What 1 Year of Freelancing Can Really Do
With a new year coming up, we all have new years resolutions spanning a few areas of our lives, and no doubt freelancers have a few new goals and dreams to accomplish. Whether you have yet to set up shop, you’re just getting started and are still learning, or you are an experienced freelancer, one year of well-set goals can do a lot, and a one-year time span can accomplish so much.
In this post, we’ll look over some inspiring stories of freelancers and web entrepreneurs that have covered so much within the short time of a year, and how they got there. We’ll also cover how you can set productive goals and New Year’s Resolutions, and keep motivated throughout the year to accomplish great things in 2010.
Inspiration: Build Internet!
I discovered this blog shortly after it started, mainly because Sam and Zach’s marketing strategy is smart and targets the right audience very quickly. Although they are not solo freelancers, they’re progress is still inspiring considering all that they’ve done in 2009.
At the end of December, the Build Internet blog will be 1 year old. Through the months, they have done case studies showing their marketing strategy, their statistics, and their progress for the growth and interest of their readers. While they have not published the 12th month case study, you can view the 11th month here.
What started off as a web design blog turned into a network fulfilling many of their professional goals within 2009. They’ve opened up the One Mighty Roar Network, including Build Internet, The Nonsense Society, Officeal, and their Internet firm, One Mighty Roar.
Build Internet is now a successful marketing medium for their web design and development services, and they continue to maintain all business within their network successfully.
All of their websites are very successful so far, with thousands of subscribers, followers, and with Build Internet being a part of the Smashing Network. It is exciting to guess where they’ll end up by the end of 2010, but even more exciting and inspiring to see the progress they’ve made in 12 months with their determination and smart strategies.
Inspiration: Web Designer Depot
Again, not a freelancing business, but a successful web design blog nonetheless. The owner, Walter Apai does not freelance at the time, simply because his blog has been so successful and he has chosen to spend his time working full-time on it.
On November 11th, what was already a huge and well-respected blog, turned only 1 year old. Web Designer Depot has over 99,000 Twitter followers, 39,000 RSS subscribers, and makes a huge impact on the web design community.
Inspiration: Aaron Mahnke
Aaron Mahnke is your standard freelance graphic designer. At the end of September he had created is first year of his newfound freelance graphic design business, and somehow survived through the worldwide economic crisis. One year later, he’s still doing it, with a strong client base and steady income (as steady as it can get for a freelancer, anyway!).
Fortunately, Aaron has shared his own experiences within his first year, from what he’s learned, to what he’s experienced, and what he’s been thinking the whole time. To read from his experience, check out his post, “My First Year as a Freelance Graphic Designer.” The post is both inspirational and motivational, as well as instructional for anyone just starting out.
How to Achieve Your Greatest Potential in 2010
No matter what level the above people are at and what you are at, great things can be achieved in 2010. Within the span of a year, nearly everything can change from where it stands today, and with the right drive and planning, it can only change for the better. Below are some tips for achieving the most this upcoming year.
1. Avoid Perfectionsim
Many people who finally decide to reach for a dream or a new goal try to approach it with perfectionism, which only leads them to failure. It can’t be reached, so stop trying! All you can do is your best, and you will learn from that. So don’t try to put any goals off until you ‘know all you can about it’, or ‘have planned your upcoming venture perfectly.’
2. Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
Don’t compare your business size or your own skills with anyone else. Just know what you’re doing right now to improve your own skill set. If you have a different style than someone else, don’t go in an unnatural direction just because you see that what their doing is working for them. Do your own thing, your own research, and follow your own passions and talents to build upon them.
3. Set Specific Goals
Set goals for the upcoming year, but don’t assume this means numbers. Numbers don’t always mean success. Having a certain number of Twitter followers, increasing your client base by 10, or increasing your pay rate to a certain amount doesn’t always turn out the way you’d like. That’s because these things can vary depending on your outside environment (your competition, the economy, the latest trends). Instead, focus on overall self-development and business growth. “I will be able to work full-time as a freelancer by the end of the year,” or “I will improve my targeted Twitter following by researching and finding more potential clients.”
4. Define Success
Success means something differently to every person. Is it fame, fortune, credibility, or personal development? Is it to merely be financially stable while having a 4-hour work week, or to be able to travel around the world with excess finances and have the freedom of any work environment? There are no wrong answers, and different answers are right for different people. Define what you want to do with your life, and then work towards that this upcoming year.
5. Be Yourself
Last, but not least, be yourself. This compiles all of the points above — set your own goals, don’t compare your worth to others, write your own success story, and finally, know that the only way to perfectionism for you is to be you.
Good Luck in 2010!
From all of us at The Free Creatives, good luck and a Happy New Year! Please feel free to share with us your own success stories or accomplishments from this past year, and of any motivational New Year’s Resolutions for the upcoming year.
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