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The Freelance Mindset: Unleashing Your Side Hustles for Better Work, Play, and Life
"Maybe you thought freelancing means a life of chaos and insecurity. Think again. In The Freelance Mindset , Joy Batra masterfully shows how it can be the path to adventure, satisfaction, and happiness." -- Arthur C. Brooks, #1 New York Times bestselling author of From Strength to Strength
Discover why thinking like a freelancer is the key to paying your bills and following your passions. You won't think about your career the same way again.
The Freelance Mindset draws on the author's decade of freelance experience and interviews with 50+ freelancers to show how freelancing can improve our satisfaction and our finances--especially in an uncertain economy. Perfect for both seasoned and newbie freelancers, this heartfelt and eye-opening book was named a best graduation gift by Oprah Daily , and has been endorsed by Daniel Pink, Dorie Clark, and Arthur C. Brooks.
Discover why thinking like a freelancer is the key to paying your bills and following your passions. You won't think about your career the same way again.
The Freelance Mindset draws on the author's decade of freelance experience and interviews with 50+ freelancers to show how freelancing can improve our satisfaction and our finances--especially in an uncertain economy. Perfect for both seasoned and newbie freelancers, this heartfelt and eye-opening book was named a best graduation gift by Oprah Daily , and has been endorsed by Daniel Pink, Dorie Clark, and Arthur C. Brooks.
222 pages, Hardcover
Published March 8, 2023
5 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 10, 2023
Before Joy Batra’s “The Freelance Mindset” my knowledge on freelancing was a blank slate. Batra articulately and eloquently introduces topics previously unknown to me and expounds on them in a way that makes comprehension organic. Every new topic is explained thoroughly and organically. Despite it being new subject matter for me, Batra expertly guided the way, never once losing or confusing me.
Each chapter begins with a relevant story, and is masterfully organized. My questions and concerns (Healthcare! Taxes! Oh my!) were addressed. Batra does not ignore the concerns or possible difficulties presented with a career change, but neither does she make it seem insurmountable. She recognizes the challenges and is there to help.
The writing is engaging and clear. Batra treats the reader as an equal as she guides the reader through the process. It was an incredibly pleasant read. I loved meeting the different freelancers she interviewed and included throughout the book. They hail from different paths of life and rock a variety of ‘side hustles’. Batra seamlessly weaves their stories into the chapter topic.
If you’re considering a career change, if you’re curious as to what freelancing might entail, Batra’s book is an excellent way to give yourself a thorough crash course on the possibilities held in the world of freelancing.
Each chapter begins with a relevant story, and is masterfully organized. My questions and concerns (Healthcare! Taxes! Oh my!) were addressed. Batra does not ignore the concerns or possible difficulties presented with a career change, but neither does she make it seem insurmountable. She recognizes the challenges and is there to help.
The writing is engaging and clear. Batra treats the reader as an equal as she guides the reader through the process. It was an incredibly pleasant read. I loved meeting the different freelancers she interviewed and included throughout the book. They hail from different paths of life and rock a variety of ‘side hustles’. Batra seamlessly weaves their stories into the chapter topic.
If you’re considering a career change, if you’re curious as to what freelancing might entail, Batra’s book is an excellent way to give yourself a thorough crash course on the possibilities held in the world of freelancing.
March 16, 2023
Batra's book is a detailed instruction guide to structuring a portfolio of careers to become a successful and stable freelancer. She encourages freelancers to attain a multitude of complementary skills that will help them land clients, deliver satisfactory results and generate follow-on opportunities.
Batra also focusses on an important aspect of the freelancing life that is often overlooked by other authors: the importance of steady, sustainable cashflow. Batra’s advice to build a portfolio of clients of different sizes and complexities helps a freelancer ensure that there is a consistent stream of income while one goes out hunting for new business.
The other interesting concept that caught my eye was how using concepts from modern finance, she uses a unique metaphor to describe how having multiple, disparate streams of income actually makes one’s career more stable rather than reducing its focus. Once one has diversified one’s skills, Batra advises them to then focus on growing the top skills in their ‘portfolio’. I believe this is a useful skill, helpful for freelancers, sure, but also for those of us in traditional careers who have felt themselves pressing up at the limits of the ‘invisible walls’ that often hit our careers - a stagnation of our incomes and titles right at the stage when we expect our careers to accelerate.
Batra also focusses on an important aspect of the freelancing life that is often overlooked by other authors: the importance of steady, sustainable cashflow. Batra’s advice to build a portfolio of clients of different sizes and complexities helps a freelancer ensure that there is a consistent stream of income while one goes out hunting for new business.
The other interesting concept that caught my eye was how using concepts from modern finance, she uses a unique metaphor to describe how having multiple, disparate streams of income actually makes one’s career more stable rather than reducing its focus. Once one has diversified one’s skills, Batra advises them to then focus on growing the top skills in their ‘portfolio’. I believe this is a useful skill, helpful for freelancers, sure, but also for those of us in traditional careers who have felt themselves pressing up at the limits of the ‘invisible walls’ that often hit our careers - a stagnation of our incomes and titles right at the stage when we expect our careers to accelerate.
March 23, 2023
Joy Batra’s therapeutic and timely book “Freelance Mindset” provides relevant stories, guidelines, and motivation to take ownership of your career and financial well-being. Particularly, the book is centered around the pros and cons of life as a freelancer and practical advice for how to get started as one. At its core, the “Freelance Mindset” encourages diving deep into the relationship between career and identity, and how the balance of both relate back to your life view.
I recommend the “Freelance Mindset” to anyone who is starting out their career in these economically uncertain times, as well as seasoned workers who are looking for inspiration or a shift in their career life. Whether or not you are considering becoming a freelancer in a certain domain, this book is the practical wake-up call that workers and employees need in order to reorient their purpose and poise themselves for a mindset of success. I view this book as a “lifer,” one to read every few years to ground myself and think critically about the choices I make and where I devote my time.
To read my full review of the book on BrownGirlMagazine's website, use this link: https://browngirlmagazine.com/book-re...
I recommend the “Freelance Mindset” to anyone who is starting out their career in these economically uncertain times, as well as seasoned workers who are looking for inspiration or a shift in their career life. Whether or not you are considering becoming a freelancer in a certain domain, this book is the practical wake-up call that workers and employees need in order to reorient their purpose and poise themselves for a mindset of success. I view this book as a “lifer,” one to read every few years to ground myself and think critically about the choices I make and where I devote my time.
To read my full review of the book on BrownGirlMagazine's website, use this link: https://browngirlmagazine.com/book-re...
May 3, 2023
Having the spirit of a freelance artist, I would not normally be enticed by Amazon’s “success self-help” genre; but I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, and I am so delighted that I was thusly compelled to read it. Yes, Batra’s writing is certainly influenced by “business culture”—her rhetorical devices include a parable about lions on the hunt and a smattering of baseball superstition. But far beyond the one-dimensional ladder of corporate achievement, The Freelance Mindset truly takes a holistic approach to the process of architecting a career.
Broadly, the handbook addresses (1) the myriad forms a freelance career can take, (2) how to build a freelance portfolio, (3) how to grow into your freelance identity and potential, and (4) how to tout freelance experience to employers or use it to foster freelance community. While sometimes US-centric, for example in its consideration of retirement savings and health insurance, both new freelancers and veterans globally can benefit from this broad presentation of practical considerations, covering every detail from finding a niche to managing difficult clients.
Beyond these concrete stepping stones, Batra reads with the warmth and experience of the ideal mid-career mentor. Per its title, this book frames freelancing as requiring a particular “mindset” to handle emotional realities like burnout, work scarcity panics, and impostor syndrome. Batra nurtures the self-reflective psychology necessary to handle these challenges by speaking to whole personhood, adding in several real freelancers’ pathways for the human angle on this business structure.
In a nutshell, The Freelance Mindset is a practical handbook with an eye on wellbeing that workers need in the 2020s, effectively and harmoniously synthesized by Batra’s business school brain. Parsed with an economist’s vocabulary, the freelancer’s creative whims are “diversification,” projects’ tedium can be accounted for through the language of optimization (of time vs money vs experience), and mental hygiene is treated as a genuine asset. Batra’s advice to reframe scattered work experience as a “kaleidoscope portfolio” has left me particularly inspired, both to stretch my career in nonlinear ways and to bolster my pitch to companies and clients.
Altogether a refreshing read that has me hyped to rekindle my freelance career, newly endowed with advice for long-term success and wellbeing.
Broadly, the handbook addresses (1) the myriad forms a freelance career can take, (2) how to build a freelance portfolio, (3) how to grow into your freelance identity and potential, and (4) how to tout freelance experience to employers or use it to foster freelance community. While sometimes US-centric, for example in its consideration of retirement savings and health insurance, both new freelancers and veterans globally can benefit from this broad presentation of practical considerations, covering every detail from finding a niche to managing difficult clients.
Beyond these concrete stepping stones, Batra reads with the warmth and experience of the ideal mid-career mentor. Per its title, this book frames freelancing as requiring a particular “mindset” to handle emotional realities like burnout, work scarcity panics, and impostor syndrome. Batra nurtures the self-reflective psychology necessary to handle these challenges by speaking to whole personhood, adding in several real freelancers’ pathways for the human angle on this business structure.
In a nutshell, The Freelance Mindset is a practical handbook with an eye on wellbeing that workers need in the 2020s, effectively and harmoniously synthesized by Batra’s business school brain. Parsed with an economist’s vocabulary, the freelancer’s creative whims are “diversification,” projects’ tedium can be accounted for through the language of optimization (of time vs money vs experience), and mental hygiene is treated as a genuine asset. Batra’s advice to reframe scattered work experience as a “kaleidoscope portfolio” has left me particularly inspired, both to stretch my career in nonlinear ways and to bolster my pitch to companies and clients.
Altogether a refreshing read that has me hyped to rekindle my freelance career, newly endowed with advice for long-term success and wellbeing.
March 9, 2023
Joy Batra's "The Freelance Mindset" is a good handbook for those thinking about (or who are already) freelancing for fun and profit -- or even making a career out of it.
As a freelancer coming out of a traditional career, I'm well aware of the uncertainty, the trials and tribulations, that come with freelancing. Batra helps explain and guide through all freelancing has to offer, and will help you understand what a career in freelancing entails.
Batra does an excellent job job describing the freelance lifestyle, and how it differs from the traditional 9 to 5 work world. The book is very well-written and full of practical advice to help anyone, whether you're just considering freelancing, or deeply ensconced in all it has to offer.
The Freelance Mindset is just that -- a guide to the mindset and attitude required to be a freelancer. It won't directly teach you how to pick up gigs, but it will definitely help show you the path to success. The subtitle, "Unleashing Your Side Hustles for Better Work, Play, and Life," describes well what you can expect to receive from reading, and absorbing, what The Freelance Mindset offers.
Much thanks to Ms. Batra, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, and Edelweiss for the ARC of this book. This review is my opinion and left freely and without influence from the publisher or author.
As a freelancer coming out of a traditional career, I'm well aware of the uncertainty, the trials and tribulations, that come with freelancing. Batra helps explain and guide through all freelancing has to offer, and will help you understand what a career in freelancing entails.
Batra does an excellent job job describing the freelance lifestyle, and how it differs from the traditional 9 to 5 work world. The book is very well-written and full of practical advice to help anyone, whether you're just considering freelancing, or deeply ensconced in all it has to offer.
The Freelance Mindset is just that -- a guide to the mindset and attitude required to be a freelancer. It won't directly teach you how to pick up gigs, but it will definitely help show you the path to success. The subtitle, "Unleashing Your Side Hustles for Better Work, Play, and Life," describes well what you can expect to receive from reading, and absorbing, what The Freelance Mindset offers.
Much thanks to Ms. Batra, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, and Edelweiss for the ARC of this book. This review is my opinion and left freely and without influence from the publisher or author.
November 7, 2023
The Freelance Mindset is a great pick for anyone just beginning their freelance journey (or on the brim of setting forth on one). There’s a lot I didn’t know when I started freelancing full-time: the importance of community, how to abate a scarcity mindset, the right questions to ask yourself, and more. Joy generously offers a map for the navigating freelancer based from her own experience, extensive research, and interviews. There are so many nuggets and resources that have already made a difference in my life. This book made me feel less alone and supported.
February 3, 2025
Good book to prepare you for the uncertainty of life as a freelancer. Although it will be hard I love the idea of benefiting completely from my own labor without any “middle men” making a majority of the capital from it
November 17, 2023
Batra is a brilliant thinker and strategist (she's also hilarious!). A must read for anyone who freelances or has ever wanted to.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews