Look, I can teach you all the things I know about freelancing and how to run a business, but if you don’t know how to set rules and boundaries, you’re going to have an awful time.
If you want to have someone blow up your phone 24/7, dictate your entire life, and generally give you no time off, just go work in Silicon Valley and make a boat load of money. (I did this, I would know. Minus the boat load of money part, because I didn’t stay long enough to find out.)
Feeling productive is the best feeling.
Maybe it’s my deep immersion in American culture. Maybe it’s in my DNA - my entire family is full of workaholics.
Either way, nature or nurture, I’m a sucker for a good productivity app, tip, planner, or anything else that gives me the illusion I have everything under control.
HOWEVER.
Standing out online doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg (plus your social security number and your first born child). Although, that’s the way a lot of business owners feel. I’ve seen far too many companies spend 5 figures on revamped branding to stand out online.
Sure, there’s something to be said for having a solid brand, but if you’re not in that position, there’s something you can do that will quickly put you ahead.
When people think of freelancing, they imagine being able to wake up at any hour they want, not have to deal with a demanding boss, and basically living the dream.
However, most freelancers quickly realize this is rarely the case. Well, the sleep part is still true, but it’s rarely as easy as most people think it is.
When you’re the best, there is no competition.
I was on the phone with a client the other day discussing an idea he has for a new site. It’s a damn good idea, and there’s a huge market for it. However, he is terrified to actually build the site because that means he’d have to *gasp* share his idea with other people in order to get it built.
This thought alone prevents him from starting at all.
