Self-employment was never planned, it happened by accident when I was made redundant, but three years in, I’m more determined than ever to make it work.
I’m not going to lie, it has been a rollercoaster ride, a mixture of exhilaration and fear.
Some days I wonder what the hell I’m doing. On others I feel I could conquer the world.
The first year felt like I was stumbling around, succeeding mostly on luck and chance.
In the second year, I had my first major setback, a large retainer came to an end, leaving a big gap in my income.
But it kicked me up the bum to start being more strategic about what I wanted to do and what I wanted my business to look like, which meant marketing myself.
It’s when I started exploring LinkedIn and learning to use it properly.
Putting myself ‘out there’ via LinkedIn posts felt uncomfortable and unnatural. I worried terribly what ‘people’ would think.
I don’t think I’ll ever get to a point where I’m completely at ease, but I worry about it a lot less.
Another lightbulb moment
Two and a half years in, I had another light bulb moment; this was in part a response to stress and anxiety rearing their ugly heads.
Continue reading “Three years in business: the highs, lows and lessons learned”
It’s coming up to a year since I started out as a freelance and what a career change it has been.