As a solo professional or freelancer, I often have conversations with clients and colleagues on what we should do in our business versus what we truly enjoy doing. I know for me, it’s something I’ve often struggled with both personally and professionally. I had dreamed of being my own boss and being in control of my own destiny for years, but because of so many outside influences that I let effect my own personal decisions I delayed my dream for years simply because I didn’t think it was the right thing to do, or so I thought.
Fast forward a few years and now it becomes a struggle of whether or not I’m doing the right thing for my business. The same struggles, challenges and voices remain but now it’s not simply whether or not I should have made the leap to become my own boss but what I should actually be doing as my own boss.
It’s what’s fantastic about being a solo professional and freelancer, I am in control of my decisions and how I choose to build my business. Businesses evolve and change, my skills and the types of services I can offer change. I started my business with an idea of who I hoped to work with and what type of services I hoped to offer and while the ideal of who I enjoy working with most hasn’t changed the business structure and services are evolving. I’m not ready to make a full blown announcement, but know this…my current clients – I’m still here and I’m not going anywhere. I enjoy the work I do with you and I look forward to a great prosperous relationship with you.
New clients – I’m excited to seek you out and offer these new dynamic services in the very near future.
Just like any business as a solo professional it’s important to take some time to assess where you’re at, how your business is evolving and what direction you see your business going. These are some of the things I do on a regular basis:
Step back and think – take some time at a regular interval to simply step back and think. Think about what’s been going right, what I’d like to change, what I enjoy doing, what I’ve been doing and would now like to change.
Review my processes – when you start out in business you’ll often use what others do to get your business processes in place, but it’s okay to change, it’s okay to make them work for you.
Think about my rates – am I happy with what I’m currently charging? Am I charging enough, just because someone offering a similar service charges a certain rate doesn’t mean you need to charge the same. Maybe you need charge more, less?
Lay out a plan – It’s important to write things down. Yes thinking about it is good, but writing it down and laying out some deadlines and goals around the changes helps to solidify the ideas and helps you get focused.
So what do you do on a regular basis to support your business?