Week 1

On September 19, 2018, I’d had enough.

A culmination of little things, both professionally and personally, pushed me over the line.

And I had an epiphany.

For years, I’ve been talking about freelancing and contracting – being my own boss, working on my own time. How much I love to help non-profits and small businesses with their content and social strategies to help them increase awareness and drive traffic. I’d done some volunteering in the past but never fully committed. And I never bothered to make the time.

I’m officially ready to take the plunge – I’ve committed to myself to set the goals, take the time, and dedicate what it takes to full-time freelance. I’m no longer satisfied with the 9-5 desk job just because it provides security and a steady paycheck. But how do I get to where I want to be?

I’m about to bring you on my journey.

First, I brainstormed a list of side-hustle possibilities. I came up with:

• Paper editing service – charge $1 per page, 3-day turnaround time, add $10 for a rush job. I’d post on college and university Facebook pages and help those budding college students.
• Etsy designer – use InDesign and my design experience to develop invitations, cards, posters, flyers, logos, etc. for people and small businesses. Priced hourly.
• Digital content producer/freelancer – content (blogs), social, email programs. Charge hourly and/or per piece.
• Transcribing audio.

Obviously, I landed on digital content producer/freelancer.

Next, I thought through what my claims to fame would be.

• Content is king. Know when and how to use it to leverage your business online.
• Drive engagement. Use social, email and content to increase traffic and sales.
• Know your goals. How to build a sustainable marketing strategy.
• Be social. Understand the impacts of social media and how to make the most of it.
• Research. Be the expert on your current customers, potential audience, supporters, critics and competition.

I wrote out questions I would ask my potential clients, built an outline for developing a social and content strategy, and thought through how I would measure success.

Then, I wrote down my ultimate goal and vowed to read it every single day.

“In one year, I will be able to quit my current job and rely solely on my side hustles and freelance contracting business. I will be working from home on my own schedule. I will be my own boss. I will be doing what I love.”

That night, I went home and applied to two online side hustles – Rev, a transcription service, and Upwork, a freelancing service. I was accepted to both.

After spending a few hours building my profile on Upwork, taking the training courses, and poking around, I felt a sense of motivation coursing through me. This time was different than all the others. I was really doing this! The next day, I submitted my first proposal for work. Followed by another, then another. Now it’s time to play the waiting game to see if I get a bite.

In the meantime, I started researching. Tips for freelancers, how to get started with a freelance business, how to use freelance services. I made myself a to-do list to complete by the end of the month that included starting to build my website/blog, creating a goals and success list, developing a contract and proposal template, developing a personal rate sheet, and gathering work samples for my online portfolio.

Goals:

• 3-6 months
  • Launch website/blog platform
  • Publish weekly blog posts
  • Accept first freelance contract and complete first milestones
• 6 months-1 year
  • Freelance outside of Upwork by June 2019
  • Freelance/contract only (and have ability to quit current desk job) by end of 2019
  • Increase hourly charge
• 1-3 years
  • Register as an LLC
  • Increase profit margins by 10% year over year

Speaking of profit margins, I worked out what my dollars in and out were going to have to look like. This included how much I pay monthly in bills and other things, how much health insurance would cost, and adding 17% for independent contractor taxes. Using the average number of work days per year (261) and average hours worked per day (8), I calculated different hourly rates and how many typical work days I would save. For example, at $40 an hour, I’d have to work 1,608 hours, saving me 480 hours, or 60 typical work days. 60 days!

Less than 24 hours after I submitted my first proposal, I got a message. Someone was interested. They wanted me to write articles for their website. I couldn’t believe it. Yes, the extra cash flow is going to be nice. But it was officially my first step into this whirlwind of a new career I’m building.

Follow me each week to stay updated on my progress, and learn what it takes to go from a typical run-of-the-mill job to building an I’m-my-own-boss-and-make-my-own-hours career. I’m by no means a professional freelancer yet, and I’ll make mistakes as I go, but you can’t learn and grow without mistakes!