at work plus the studio rent on top so I'd be happy at £2500 a month, £30,000 to £40,000 a year would be brilliant though and make it totally worthwhile.

I'm on a 3 month notice period though so even if I handed notice in now it'd be september before I could really get going. then If i panic i have a little time to get a new job! they're always hiring at McDonald's, right?

 

[Jettatore]

You also (I think) forfeit unemployment benefits (at least in the US).

One strategy you might want to consider, I did this myself a few years back, is to create a nice enough coushin in the bank. Let's call it a "%$&# my day job cushin (%mdjc)". If you had a coushin of money, built up in a bank account, long enough to live on that money alone at your current or similar cost of living for say (3 months, 6 months, a year, etc. etc.) that might help out a bit. It will do a lot of things for you. One you can go in and re-negotiate your day-job hours and responsibilities (or ask for a large raise, etc.), perhaps even gradually ease out as an even better paid mentor for your upcoming replacement, since you can leave in a friendly even paced manner and you have now just given yourself a nice %mdj-cushin which should add a lot of bargaining leverage when you go to talk to your current employer. I used this, not as a bargaining tool but more as a, I can and will quit at any moment and without notice so don't test me cushion. And if they just let you go outright, who cares you have alternate income and a big cushin to land on if need be, also this is less likely to even happen as it's probably cheaper for them to pay you to train someone with less experience than to find another you already ready to go and probably pay her/him more than you are currently getting (otherwise they would have likely replaced you already)...

Also, a quick note, that may or may not be relevant, possibly relevant for renting studio space? If you need a loan/mortgage for anything, new car, condo, studio, etc.. Do it now (if you must do it at all) while your employed fulltime and taking in additional income. Otherwise, you might not just get the loan if you do it afterwards.

Again, good luck, and a final thank you for all the 1st hand information you have shared. Cheers

 

[V8Beast]

I'm itching to just hand my notice in and just go for it...

Your product shots are outstanding! If I got my conversion rates right, coincidentally, I made about the same amount of money as you do my first few months of freelancing. My expenses were far lower back then, so I could afford to take he risk, and I saved up enough money from my day job to cover my ass for a few months in case things didn't work out. The difference was that my day job involved working on staff at a magazine, so in order to venture off on my own as a freelancer, in the same niche field I was working in, I had to quit beforehand.

In retrospect, it wasn't the wisest move, but the gamble paid off. I generally wouldn't recommend this, but if your day job is making you that miserable, you're willing to take the risk, and you have a safety net of cash saved, the time to take these gambles are when you're young and your financial commitments aren't as much of a burden as they are for old farts like me

At the very least, I'd see if you get enough repeat business for a couple of months before making the plunge. Best of luck!

 

[LewisShermer]

thanks for everyone's advice! ;D

for now I reckon I'm going to try and build up a client base before I do anything too daft. I'll have a couple of meetings with the bank to see what they say, take out as little a loan as I can to cover me and see how it goes. my boss is out of work now for two weeks so I'm running things so it shouldn't be too bad for a little while

 

[Marsu42]

Your product shots are outstanding!

True and good commendation, but one thing I'll keep in mind is people saying not only your shots matter, but your whole product (from getting a call to delivering a print) as well as your ability to raise and communicate w/ clients and take care of the business side (paperwork, advertising, financing adequate gear)?