13/8/2017

​“Start Me Up”. Not one of the greatest Rolling Stones songs, but surely better that thousands and thousands of others. So I see no shame in borrowing their title when setting out thoughts about working as a freelance writer for Startup companies.
A few days ago somebody said that being a freelance writer is like having a startup company. Very true, even though these days everything is being lumped under the tag start-up. Still, let’s stick to the basic idea behind the startup, a company that is ‘starting up’ and is searching out all sorts of methods to finance the idea that gathered together more than one (or just one?) person behind it.
The only difference I see is that for a freelance writer practically every new project is like opening up a startup all over again. Unless, of course, he is being asked and gets a contract for a long-term or an ongoing project.
But then, another question comes to mind. What if that long-term or ongoing project is being offered by a startup company?
Well then, ABBA and the stock market concept come into play. ABBA, who seem inescapable in music, whether you like them or not, had that hit (wasn’t everything they recorded a hit?) “Take A Chance On Me”. As if they were inviting people to roll the stock market dice.
And writing for startups as a freelancer is in a way like playing a stock market — if they hit it big, you can be in for a lucrative writing deal for a while. If they sink (usually very quickly), there is a good chance you will never see the reward for the work you have done. In a way, you become one more investor into an idea that could go either way.
But then, you are always in a situation to make some choice or other and as in any kind of a gamble, after a while, the odds even out. The Rolling Stones and ABBA seem to be the only all-time winners…

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