The Shopkeeper
His main business is not what is written on his business card. The freelance practice itself is his playing field: He is playing shop. He must update accounts every day, the stamps must never be out of stock, and the automation of address data is a key strategic project. In extreme cases, he hardly ever sees a client or customer: he has no time for it.
The Representative
If you do encounter him, it always goes ‘fan-tas-tic.’ He does not recognize ‘problems’—only ‘challenges.’ Life is a choice, and he engages that choice with both hands. His type talks about ‘we’ when he really means ‘I.’ Interim management is his field of work.
The Mother (Can also be a man)
The freelance practice is a friendly part-time activity, and it proves that ambitions sometimes go beyond simply caring. Freelancing can be an excellent combination because parents can easily combine it with feeding the family, working on school assignments, organizing ambitious birthday parties, and caring for sick children at home—parents can even let their child have a nice treat for a couple of days. If you are you telling yourself, ‘I could write a blog about this busy work and household in the local advertiser,’ then you have the picture.
The Moralist
Freelancing offers him an excuse to interfere in everything—without taking responsibility for anything. As a freelancer, he is responsive: recommendations from the past are no guarantee of future results. Indeed, he defends an entirely new direction as if he had never claimed anything else. The moral high presents itself preferably in non-profit organizations, political parties, and the media.
The Workaholic
Evening work is standard, and at least three times a month, he stays up all night to get the work done. If he goes on vacation, it’s never without a laptop. ‘Busy, busy, busy,’ he shouts before you’ve had a chance to ask how he is doing. The desk of the deadline junkie bends under piles of work. Actually, he should not even think about cleaning the office and getting rid of these piles upon piles of paper, because behind these piles is a yawning emptiness and the terrifying question: why?
The Kick Chaser
His type is too restless to be in a regular job. He chases after kicks and wants to meet VIPs, know the latest gossip, and attend important receptions. His freelance practice, along with his slick business card, offers him that opportunity. He is a networker for networking itself, and nobody knows exactly what he does—’something in consultancy’—but at least he is a good conversationalist.
The Loafer
Actually he is not very interested in his discipline; freelancing is just one way he can earn money he needs for the pleasant things in life. His type is still the closest to the actual origin of the word freelancer: the free lancer who rents himself to make money. He does it to keep his bank account out of the red, not because he enjoys struggling.
The Smarty
The first time you meet his type, you’re instantly impressed by his broad knowledge and enthusiasm. The second time, you desperately want to contribute something to the debate. And the third time, the admiration becomes irritation. Slim is the wiseacre—sure, but really only in rational terms. His emotional intelligence is seriously flawed.
The Thousand-Things-Cloth
His type does not accrue many engaging projects, because he (in fact, usually it is a she) can be always misguided by clients who call with poorly-paying jobs with yesterday deadlines. He is proud that he performs the impossible, and he hopes to get better jobs in the future out of gratitude.
The Unsung Talent
Actually, he is an artist—only the world doesn’t know… or maybe, the world just does not agree with his claim. Deep in his heart, he despises his clients because they annoy him with practical concerns and never allow him the space he needs. Some have a rich heritage or a partner on hand, while others are artists who live in poverty.
First published in Intermediair
