Shift Your Mind From Freelancer to Business Owner

We're everywhere. English majors, fine arts students, Ph. Ds in a Romance language. Our liberal arts degrees made us great readers, excellent writers, wonderful artists and poor business people. At some point we settled for a job that "paid the bills." Soon we became copywriters, graphic designers, rogue programmers hacking our way through the night. Then we answered the call to strike out on our own. Perhaps it came via a layoff, a relocation, a strange knack for picking up work. Money came in quickly. We were feeling good. Then we discovered that making money wasn't always easy. We had to work in order to work.  This is where I found myself from 2004 - 2006. Fresh off my second layoff in three years, I decided my next office job would literally kill me. Having wanted to have been a "freelance writer" back in college, six-years after graduating I finally had the opportunity.  At first it was easy. I found two contracts right away, then a third, and was actually making more money than I had at my job. But things changed. Two contracts ended. The third waned. During 2005, my earnings rivaled those of a 16-year-old with a lawnmower and a dream.  Working from a place of fear rather than growth, I scrambled, took anything and everything that smelled like work. I felt the call of the cubicle getting closer. Something needed to break.  By no means am I an expert business person, but over time I've employed a few tactics that have helped me stabilize and grow my business. I'd like to share those now. Regardless of what field you're in or how long you've been at the self employment game, I hope you find some of them useful.  -- 1. Branch out. In the hopes of growing my business, I took a look at other services I could offer besides copywriting and brand-related consulting. Hoping to do more work with nonprofit organizations, I took a grant writing course, then apprenticed with a professional grant writer in Portland. I also started doing pro bono writing workshops. Eventually, I folded grant writing, nonprofit brand consulting, and writing workshops into my core services.  **Tip for branching out** Create a Venn diagram that includes all the things you can do as well as the ones that you could possibly do with a little more experience and knowledge. Identify the new possibilities that seem like the easiest leaps. Begin communicating with professionals in your network who are doing those things, and set up informational interviews to learn more about what steps you need to take to get there.  2. Stick to you strengths. Working for myself has allowed me to return to the type of writing I was doing in college - articles, profiles, interviews, etc. I don't make much money in these pursuits, but at the same time, I've been hired for a number of marketing-related projects that involve articles and profiles, and am in the process of building a portfolio of interviews with professional writers.  **Tip for sticking to your strengths** What part of yourself have you set aside in order to get ahead in your career, or to stay afloat at the job you've just left? Perhaps you're a graphic artist with a passion for floral design, but because of the demands of your last job, you haven't arranged flowers in years, let alone stopped to smell them. Is there a way you can incorporate floral design into the services you offer clients? Perhaps parlay this into packaging?  3. Honor your own creative time. This has been my greatest challenge. Essentially, it requires "hiring myself" - sitting down and writing whatever poem or story is running in my head and being OK with the fact that there's no client on the other end. It's difficult, but it also brings me a great deal of joy and satisfaction. Plus I've found that every creative exercise has a way of flowing back into my client work.  **Tip for honoring your creative time** Everyone's creative time and flow is unique, and therefore you'll be the best judge of what works for you. Consider giving yourself a specific day in the week (deadlines permitting) where you are your #1 client. If you can't afford a day, try a consistent block of time where your chief concern is working on your book, painting, creating a collage, gardening...any creative activity that shifts your energy around and helps you reconnect with your creative drive.  4. Reach out. The sister of "Branching out" - I've had a great deal of luck getting in touch with strangers and seeing if there's a chance to collaborate. This includes cold emails to graphic designers, letters to creative directors, even once stopping the head of a creative firm in the middle of a crosswalk, telling him I wanted to work with him and heading to his office for a five-minute conversation. (He probably could have had me arrested, but instead has become a great partner and friend.) **Tip for reaching out** Identify potential strategic partners. If you're a writer, do a web search for graphic design, development, and creative firms in your area. The smaller the firm, the greater your chances they won't have a writer on staff. Also target larger agencies that, while they probably have a writer or two, are often overwhelmed and need a contractor on whom they can rely. Finally, contact other writers, introduce yourself and ask if you can buy them coffee and talk about business.  5. Network like a professional. I avoided professional networking as long as I could. Eventually, networking has proven to be the most lucrative decision I've ever made. I joined a local chapter of BNI (Business Networking International) and haven't looked back. Beyond the business that's come from my group, the act of getting together on a weekly basis with a room full of business owners has been instrumental in helping me get to know what my business is really about.  **Tip for networking** If you're not familiar with BNI, do a web search of chapters in your state or region. If you find one nearby, see if you can find contact information, and arrange to visit their next meeting. (A note about BNI: each chapter only allows one-person per profession; if you're a graphic designer and the nearest chapter already has a designer, your best bet is to look elsewhere.) There are plenty of networking opportunities outside of the BNI-sphere. Check your local chamber of commerce, other non-affiliated groups, even more niche-oriented groups that focus on specific disciplines and industries.  -- Best of luck on your journey through life as a sole proprietor. Like anything, sole proprietorship comes with its challenges, but they're nothing you won't overcome if you stay committed to staying connected to yourself and others. I'd love to hear any tips you'd like to add to this list, as well as personal episodes and stories you've encountered along your way.         2009-09-08T17:08:29Z

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shift-your-mind-from-freelancer-to-business-owner

2009-09-10T12:41:23Z

2009-09-10T16:41:42Z

Many creative sole proprietors are already a year into their business before they discover that it takes work to get work. Here are five tips to help ease your passage along the journey.

Shift Your Mind From Freelancer to Business Owner

2009-09-10T17:41:47Z