13 Years, 13 Lessons from Self-Employment
So last weekend, on February 11th, it was 13 years since I quit my job in Sydney, Australia, to be self employed. 😳 Shit that is a LONG time, and it feels like it, lol.
For the mems (and because I love reading how other people got started), here's the short version of how I got into self employment & running my own biz... I had started going on road trips and mini adventures all around Sydney, after feeling pretty discontent with life in general, so I launched a blog (on Wordpress, and Tumblr too), sharing my photos and adventures & thoughts about life. I started connecting with other like-minded people (most of them being newbie life coaches), saw they saw I was a designer, and asked me to design shit for them, like blog headers, eBooks, and stuff like that.
Cut to a few months later, and alongside the freelance work was picking up, my absolute loathing for my real-job was also *majorly* picking up. 😂 I got to a point where I was on the verge of a breakdown, so I quit my job to take a major risk and do my own thing.
And here we are, 13 years deep in the game. I'm feeling really in my zone at the moment and it's so fun to feel like I'm in a period of evolution with my business and I'm stoked to see where it takes me this year. (Starting with Volume 2 of The Stash, coming on Wednesday!!)
I wanted to make a lil collection of thoughts on some shit I’ve learned, and am still learning from all this time running my own business & all of the things that come along with that. So here it is!
13 Things I've Learned After 13 Years of Self-Employment
Learn to pivot. Things are always changing & you have to learn to roll with it. This is really the core of running any business long term, I think, you have to get good at adapting to change, whether it's external (eh, like a global pandy), or internal, where you need to pivot to align with yourself and your own interests & life.
Burnout will come for you if you keep saying yes to things you don’t actually want. Exhaustion via discontent is a real thing.
Have fun! Make the shit you wish existed! Use your biz as a playground to just make cool stuff. It's what I've been doing for 13 years, from magazines to digital products to collaborations to printed goods, and I'm still at it today. 🔥
Evolve, as a business owner & as a creative. You’re allowed to outgrow offerings & services.
Just fucking launch. 🚀 Get your work out into the world. As Danielle LaPorte said, everything that’s ever been done could have been better.
Get comfortable with selling. 💸 Your work matters, and there are people who want what you have to offer. When you're stoked & passionate about your work, it's easier to talk about, so lean into the stuff that feels good to you!
Stop wasting time trying to reinvent the wheel. Take one that you want to try, and give it your own unique twist, and go hard on what makes it different.
🏃 Run with what works. If you do something that resonates with people, keep doing it. (I'm guilty of not doing this... oop. I'll do something that works, then just decide to go do some other shit, lol, but it's a reminder for me this year.)
Stop paying so much attention to the rest of your industry. I’ve been saying this for 13 years and I’m gonna keep saying it. Naivety has it's pro's. Don't worry what everyone else is doing, just do you.
Sometimes it’s really hard. 💜 The last quarter of last year was pretty rough for me. I was heavily considering just finding freelance agency work for a few months to take the pressure & mental energy off my own business, and off me. Ultimately after spending time off in NZ I decided not to. But I'll also add 10.5 here, you're allowed to take a break from it or even quit altogether, if you want and it's what's best for you. Your own mental & physical health matters more than anything else.
Be weary of who you take advice from. 👩💻 Don’t outsource your own wisdom. Just because some 'expert' on Instagram told you something, or shit, even a coach you paid money for gave you some step-by-step solution, you don't have to do it if it feels out of alignment for you and your biz.
🌲 Know what fuels you outside your work. And make time for it, regularly. For me?? Road trips. Nature. Photography. That's my jam. (I literally took the day off yesterday to go for a drive in the mountains and it was 10/10 perfect).
Self-employment is secretly (or not?? lol) self-development in disguise. I heard this in the very early days of my business, and fuck me it is VERY TRUE. Take the time to know yourself, your business will thank you. 😎
Okay one bonus one... Do good work for good people. 👏 It's easy to get lost in the sauce of your biz and the marketing and all the shit that comes with it (I know, it's a lot), but at the end of the day the WORK is what matters. Whatever you do, focus on being really fucking good at it, and use those skills to work with people you think are awesome & doing cool shit in the world. If you do this right (as a service based business), your clients will do all of your marketing for you.
And I gotta say a massive thank you to YOU for being here, whether you're a past client, a new client, you've brought something from my shop over the years, or if you're just here for the vibes, thank you for your support. You're a legend.
