When I wake up in the morning....

[Jeff]

... I'm officially self-employed.   In this crap economic climate, I quit a fairly decent job less than ten minutes from my house so I could go out on my own as a freelance graphic/web designer.

Some might think that's insane, but I have my reasons:

• I'm tired of working for other people.
• Money wasn't good enough. To make ends meet, and have my wife be able to stay at home and raise our family, I had to work all day, then work all night on side stuff, and it has been killing me. It was only after I put in my notice to leave that my two bosses offered to cough up more money. Ummm, too late - shoulda thought of that as I was transforming the web department from pathetic/non-existant to a money-maker/avenue for new internal ideas.
• I really want to be able to do the little things with my two little girls - things like take them to pre-school or gymnastics class, and not feel like I'm rushed to get back to work in under an hour during an early lunch. The other day I had the day off, picked up my 3yo from pre-school and she said, "I'm hungry." So she and I went to the cafe across the street and shared a little snack. It was a great feeling. I hope those are the little things my kids remember when they're all grown up.
• Petty BS like coworkers bitching and moaning, or not carrying their weight, or behind the back tattling if someone walks in five minutes late. Screw that - I've put in my time. If I have to do other peoples' jobs in addition to my own, I may as well do it for me and my family instead of the guy sitting at his desk pissing around on MySpace.

I can do the same thing as my old job, only quicker because of less red tape, and cheaper because of less overhead. I get to be a bigger part of my family, and more involved in the community.

It's a very exciting time. Oh, and absolutely terrifying. I alternate at any given moment between "This is gonna kick ass. I will succeed and it'll be the best thing ever." to "OMG - What have I done?"

Jeff

[Justin]

Congrats Jeff, it's a tough move to make.. and even if it really isn't tough, It can be scary going out on your own. I wish you the best of luck and hope you're new venture is successful. If times get tough and you need extra work shoot me some samples of your work, as I know a lot of people in the biz that are looking for help frequently.

[KenH]

Good luck on your venture. Your children are worth it.

[twotrackhero]

Good Luck with you venture

Some of your reasons for leaving are valid, but you will most likely change your mind on some of the others. Being in bussiness for your self is no cake walk. I started my own shop 6 yrs ago and till this day, I bust my a** 10 times harder than I did working for anyone else ( I was a pretty good employee to boot).  

Complaining about your bosses at your old job wont make much sense later on becuase you just added one for every client you have, and they will bitch!!! Don't let this bring down your spirt, it's just bussiness.

Having free time what the hell is that? You will eat breath and sleep your job untill the day you sell it, or hand it down to a family member (unofficially you will still be involved 100% if you hand it down). You have to love what you do, that is just the way it is, 24/7.

As far as making a decent living, it is possible. Although be prepared to become totally broke and in debt further than any of your wildest dreams (It really is true that it takes money to make it). Most wealth in bussiness is built over a long period of time, the people that get rich quick usally have no longevity. your wealth will be in your assets, not in your income.

Don't take this the wrong way, it's just reality. The entrepreneur spirit is what makes this country great and I wish you all the sucsess in the world. Just be prepared!! Put together a soild bussiness plan and learn to recognize when to make critical decisions long before they are necessary and you will be alright.  

[chornbe]

If you need some coding work done, holler up. I might could help.

... I'm officially self-employed.   In this crap economic climate, I quit a fairly decent job less than ten minutes from my house so I could go out on my own as a freelance graphic/web designer.

Some might think that's insane, but I have my reasons:

• I'm tired of working for other people.
• Money wasn't good enough. To make ends meet, and have my wife be able to stay at home and raise our family, I had to work all day, then work all night on side stuff, and it has been killing me. It was only after I put in my notice to leave that my two bosses offered to cough up more money. Ummm, too late - shoulda thought of that as I was transforming the web department from pathetic/non-existant to a money-maker/avenue for new internal ideas.
• I really want to be able to do the little things with my two little girls - things like take them to pre-school or gymnastics class, and not feel like I'm rushed to get back to work in under an hour during an early lunch. The other day I had the day off, picked up my 3yo from pre-school and she said, "I'm hungry." So she and I went to the cafe across the street and shared a little snack. It was a great feeling. I hope those are the little things my kids remember when they're all grown up.
• Petty BS like coworkers bitching and moaning, or not carrying their weight, or behind the back tattling if someone walks in five minutes late. Screw that - I've put in my time. If I have to do other peoples' jobs in addition to my own, I may as well do it for me and my family instead of the guy sitting at his desk pissing around on MySpace.

I can do the same thing as my old job, only quicker because of less red tape, and cheaper because of less overhead. I get to be a bigger part of my family, and more involved in the community.

It's a very exciting time. Oh, and absolutely terrifying. I alternate at any given moment between "This is gonna kick ass. I will succeed and it'll be the best thing ever." to "OMG - What have I done?"

Jeff

[bomber]

Jeff -- best of luck -- everything that folks have posted (and will post) will be true, to one degree or another.

Fingers crossed for a roaring success on your part.

This surfaced a thought I'd had a number of times -- a thread (perhaps on a for fee basis) of STNers who are indie service providers . . . . I know it's a touchy subject, and I have no idea who (if?) it would work inside the structure of the ads on the board, but it's an idea that may have some merit?

[satxbonneville]

Good Luck with you venture

Some of your reasons for leaving are valid, but you will most likely change your mind on some of the others. Being in bussiness for your self is no cake walk. I started my own shop 6 yrs ago and till this day, I bust my a** 10 times harder than I did working for anyone else ( I was a pretty good employee to boot).  

Complaining about your bosses at your old job wont make much sense later on becuase you just added one for every client you have, and they will bitch!!! Don't let this bring down your spirt, it's just bussiness.

Having free time what the hell is that? You will eat breath and sleep your job untill the day you sell it, or hand it down to a family member (unofficially you will still be involved 100% if you hand it down). You have to love what you do, that is just the way it is, 24/7.

As far as making a decent living, it is possible. Although be prepared to become totally broke and in debt further than any of your wildest dreams (It really is true that it takes money to make it). Most wealth in bussiness is built over a long period of time, the people that get rich quick usally have no longevity. your wealth will be in your assets, not in your income.

Don't take this the wrong way, it's just reality. The entrepreneur spirit is what makes this country great and I wish you all the sucsess in the world. Just be prepared!! Put together a soild bussiness plan and learn to recognize when to make critical decisions long before they are necessary and you will be alright.  

Read this again and again and understand that you have just committed 100% of your time to your business and all of the "bosses" you have just decided to take on. Selling your services to new clients. Servicing existing clients. Losing clients. Being in business for yourself is a really good way to learn about living in a constant low state of fear and doubt. I've been in business for myself full-time for nearly two years (part timed it for 4 years before that) and while I make a pretty decent living and have been slowly expanding my client base and the scope of services I offer there are still moments of "staring into the abyss" and worrying about having enough cash flow to make the monthly nut on my families obligations. It's never happened (I'm fortunate that I have good customers who don't play games with payables) but the fear is always there.

PAY YOUR TAXES!!! It hurts to write those chunky checks to the IRS but you do not want to have them on your ass.

Good luck and enjoy the ride!

[Jeff]

Good Luck with you venture

Some of your reasons for leaving are valid, but you will most likely change your mind on some of the others. Being in bussiness for your self is no cake walk. I started my own shop 6 yrs ago and till this day, I bust my a** 10 times harder than I did working for anyone else ( I was a pretty good employee to boot).  

Trust me I have no delusions about it being a cake walk. I've been wanting to do this for a long time and everything was pointing to making the leap now. I have a good client base and it's constantly growing.

Complaining about your bosses at your old job wont make much sense later on becuase you just added one for every client you have, and they will bitch!!! Don't let this bring down your spirt, it's just bussiness.

A client is different than a boss. I know there are some easy, some difficult.

Having free time what the hell is that? You will eat breath and sleep your job untill the day you sell it, or hand it down to a family member (unofficially you will still be involved 100% if you hand it down). You have to love what you do, that is just the way it is, 24/7.

I know full well that I'll be working essentially every waking moment. But the freedom to say, "I'm taking my kid to preschool today" and being fine with it taking however long it takes is worth it. Hell, I work all the damn time already.

As far as making a decent living, it is possible. Although be prepared to become totally broke and in debt further than any of your wildest dreams (It really is true that it takes money to make it). Most wealth in bussiness is built over a long period of time, the people that get rich quick usally have no longevity. your wealth will be in your assets, not in your income.

I'm fine with not becoming rich quick. All I want to do is provide for my family and be there for them. I don't need to be rich.

Jeff

[garry]

I started/ran a recording studio in the 90s in addition to a full-time job. Bands typically wanted evening and weekend recording sessions, so it allowed me to give it a go without the all-or-nothing financial consequences of quitting the day gig. My experience is that I was a very good recording engineer and provided great customer service, but the marketing and advertising roles were the toughest to deal with. Even the paperwork (taxes, etc) wasn't a big deal. Chasing people for money is a PITA, so I was careful to not let anyone leave with finished product (or run up too big a tab) until payment was rendered.

The business grew primarily via word-of-mouth from happy clients, but that was not sufficient to make a break from the day gig. I advertised on local independent radio (that played original local music) and in the freebie music/entertainment newspapers. I took advantage of opportunities to get the studio's name out there by providing free recording time as a prize in a Battle of the Bands, etc but ultimately I was not able to build it a point where it could replace the day job financially. I was working all the time (day gig plus studio) and didn't have much time to spend with my young family. So I shut down the commercial facility and retired back to my home/basement studio. I don't regret the starting the business or killing it. The advent of PC-based recording studios meant that anyone with a couple mics and a computer could make a (usually crappy sounding) demo, but that was my bread-and-butter. I bailed and sold all the big iron (mixer, racks of tape decks and analog gear) while it was still worth something.

Bottom Line: Running your own business takes a lot more than good technical and people skills. Plan on working many more hours than a regular day job, but you do have the flexibility to do stuff during the day. Good luck with the new adventure!

[twotrackhero]

Trust me I have no delusions about it being a cake walk. I've been wanting to do this for a long time and everything was pointing to making the leap now. I have a good client base and it's constantly growing.



A client is different than a boss. I know there are some easy, some difficult.



I know full well that I'll be working essentially every waking moment. But the freedom to say, "I'm taking my kid to preschool today" and being fine with it taking however long it takes is worth it. Hell, I work all the damn time already.



I'm fine with not becoming rich quick. All I want to do is provide for my family and be there for them. I don't need to be rich.

Jeff

Sounds like you have your mind right for this adventure

Best of luck again.

[Blunder]

Colour me jealous.

Good luck  

[DogBoy]

 

[Castaway]

Go get 'em! Your independent spirit is something to honor. I hope for your success and that your business grows to where you might employ some folks.    

[CLAY]

Good luck man!    It's a worthy thing- and I'm glad this was what I read.  I was dreading something like this:


Yet clicked anyway.

[chornbe]

Colour me jealous.

Good luck  

Code:

p.jealous{ color:#00ff00; }

Code:

<p class="jealous">Jeff N</p>

[tjhess74]

huevos grandes, my friend!  i commend you on taking a big risk/step toward benefitting you and your family's future!  sounds like your wife is behind this decision, so thats gonna make all the difference.

im about to have my first child, and im already wanting to find ways to stay out of the normal work schedule to spend time with her...so, in a word, im jealous!

i know zilch about computers, so i will never be of any use to you.

[falconati]

Colour me jealous.

Good luck  

[lizard]

You used "morning" and "wake up" in the same sentence? Are you insane man?  
Oh, that's why I work for da man, I don't have the discipline to get up before noon without external motivation...


Good Luck and hope it turns into a wildly successful adventure!!!!

[Jeff]

You used "morning" and "wake up" in the same sentence? Are you insane man?  
Oh, that's why I work for da man, I don't have the discipline to get up before noon without external motivation...


Good Luck and hope it turns into a wildly successful adventure!!!!

When the kids get up at 7, that means that I get up at 7.

[Fourstring]

 

We're pulling for you, Jeff.

I've never made the leap to fully self-employed (just moonlighting), but I look back at the forks in the road that lead that way with some mixed feelings.  Both of my parents were self-employed growing up, which always made me hesitate to make the leap.  But who knows what's down the fork you don't take?  Kudos for the courage it takes to do it.

[lizard]

When the kids get up at 7, that means that I get up at 7.

Our version of "kid" wakes me up with paws on the bladder at 4am. We hit the kitchen so she can have a snack, she goes outside, and I "relieve" the pressure she caused and go back to bed.

She don't understand weekends or Mommy!

[Black Ice]

Human civilization would not exist without the desire to take risks, leap into the unknown, and trust in our own talent and willpower.

Go forth and kick ass.  

[Jeff]

Code:

p.jealous{ color:#00ff00; }

Code:

Jeff N

Ah - Internerd Humor. I lollered.

Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone.

[SuperSlider]

I've been self employed for the last 12 years and it certainly has its moments but I wouldn't have it any other way. The stories I hear from friends about brain-dead bosses, back biting and petty bull crap that goes on at their jobs makes those times I work 14 hour days seem a whole lot better.  Doing it right the first time and genuine good customer service will take you far.

[rgbeard]

I'm very fortunate that I have a job that "feels" like I'm self-employed, or a contractor, yet I draw a good salary from my firm.

I'm not often at my company's offices and I don't have a cubicle.  I work from my home office, and travel to my customer's offices.  My boss leaves me alone for the most part.  (Weeks at a time between hearing from him at all.)

High risk generally creates high reward.  Good on you for having the huevos to do this.