The calculation that decides is not annual turnover. It is the number of months that actually produce invoices, and there are never twelve.
The full calculation
Three lines, and the third is the one that gets forgotten.
Gross income per job, the figure on the invoice. What remains after contributions, tax and professional costs. And the real time spent per job: shooting, editing, exchanges, revisions, invoicing, chasing.
That third figure often turns an attractive rate into a disappointing hourly one. Measure it on five real jobs before any decision, not by estimating.
Rates, thresholds and reporting arrangements depend on your status and change over time: they are checked with the competent administration and with an accountant.
The rule of recurring clients
One regular client is worth three one-off clients.
The hidden cost of this trade is not production, it is prospecting: finding, explaining, reassuring, negotiating, chasing. A client who comes back removes all of that and makes the month predictable.
The marker before going full-time: at least three clients who have ordered more than once over the last six months. A book made only of first jobs is not a book.
The VAT threshold, the figure people forget
It is not discovered in June, it is prepared the year before.
Crossing it changes your obligations, your statements and sometimes your displayed price depending on the type of client. The applicable thresholds, their effects and the exact moment they apply depend on your situation and change over time: they are checked with the competent administration and with an accountant.
The practical action: track your annual running total every month, in five minutes, and sort your clients according to whether they recover the tax. That sorting says whether crossing will cost you anything.
When not to resign yet
Four signals, and one is enough to wait.
You do not have six months of fixed costs put aside. One client accounts for more than a third of your income. You have never turned down a job for lack of time. Or you have never been through a quiet month as a freelance.
The quiet month is the most honest test. Until you have lived through one while keeping your cash and your calm, you do not know how you will react.
The predictable troughs
They are known in advance and surprise people every year.
August stops everything. December stops early and January restarts slowly. School holidays slow down approvals, and the May long weekends cut weeks in half.
Anticipate backwards: bill the full months as if they had to cover the empty ones, because that is exactly their role. And use the troughs for what does not depend on clients: a reserve of seasonal images, the portfolio, prospecting.
The year is not flat
| Period | What brands ask for | What you prepare |
|---|---|---|
| January to March | Few budgets, many drafts | The catalogue and the site |
| September to November | End-of-year campaigns | Slots booked well ahead |
| July and August | A quiet rhythm | Stock shoots |
What is planned over twelve months
Two weak months balance out if you invoice ahead during the full months and if the stock shoots are already in the can.
What is watched every month
The number of quotes sent, the acceptance rate and the average payment delay: all three degrade before revenue does.
What makes the business last
Three habits, more decisive than the level of your rates.
Bill by deliverable and never by the hour. Sell usage rights separately, with duration, territory and channels written down. And raise prices once a year on new clients, without justification.
The right moment to go full-time is when you turn work down for lack of time, not when you are looking for it.
