My last day of full-time employment was April 15, 2016, after a decade in the PR agency world. I had finally gotten the guts to resign without (*gasp*) another full-time job lined up, with no intention of looking for another one. I’d spent years working with freelancers and being envious of their freedom and flexibility. Eventually, I realized the only thing stopping me from giving it a shot and starting a freelance business was myself. I needed to get out of my own way.
Sure, in those early weeks I had hundreds of the fears that every new freelancer has. Money was one of them–during that first month, I was (hilariously and dramatically) rationing my morning English muffin, as if I were some female Mark Watney in the Martian, stranded on another planet with a finite food source. The freelance world did feel a bit like Mars to me at first: rocky, scary, foreign territory, and I wondered if I’d made a huge mistake at the time by abandoning ship at my salaried gig.
In retrospect, I was being ridiculous, and going freelance was one of the best, most empowering decisions I have ever made for myself. Having been an independent consultant for nearly four years, here are the six things I wish I knew on Day 1 of starting a freelance business:
1. Your Achilles’ heel could actually be one of your strengths.
My dad taught me that there are three types of workers: minders, finders, and grinders. Grinders crank out the work. Minders are managers. And finders are the ones who get out there and find the business. It’s hard to be all three (and excel at each function) and that’s exactly what you’re trying to do as a solopreneur. I’d always been an excellent grinder and was working hard in my corporate life to become as good of a manager as I could be. Being a finder wasn’t my strong suit; I frankly always hated doing new business on the agency side, and this was a big fear of mine when going off on my own.
Turns out that under a different work structure, finding clients has been one of the more natural, enjoyable parts of my business. I thought that my services would be in demand and the thought was validated quickly. Work opportunities started coming in almost immediately through referrals and word of mouth, and I have fun (really!) exploring them and thinking through what I can do for a potential new client. I also realized I could define what my own new business process looks like and how much work I would be willing to invest in it. Through trial and error, I’ve become much more confident in my ability to close new business and it’s not the necessary evil or weak link I once thought it would be.
2. Solopreneurship can be more stable than a salaried job.
Being your own boss sounds sexy, right? It is! But the best part about it was a surprise to me. Setting your own schedule or working from home (bring on the pajamas!) are, indeed, great–and definitely part of the allure of freelancing. But what I didn’t expect, and what I’ve found to be the biggest benefit, is the steadiness of it.
It sounds counterintuitive (many people think freelance = a lack of stability) and while clients may come and go, I have the ultimate vision of where I want to take my business and I am completely in charge of its direction and priorities. As a business owner, you’re never wondering when your next promotion is, or feeling pigeonholed into one specific job function, or catering to the whims of someone else. What you put in, you get out directly, for better or worse. I feel in control and, for the first time, like my job is sustainable (hopefully for life)!
3. Complacency is truly scarier than failure.
Many people in my family and support system are very conservative, long-time corporate America job-holder types. For years, I felt like I had to force myself to fit into a work structure and environment that didn’t really make sense for me and that often didn’t enable me to do my best work. I was a Type B trying to masquerade as a Type A and it was beyond exhausting.
It felt like there was no other option and I just had to keep grinding for the next 50+ years. The idea of being a freelancer felt like such a delicious temptation and eventually I had to really ask myself, why not me? There were so many reasons to stay the course, but were those reasons valid? Was I not resourceful enough to work around them? Was I going to let complacency hold me back from pursuing something that I strongly felt was a better fit? Nope!
Of course, there are a few things that I needed to have in place before taking the leap. I’m grateful for my decade in corporate America as it allowed me to build a network and gain tons of experience. I had a rainy-day fund in case things didn’t take off as I hoped, and a great group of badass freelancers who eagerly helped me get on my feet, especially in the beginning. I also have supportive, business-minded family members, including a husband who advises me and I was able to go on his health insurance–I was lucky to have that daunting hurdle removed.
4. Being super selective, even from Day 1, is a must.
I dove headfirst into the freelancing world. I was one of those people who left my job without much of a game plan and was totally out of sorts in the beginning. In the early days, I was anxious to fill up my client roster, figure out my new working cadence, and understand what my income flow would look like.
I turned down a lot of business in the first year, which felt weird (being picky about what clients you take on when you’re rationing English muffins doesn’t make a ton of sense!) but in retrospect, this probably ensured the success of my freelance business. When I bowed out of prospective client conversations or turned down work, I did so because I didn’t feel confident that I could knock the project out of the park.
Building your name and generating good word of mouth is so important, especially in the beginning. Plus, your time is very limited and there’s a huge opportunity cost to taking on the wrong client. In my experience, when one client doesn’t work out, another will come along. Also, when it rains, it pours. Therefore, you really need to hold the same standards to taking on new clients, no matter if your business is in its infancy, and no matter how busy you are.
5. Listen to your gut, it won’t steer you wrong.
Confidence has always been one of my struggles, and that’s all the more reason why it’s been extremely reassuring to learn that I can trust my gut and that it consistently steers me in the right direction. You have to make some scary decisions as a solopreneur. You’re not just doing the bread-and-butter work that you’re already accustomed to, you’re doing your own accounting, bookkeeping, new business, structuring deals, contracts, figuring out how to price yourself, HR, hiring support when needed, IT, networking, and more.
At least 50% of the work I do is out of my comfort zone. There are times when I feel the need to run my decisions past others (a hundred times) and seek a lot of advice, but it’s something I’m working on scaling back on and most of the time, if I stop and think, I generally know what the right approach or answer will be.
6. Starting a freelance business is NOT a surefire way to make more time for a side hustle (or other priorities).
This might sound like a no-brainer, but running your own business is really time-consuming and can be all-encompassing. One of the main reasons I left my full-time job was because I want to grow my passion project/side hustle. I was completely surprised by how easily my freelance business took off, and how lucrative it could be. I’ve found myself with a renewed enthusiasm for the work I do and I give my business way more time and energy than I initially planned. I still love my side hustle and making more time for it is a big goal, but freelancing kind of backfired in this sense!
The early days of freelancing were fairly terrifying but today, I consider the ability to be a freelancer and run a thriving business a huge privilege. I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish, and I haven’t looked back since. I love mentoring other people who are interested in trying their hand as a solopreneur (it’s part of the pay-it-forward nature of the freelancer’s club.) If you have any questions for me about starting a freelance business, I’d love to answer!
Are you starting a freelance business? Ask Brittany your questions in the comments–and shop solopreneur work staples here!
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