Just because you are a Freelancer/Solopreneur/Consultant doesn’t mean you aren’t entitled to the same kinds of benefits and time off you would get if you worked for a Fortune 500 type company.
If you feel like you can’t provide those to yourself, it means you aren’t charging enough for your services/products, and from my experience, that applies to almost all of you.
I hear so many Solos say they can’t afford to take time off because they aren’t getting paid.
Time off is critical to well being not to mention enjoyment in life and having experiences that turn into stories.
If you want to take time off for holidays and vacations, that needs to be baked in to your rate so that you feel like you can actually take time off.
Sick-time? Time for caregiving? Or for your kid's events? Same.
If you want benefits that you would get at a Fortune 500 type company like health insurance, a retirement plan, or anything else, that needs to be baked in as well.
You are getting hired for a job because the company doesn’t want to develop those skills in-house for whatever reason, but you need to make sure you aren’t undercutting yourself by underpricing what it really costs to provide those services plus the life and lifestyle that you deserve to have by helping them out.
Have you ever under priced your services to win a job?