Switching to freelance - Need some advice on this...

Verum

In about a month, I'm switching to freelance full-time. Got a situation I want to be sure I make the right call on...

- I've been the art director at my present company for a little over a year. Got 108% on my annual review (apparently, yes, it's possible).
- I told the marketing director I plan to leave the company and freelance full-time, and I asked if he might want to continue the working relationship (I'm currently a pretty good bargain, and finding a replacement would be tough for them)
- He said emphatically yes.
- I mentioned the possibility of working out a monthly retainer fee for an agreed-upon workload.
- He said to get a proposal together with some options, and that ideally he still wants me to do everything I do now. That's 2 catalogs a year, print ad campaigns, web, apparel, a crazy amount of stuff.

So my question is... how should I differentiate the options in my proposal, and should I consider asking for a retainer that actually adds up to more than my currernt (bargain, remember) salary? Marketing director told me directly that I have a lot of leverage in the situation and that he wants to keep me on.

I don't want to sell myself short, and I don't want to scare him off. Thoughts?

Good lord I hope that made some sense. :awkward:

chris

• 1). congrats!
  
• b). freelance should get you more than your salary (as you will receive no employee benefits).
  
• iii). make sure you put stuff in about getting good notice of required job deadlines from them too - you may (should) be working on other projects as well.
  
• Fourthly). i guess there should be an agreement about working from home / their office when working on their jobs - best to get it all in writing.
  
• Not least). good luck!
  

urbansurgeon

what you charge has to pay your wage PLUS overheads so of course it will be higher

take that standpoint as a means for eeking out a wage increase as well without feeling you are taking the piss

mondo

It generally costs an employer an extra 30% over your salary to have you working there...I don't know how it is where you are, but here in Australia among other things they have to put aside a certain percentage for superannuation (the employee can contribute as much as they like, but there's a minimum contribution the employer has to make). If you asked for 25-30% more than you're currently earning, you wouldn't be costing them anything more. So...make it an extra 40%. heh.

Biff

You can always negotiate downwards from your starting price- never up.

Verum

Nice, all good points guys. Thanks very much.

echoes

So how did it turn out?

Verum

Well, the day before we were scheduled to meet, they asked if I would consider staying on as a salary employee and working from home. I took it.

Essentially, I moved 400 miles away and took the computer setup with me, and I still do the same job for them, but keep my current salary and (this is important to me and my wife) benefits. This is good because I retain the security of the job I had, but get to work on projects of my own, prioritize things the way I want, and take Halo 3 breaks without fear of getting busted. :happy:

So I'm using the time I have unsupervised to get out my energy on passion projects. Going well so far!

peak'

Sounds good Ver'

echoes

I'm thinking of doing the same thing when my contract is up at the end of this May. I am leaving no matter what, but wouldn't mind working remote.

urbansurgeon

i may soon be working for my current employer as a consultant :/ (kinda the same thing)

Verum

Whatever you guys do... don't tell them you'll stay in touch all day in a chatroom unless you have to. Biggest mistake I made was showing them campfire. :awkward:

I should have left it at basecamp, which I do recommend highly. But yeah... being obligated to keep tabs on the chat all day kinda sucks.