That’s a crazy statement. I’m still not sure what my thinking was back in March 2008 when I first decided to leave the comfort of a full-time job for the risks of being self-employed.

Working from home: could I really do that?

Make enough money on a single income to pay for a mortgage, health insurance, and feed our family of four (now five)?

How would I drum up enough business on a regular business to make ends meet for more than just a few months? Where would these “clients” come from?

What did I really offer to clients? Was I a web designer, or was I an ASP.NET web application programmer?

One day you realize you’re just doing it.

I don’t know that there was ever a moment where all of the above questions had definite answers or affirmations, but looking back at the last four years is almost mind-blowing to me.

When I first started, I was taking any project I could get just to keep things going whether it was a simple static website, a custom web application, an email design & campaign, or even videography. And I think that was okay. Though at times things got really, really tight, we never missed a mortgage payment or had to sell a kid.

Now, my business has become so much more focused. I am a front-end WordPress developer. That’s what I do. I’m perfectly comfortable turning down projects that don’t fit into my “ideal” mold. The more projects I take that fit this mold, the more of those I’ll get in the future. (Shameless plug: I just launched my new website – Feedback welcome!)

I’m starting to understand cash flow and the ups and downs of a really good month and a less-than-ideal month – it all averages out.

I’m comfortable having potential clients say “no” to a project they feel is priced to high. In fact, if I don’t get rejected from time to time it tells me I’m charging too little.

I understand that I can go a few weeks without any new business but then four new projects might come in on a single day. It’s zero to sixty in no time.

Four years in, I’m still figuring this thing out and nothing is guaranteed (except death and taxes, right?). However, I’m happy to do what I do and earn a living doing it.

If you’re just starting out as a freelancer and unclear on your direction, that’s okay. Keep pushing forward and working hard. Look for opportunities. Try new things. Ask lots of questions. Blog about your experiences – the good and the bad. Someday it will be fun to look back and see just how far you’ve come.

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http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/02/time-doesnt-scale.html

This thought goes through my head every single day.

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This is the transcription for a voicemail that I received earlier today. From a client. You know it’s going to be good when the first line is “Hey baby.” And the last line is “Guy” (it was from a female).

This is the type of transcription that would work perfectly for another Rhett & Link Caption Fail video.

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"Give away some knowledge. People fear that if they give it away, people won't need to hire or buy from them. If everything you know about your industry can be explained in a few articles, you don't know much." ~ Scott Stratten, UnMarketing

I read Scott Stratten’s book UnMarketing this week and this particular quote jumped out at me in regards to sharing your expertise on a blog, social network, or even in person. Don’t just TELL people you have the answers to their problems but make them put complete trust in you and hire you to give them the answers, but GIVE them the answers. SHOW people you are an expert in your field. Like I always say, flex your expertise muscles. People will appreciate you and people won’t hesitate to hire you or buy from you in the future.

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I upgraded from a 13″ MacBook Pro to a 15″ MacBook Pro a few months ago. I also started using one of my old laptop cases as it fits the 15″ model perfectly. Don’t worry, I’ll go back to the LL Bean backpack when it’s warm enough to bike again. However, as this case is about 7 years old, it has an extra pocket on the side for a phone. Not a smartphone – just a regular flip phone. I’m an iPhone user so this is of no use to me. Actually, I take that back. I’ve put it to good use as the place where I store my morning snack.

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I’m really frustrated by armchair critics. I see a lot of people ready to trash other people’s efforts, but when I dive into what they’re doing, I don’t see any body of work on their websites. I don’t see them taking to stages. I don’t see them advancing the cause. If you’re going to earn the right to complain and moan, do it by being better than the person you’re trashing. ~ Chris Brogan

Exactly, Chris. Do great work. Don’t worry about bad-mouthing the competition.

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Let’s pretend you are a high school senior. You already know what you want to do for a career: you want to be a programmer for a company like Google or Facebook.

What’s going to get you there in the best, least debt-incurring manner? Four years of college? Or walking up to Google and telling them you’ll work for them for four years for FREE? After four years, you’ve already got a ton more experience than your peers who are just graduating and you won’t have the massive student debt (you might just need a paying part-time job on the side…which you’d need through college anyways). Your professional network is also going to be immensely larger.

Yes, you’ll start at the lowest rung possible but 1) You’re not costing Google anything and 2) you’re learning exactly what they want you to learn. You’ll be putting in some extra time doing self-study over the years, but almost everything you’re learning will be applied.

So which is the better deal? And which would give you a better chance of getting your foot in the door in the first place? Now that everyone goes to college, does it really get you ahead of the pack? I think education through experience is becoming more important than formal education.

Disclaimer: I have a four-year degree. Obviously this approach wouldn’t work with a profession such as a doctor, teacher, or lawyer. But I think it would have worked for me (Business/marketing degree).

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Taking vacation when you no longer have paid vacation days can be tough. However, this summer I’ve taken off more time than I have in my previous three summers as a freelancer. I also feel like I’ve gotten more work done than the previous three. Here are a few thoughts as to why I feel things have worked out this way.

How has your summer been? What did you do with any time you might have taken off?

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I’m spending the week in Colorado and devoting a few hours each morning to getting work done. So far so good, and here’s an update.

I might just stay here.

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I’m in my car right now typing this on my iPhone. My wife is driving, my kids are arguing over a cd, and we are somewhere near North Platte, NE on our way to Boulder, CO to visit my brother and his wife.

About two weeks ago my wife and I decided we should be somewhat spontaneous and pack up the family for a week of mountains, thin air, and for me: work. I have too many projects going to just leave them for a week, so my MacBook is with and I’ll be attempting to get a few hours of work in each morning. I may even check out some of the local coworking spaces.

I’m actually excited to see if my productivity increases knowing that I only have a few hours each day to work. If things go well maybe a lot more spontaneous vacations will happen from now on. I will try to blog some of my findings this week.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful summer!

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