When Passion Meets Purpose—Turning Your Interests into Profits

Freelance Switch - Posted: 24 Jun 2008 07:00 PM CDT Want to turn your personal interests into a booming career? That's what Ian MacKenzie had in mind when he started his career as a new media producer. A jack-of-all-trades, Ian recently finished producing the web series OneWeekJob.com, where a friend worked one job a week for a year. He creates citizen journalism pieces for the new portal VancouverIAM.com, and completes freelance web development projects for companies as well. The Vancouver resident also blended his love of travel into a profitable enterprise known as BraveNewTraveler.com. I found Ian's zest for making his passion profitable to be refreshing. He also works from home with his wife, which I know is something that many freelancer's grapple with. Overall, I think you'll enjoy his perspective on things! Tell us how you started freelancing. Did you ever work a corporate job 9-5? I did work the 9-5 job for one year, just out of university, but it wasn’t quite a corporate environment. It was a small web company from Vancouver that was very open: I didn’t have to wear a collared shirt, sit in a cubicle, or have the boss breathing down my neck. But at the same time, I felt the restriction of a full-time job kept me from developing my own projects. What made you decide to take the freelance leap? Did you work freelance on the side or just dive in? How did you manage the financial transition? I always worked a variety of freelance projects on the side. It wasn’t until I actually took the leap that I realized it would be financially viable. I hoped, of course, but like other freelancers, you never know until you actually put in the time and effort to make it happen. Since taking the leap I’ve been fortunate to find steady work; sometimes I’ve even had to turn offers down to avoid taking on too much. Do you think more people are starting to freelance at a younger age? Why? I think the web has made it easier for people to turn their interests into viable contract work. For me, I started by building my own website, which then turned into creating websites for other people. As soon as a young person realizes there’s money to be made, they start to see it as a career (or non-career) option. What is a typical day like for you? I get up around 7 a.m., grab a cup of coffee my wife has already brewed (she’s also a home-office worker), stumble down the hall to our office and flip on my laptop. From there I do the basics: answer emails, surf my RSS feeds, fix any small emergencies for my web clients. Then I move on to bigger tasks like editing a video project, developing new websites, editing the next day’s article for my magazine BraveNewTraveler.com. Basically, I cobble together a day from the multitude of projects on my radar. How’s it working with your spouse? Tell us a little about how you manage that! While my wife and I both share a home office, we don’t usually work together (though I did recently do some consulting for her company ExpressITech.com). During work hours we’re often completely immersed in our own tasks. We break for lunch, take our dog for a walk, then usually hit the computers once again. In a perfect world, at the end of the day we would close the door to our office and forget about work—in reality, it’s hard to maintain a complete separation between work/home. You’re pretty well versed in everything from SEO to video journalism. How have you managed to get proficient in so many arenas? I credit that previous 9-5 job for versing me in SEO and copywriting. But other areas like video journalism and travel writing are based on my own personal interests, which I think is key for any freelancer—figuring how to turn the stuff you’d do for fun into paying gigs. What your favorite thing about freelancing? Least favorite? I love the variety of tasks and the control over my own time. But working primarily in a home-office can induce a bit of cabin fever (a phenomenon to which most freelancers would probably relate). It’s crucial to get out and maintain an active social life. It’s about balancing work with the times of day you feel most productive, and getting off the computer when you feel you’re wasting time. What is your best tip for getting new clients? Do excellent work. Satisfied clients will love to recommend you to others. I have never spent a dime advertising my services, as I get enough referrals through word-of-mouth alone. If you ever feel your client base is running dry, remember to tell people what you do—at parties, on the bus, wherever it makes sense. You’ll be remembered next time someone is looking for your services. You also have an interest in human rights. How have you integrated that into your work? I try to weave the issue of human rights into most of what I do, particularly at BraveNewTraveler.com. I publish articles exploring injustice in North America and overseas. I try to humanize large issues that are normally disconnected from our everyday reality, such as war, genocide, and poverty. The way to a more enlightened future is to open the minds of others in the here and now. I try to make sure everything I put out in the world contains the potential for good. On that note, tell us about BraveNewTraveler.com. How did you found it, what keeps it running and what do you do for the site? How do you get content for the site? Do you employ a staff? I created BraveNewTraveler.com in October 2006 because I felt there was a lack of critical discourse in the travel blogosphere. The mainstream was (and still is) mostly focused on “hot deals” and “cheap flights” or brochure-like descriptions about destinations. And personal travel blogs are just that…personal travel experiences. With BNT, I try to explore how travel changes us: our perspectives, our nature, and our planet. I originally paid writers with the small amount the site made from advertisements. Then in January 2008, I joined up with a like-minded travel community Matador Travel, to create a number of new travel channels under one banner, MatadorNetwork.com. Most of the content is written by freelance writers, except for our core staff of about 5 to 8 members (who also have their own day-jobs). How can people mesh their interests into your freelance work? The web is such a vast playing field that anyone can turn their interests into freelance contracts if they know how. For instance, I like travel so I started a travel blog; others can blog about cars, video games, guacamole recipes, etc. If you put out quality content, no matter the topic, there’s an audience for it. From there, you have to figure out who will pay for your skills. If you love cars, become a web designer/copywriter/SEO consultant who only works on car websites. Do the same if you love fashion, extreme sports, or anything other subject. Diversifying your skills and services (within a specific industry) ensures you’ll always have a steady stream of projects. Kristen Fischer is a copywriter and the author of Creatively Self-Employed: How Writers and Artists Deal with Career Ups and Downs. To learn more about her, visit www.kristenfischer.com.