Branding. Blogging. Taxes. Finding inspiration. Now is probably one of the best times to chase your small biz dreams–there’s advice everywhere. For this mega-resource list, however, I was looking for something specific. I wanted to get at the experience of being self employed (whether a creative business owner or freelancer or whatever). See how people got there. What’s it like to be at home all day? What are the struggles people don’t admit to? As much as bloggers talk about things like building a brand or working from home, a lot of the day-to-day experience is lost in favor of spilling success secrets and telling you what you should or shouldn’t do. That’s helpful but when I began freelance blogging, I scooped up personal stories every chance I could. I checked in at Design Sponge and The Everygirl for career profiles whenever I had the chance, and bookmarked bloggers posting their own timeline and scheduled on their blogs. And it helped so much. So that’s how this roundup was born. I’ve had some of these posts bookmarked for months, and some I came across in my research. Whether or not you’re going at x creative pursuit full time or thinking of one day quitting that 9-5, articles like these will be your best friend. Even if you just read one per day for 10 days (perhaps as part of a month of reading blogs?), you’ll get inspired and start generating ideas for your own plans.
1. Allyssa Barnes’ post on the benefits of creating a daily schedule will give you insight on a designer’s daily schedule and hopefully inspire your own. Even if your schedule varies from day to day, it’s nice to find a way to get in a rhythm.
2. Speaking of daily schedules, here’s an oldie but goodie! This Meroe weekly freelance schedule may be the first post I pinned when becoming a freelance writer. Everyone’s schedule is different, but reading posts like these really help you decide how to allocate your time. There are so many ways to be efficient as a freelancer.
3. Sometimes “I am my own boss” comes off as “I don’t have to work” to others. I wish more posts like Olive & Ivy’s things I wish people knew about being self employed existed to offer an honest perspective on the upsides, and yes, downsides of being on your own!
4. Along the same vein, it’s so great to see successful women reflecting on their past biz and career choices and offering words of wisdom. Abagail of think creative let readers in on the 10 biggest business mistakes she’s made and what she’s learned.
5. If you’re just starting out, check out this post by Allison Adams on successfully working from home. It basically has everything you need to get in check mentally, such as managing schedules and your workspace, and getting dressed up–even if you’re not leaving the house.
6. Crafty business owners, do you follow Craftsposure? It’s a great resource, and I love this post on how to punch fear in the face. I seriously recommend bookmarking it and quickly running through it whenever you’re paralyzed with self-doubt (which can be often). It’s a no-nonsense, inspiring way to get past fear.
7. Nesha has learned a lot over 3 years of freelancing. If even just a few of those apply to you, you’ll be better off. Her points about making friends, making passive income, and booking your clients far in advance are so, so spot on.
8. This advice from Designer’s Guidebook applies to anyone who works remotely, ESPECIALLY if you’re an introvert like me. It’s all about the process of making designer friends online and has a bunch of good tips that, like I said, can span social media, freelance writing, and other internet-centric fields.
9. A lot of times it seems like bloggers don’t want to let us in on how they got where they are, just that they’ve arrived. Thankfully, there are ladies like Lindsay from White Oak Creative who aren’t afraid to share how they became a freelancer.
10. Megan at The Fresh Exchange shared a post called how to be successful a few months back and while it doesn’t strictly apply to those who are self-employed, I think it’s a great reminder that YOU define success, it doesn’t define you.
It’s so important to hear other people’s stories, especially when heading out on the path less traveled! It turns something potentially isolating into an exciting community. I’d love nothing more than to add to this list, so if any posts came to mind while reading, do share! Think back to your bookmarks and Pinterest boards.
PS: Why not blog about your journey? Early this year, I blogged about the ups and downs of working from home. It’d be great to see some other perspectives.
Matthew Jones says
Great post with some really useful links! Thank you for putting all these post into one place
Maff.x
http://whatmaffsaid.blogspot.co.uk/
Allyssa says
Thanks for including my post! That Meroe post is actually what inspired me to create a daily schedule in the first place :)
Angela says
You’re welcome. That post was so great! I remember first writing everything down on post-its after I read it.
honey&gazelle says
What a great collection of inspiring reads (: Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
Maja says
Cool post – thank you for that! I am just startng my so-called freelancing career and I really need some good tips.
:)
http://nevermindnm.blogspot.com/
Lauren Schroer says
I will be checking all of these posts out! Thanks for sharing! :)
– Lauren Schroer // http://www.laurenschroer.com
Katie Price says
Thank you so much for including my post in your round-up! I’m so sorry I missed it when it was initially posted. If you ever want to collaborate, please let me know!! xo Katie
Angela says
Definitely, that’d be great!