It’s already been just over four months since I started freelancing full time. It’s flown by … I really can’t believe it’s already been 1/3 of a year.
It hasn’t always been easy and there are some things that I wish I had done differently but overall I’m still pleased with my decision to leave my full-time office job.
So, here are 10 things that I have learned over the summer during my first 4 months of freelancing.
- It is important to have a life – When I started I wasn’t sure if I could earn enough to pay the bills and get by. I spent all of my time working – days, nights and weekends. My original intention was to do this so I had more of a life. I burned out after a month and didn’t work very hard the 2nd month (or earn very much).
- Set boundaries – Because I was so concerned about having enough business I took calls, worked weekends, and planned meetings at times that were not convenient for me. I now do not make myself available on the weekends and I try to keep work within regular office hours. I am a little flexible with this because I have a number of clients on the West Coast and the end of my business day is only mid afternoon for them.
- Letting go of a client – It’s ok to let go of a client. Some people are difficult, our personalities don’t mesh, they make unreasonable demands, contact at odd hours, or I just don’t have time for the project. At first I wanted to do all the work that came my way but I quickly learned that there are some people that I can’t just work with. Or that can’t work with me.
- Phone Availability – My phone number is available on this site, although I did remove it while I was away, but I have limited my availability via phone and try to encourage people to schedule calls with me. I did this for a couple of reason. One, when I’m coding I really need to concentrate. If the phone rings a lot, I can’t focus and get the work done. There are also those that call at any time and any day and who will keep me on the phone for an hour talking about nothing. I can’t tolerate or afford that. I try to do my most complicated work in the morning because that is when my brain works best and schedule calls for the afternoon.
- Saying No – I learned to say no the hard way. With one project new ideas and coding problems kept being presented. I was not assertive enough about not adding additional work to the project and to saying no to things that I really wasn’t that skilled with. The client and I decided to part ways before project completion but if I had been better at saying no it wouldn’t have dragged on as long as it did.
- People can be pushy – I understand that everyone thinks that what they are working on is the most important thing in the world and that not all people are as considerate or as understanding as I can be. I don’t have a problem with that – it seems to be a typical U.S. me centered world view. I did find, however, that when I couldn’t take on additional projects prior to leaving for vacation that people got a little pushier than normal. “Can’t you just squeeze this in?” It was annoying but fortunately I had already dealt with the previous item and was better at saying no. :-)
- Better planning and organization – I need to get better with planning and organization. Actually organization isn’t as much of a problem but I am still struggling to gauge how long a project will take and I need to factor in unplanned for events, such as family illness, computer issues, server problems, etc. Because of this I have missed some deadlines but nothing has been too serious. (I’ve had clients miss deadlines too).
- Word of mouth is awesome – Some of the best clients I’ve had have come from word of mouth recommendations. And many of the original projects recommending me were volunteer projects. If you are just getting started, volunteering your skills and time can be invaluable in obtaining later projects and in building your portfolio.
- Get out of the house – I spent way too much time home alone this summer and by the time I left for vacation I was feeling pretty down. Vermont revitalized me and made me do some thinking about my life, where I’m headed, what I want – things like that – and I returned feeling hopeful and positive. I got a hair cut, some new clothes, and have made some steps toward dating again – not so sure if that’s a positive thing but it’s definitely an adventure. Anyway, make sure to get out of the house so you don’t head into a funk.
- A WordPress hack/exploit will happen while on vacation – and you will return to a flood of panicked emails when you aren’t even yet aware of what happened.
photo credit: Fabio Bruna
I can’t believe it’s been 4 months either. Even more i can’t believe how much your life changed over the past year or so that you started this blog and we met each other. What an incredible year this has been… Hope the good days are ahead of you and as i said before, good luck with the dating process, you are sure worth a lot! ;)
.-= stratosg´s last blog ..Intrusion detection with Perl =-.
Thanks Stratos :-) It’s gone by so fast … and so many amazing things have happened in the last year.
Now I just need you to come to Philly and knock some sense into these jokers that have been asking me out ;-)
“It is important to have a life”
Gosh how very very VERY true. It’s something I continuously remind myself to this day.
.-= Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog ..FREE local SEO is just that – FREE! Part 1 =-.
Hi Barbara – I know! Having a life was one of my motivations for starting this in the first place and I found myself months later with less of a life than when I started :-)
Kim,
Thanks for summarizing your experience. In short, it’s about ‘time’, ‘people’, ‘money’ and ‘priorities’… Though I am a small time blogger (and fulltime employed in Software industry), recently I made it sure that I will not take an official call after 7PM and will try my best to go out with family, also do some minimal exercises/walk which was missing in the first six months of blogging. Also, I do not spend more than 2 hours on blogging of late.
Freelancing can be tricky, as I understand. It’s not like you work whenever you want to :lol:
.-= Ajith´s last blog ..TextLinks.com – 21 days Free Trial for 100s of Backlinks =-.
Hi Ajith – Yes, on the weekends my daughter is home I try to stay off the computer completely and just spend time with her. When she’s not here I might try to get caught up on some work or work on this site but I try to not let clients know that I am working. For example, I might answer emails but save the drafts and then send them on Monday morning.
It’s hard to find a balance.
Way to go! I can’t believe it’s been four months already either. You are so inspiring.
Don’t you just love the folks that forget that in a professional relationship, both parties should be just that?
.-= Tracy´s last blog ..My ear itches on the inside =-.
Hi Tracy – I don’t think I’ve always acted professionally either. I try but it can get difficult.
Don’t be too inspired me – I’m just barely getting by but I’m happier.
Wow, Kim, you learned a lot in a very short time! Although I’ve read some of these on a few pro-blogs, I don’t think they really sink in until they’re happening to you yourself. I’ve been thinking that if I ever worked at home I’d just stay home constantly and end up as you said — needing to be rejuvenated.
I’m glad it’s working out for you. I certainly was happy with the work you did for my site!
.-= Dot´s last blog ..Comment on Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes by Dot =-.
Hi Dot – Thanks! It’s gone by fast but it doesn’t seem like a short time.
And you’ve raised a really good point – you can read all of these things but none of it will sink in until you start living it :-)
I’m glad you were happy with the work I did on your site.
I actually thought you had been doing it longer than 4 months. Either way you’ve been doing awesomely and I’m really proud of you!
I like the lessons you’ve learned and think you’re working much smarter. :-)
Hi Jim – It’s been just over 4 months – I started May 4th. Oh how I miss Dr. G – lol
Thanks Bill – it’s better to work smarted rather than harder ;-)
:-P
Hahahahaha.
Kim,
As a fellow consultant and a client, all of what you have written is so true. When others in my field are thinking about becoming a consultant they often ask if I can give them any tips. Other insurance industry specific issues all of these issues apply to anyone working for themselves. I found it was compounded when I had employees years ago. You feel so responsible for everyone and everything.
Vacation is a great way to re-think and revitalize. One more tip. I have found that it also helps if you do some of this on long weekends throughout the year. In our fast-paced, every changing world, we have to evaluate frequently.
.-= Pat Alexander´s last blog ..Agency Managements System Agency Blind Spots =-.
Hi Pat – I think long weekends are a really good idea. My daughter is away every other month and I am free of parental obligations from Fri morning to Mon evening. Once and awhile I should take the 4 days to recharge.
It’s true about the responsibility – everything rests on you. For example, with a traditional job you get vacation time so when you go on vacation you don’t have to worry about income. When I took this vacation I was very concerned about not earning anything during that time. Fortunately, it worked out but it can be hard to relax and it’s not as much freedom as I originally thought it would be.
Thanks for this, Kim. Excellent list I’m just getting into the consulting/freelance world and your advice is greatly appreciated. I definitely need to work on the boundaries thing!
Hi Adam – That’s great! What are you going to be doing? I thought you were an Anthropologist …?
when you work for yourself, you always end up working harder. the boundaries thing is a good place to start, but even that’s hard to do when you’re always at your job. i guess you could throw a sheet over your computer and pretend you are out of the office. :)
.-= Natural´s last blog ..Herstory In the Making =-.
Hi Valerie,
Yes! And since I also use the computer for entertainment it can get difficult. I hate to shut down my email but force myself to do it. I’m like an addict.
I loved #10. :) While it was happening I kept waiting for a blog post from you about it, then remembered that you were on vacation.
.-= vered – blogger for hire´s last blog ..Obama’s Speech to Kids =-.
Lol – By the time I got back and figured out what was happening it was a little late to write an article. All I know is that I returned to a mass of panicked emails …
Hi Kim – Congratulations on this milestone! You’ve learned what it can take other freelancers or entrepreneurs YEARS to understand. This is just the beginning of long term positive stuff!
.-= Betsy Wuebker´s last blog ..REMEMBERING =-.
Thanks Betsy! I meant to write about it sooner but the article just didn’t happen. I hope more positive stuff happens – I’ve been slightly discouraged with humanity but am trying to keep a sense of humor about it all :-)
Congrats, Kim.
All of these things you’ve learned tell me that you are doing things right! You’ve got clients and work, and that’s a good thing. It sounds like you’re figuring out how to sort the client wheat from the client chaff, and it sound like you’re doing remarkably well at it.
Awesome stuff, Kim. Just awesome.
George
.-= Tumblemoose´s last blog ..Shrink to Grow =-.
Thanks George – I really appreciate it. There are some days when I hope another email won’t come in but overall it’s been a good experience.
I nodded and smiled ruefully all the way through this one.
So, I’m thinking of starting a support group for freelancers… you want to bring the virtual donuts to the first virtual meeting?
.-= Rebecca Leaman´s last blog ..Twitter 101 for Nonprofits =-.
Hi Rebecca – Thanks! And I think a support group is a great idea :-) lol at virtual donuts.
One thought I had: If you have a lot of clients on the west coast (like me!) — a potential solution could simply be having later work hours (i.e. noon to 8 or whatever) and having mornings to yourself. Of course, this totally depends on the time sched of other obligations (i.e. your kid) — but this might be a practicable solution if personal obligations can be made to fit in :)
But even if west coast working hrs won’t work, perhaps consider having biz hrs listed on yr site? That way it might be clearer that, obviously, you’re not a 24-7 service (and also encourage people to make non-urgent requests — and/or expect your responses — during a more reasonable time of day)
.-= Siel´s last blog ..The Age of Stupid: Worldwide simulcast featuring Thom Yorke 9/21 =-.
Hi Siel – Unfortunately that would never work for me. 5-8pm is my busiest time with my daughter. And I’m a morning person – I usually wake up by 7am even when I don’t have to.
Posting my hours is an interesting idea – I think it might get me into trouble though – some days I break the workday into two parts and my schedule with Alex is a little odd this year.
Kim, I have done freelancing long time ago with a full time job. So I know exactly what you are talking about.
I had made some similar decisions that you mention here at the time. It is very crucial to set priorities and ethics with freelancing and as you say it is OK to let a contract go if it doesn’t suit you for whatever reason.
There are many opportunties you will find that suit you.
.-= Ravi Kuwadia´s last blog ..Successful Marketing With Micro-Blogging =-.
Hi Ravi – I agree – at first I was afraid to turn down any work – now I find that sometimes it’s necessary.
Hi Kim – I’m so pleased things are going well for you. You’ve learned a lot in four months – well done. I only wish I’d learned so quickly – life would have been a lot less stressful.
The phone thing is so important isn’t it? I used to divert my office phone to my mobile and answer it all the time. Looking back it was ridiculous. Out of hours was meant to be for emergencies but customers who rang then, usually called for something trivial.
Hi Cath – I really do struggle with the phone – I don’t like it in the first place and it can really be a disruption.
I hope you’ve been well.
Hi Kim
I’m a freelance marketer from UK and just wanted to write to congratulate you on a great blog. I love your honest approach, and have subscribed to your RSS feed. I am a big fan of blogging and actually prefer to promote my blog rather than my website (which is forcing a complete revamp of my website so I can use both). Would you be prepared to do a link swap? I’d be happy to promote you to my small business clients via blog post and Twitter – I design blogs and websites for clients but I always use templates as I only know a little HTML. Like to join up with you on LinkedIn, Google and Facebook too if you’re interested.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Susie
PS Do you still have Captain Courageous? He/she is gorgeous!
.-= Susie Culhane´s last blog ..Would you buy from this website? =-.
Hi Susie – Thanks for writing – I’m not doing any link swaps at the moment.
I do still have that crazy cat.
Congrats! You will find that 4 YEARS go by in a flash, but your 10 things will get you there without fail. As an almost 15 year freelancer, I can tell you that, to me, #2 and 5 are the hardest to do, but the best ones to practice. #8 will take care of itself because you are who you are and you do what you do so well. Keep up the good work, and I’m happy that you returned from vacation with the frame of mind that a vacation is supposed to accomplish! And congrats on getting out for coffee and such, that’s important to #1 as well.
.-= Rick Castellini´s last blog ..Computer Help Show Podcast – 09-16-09 =-.
Hi Rick – Thanks! I hope 4 years doesn’t go by too fast – I feel like life is speeding by.
The vacation was definitely what I needed but I am having a little bit of trouble getting back on track.
I hear ya, Kim! I just returned from a 4 day golf/concert/baseball trip to Chicago with some college amigos and am just now feeling productive after my 4th day home. We should start some sort of partner system to motivate one another to finish projects that need to get done.
.-= Rick Castellini´s last blog ..Email of the Week – 018 =-.
This is a common story of most of the freelancers’ beginning days. It would help them to cope with the practical problems they face. Thank you so much Kim for this guideline post.
Hi Crusher – Thanks for visiting and commenting.
I don’t take phone calls until after lunch. This article hits home for all business.
.-= BunnygotBlog´s last blog ..Coco Chanel: Entrepreneur & Woman Before Her Time =-.
Hi – That’s a really good idea. I’m a morning person and do my best thinking and coding in the morning. I should probably schedule calls for later in the day.