Several months after leaving work behind, I hit my 2015 revenue goal of grossing $10,000 in a single month from freelancing.
Whilst I’m very proud of myself for this achievement, you’re only as good as your next sale in this business. In order to maintain this level I need to continue hustling, find a way to scale my business, or both.
I’ve learned a lot since setting out on this crazy freelancing journey a year and a half ago – more than I can probably wrap up in a single post – so here are my top five lessons learned from leaving work behind to freelancing full-time.
1. You Have to Have a Strong ‘Why’
When I talk to brand new freelancers, I try to express the importance of having a strong “why” behind what you’re doing. For me, my “why” has always been my family; those three important mouths I have to feed.
Being a webpreneur is tough and not for the faint of heart. I want not only to be successful, but be inspired and most importantly of all, to be happy and motivated by my chosen career for myself and my family.
If you don’t have a strong reason why you’re doing what you’re doing, it’s too easy to quit when the going gets tough. And the going will get tough sometimes.
What’s your why?
2. Action and Perseverance are the Keys to Success
Taking action and persevering through challenges are what has most helped me to grow my business, and it all starts with that single first step.
Don’t let analysis paralysis get the best of you. Don’t read every article and newsletter that arrives in your inbox without taking action; instead, draw a line in the sand, realize when the time to read and think about what you want to do is enough, and when it is time to start acting.
Scared of failing? Join the club. Do it anyway.
Not confident you know what you’re doing? The best way to learn is to do. Ask yourself what’s the worst that can happen and move forward anyway.
I was recently talking to a coaching client of mine who said she wasn’t sure if she was more fearful of pitching for a writing job and being rejected, or actually getting it. She decided on the latter.
This isn’t unusual, but don’t let it keep you from trying. I told her the worst that could happen is the client wouldn’t like her article. They would either ask for rewrites or not hire her again.
It might sting a little, but it’s not that bad. You won’t be the perfect fit for every client, nor will they be for you. Do it anyway.
3. The Sky Really Is the Limit
Back when I started, making a couple thousand dollars per month seemed like a big stretch – let alone $5,000 or $10,000 – but I made every one of those benchmarks.
Now I have my sights on a much bigger goal: I’d like to gross $250,000 in 2016. That seems a huge goal to me, and maybe I won’t make it, but I’m going to try otherwise it’s certain I’ll fail.
Where is your current limit? What seems crazy or a stretch for you right now? It’s probably not as far away as you think.
Set big goals, break them down into acheivable smaller targets and get to work. Even if you don’t hit every one, you’ll be much closer than if you didn’t set your sights high in the first place.
4. It’s Easy to Become a Workaholic
Success doesn’t come without its challenges, and working too much can be one of them.
When you like your career and have a lot on the line like I do, it’s easy to work too much and never stop thinking about your business. It can be hard to separate work from home life, especially when you work from home as well.
You can’t work all of the time and not burnout though. You will be far more productive if you give your body and mind regular breaks and focus on work during predetermined and specific times.
5. A Flexible Schedule Is Great (Until It Isn’t)
Another challenge for me has been figuring out when to work while traveling a lot this summer. Having a flexible schedule has been great for trying to take vacations.
My husband is a stay-at-home dad, so the only real schedule we have to work around right now is mine. Part of the reason I decided to pursue freelancing is that I can work from anywhere. In theory, this is completely true, but in practice there are complications.
I’ve found myself working from hotel lobbies, numerous coffee shops, a hodunk bar and even from my car. Sometimes you have to take a decent internet connection when you can get it!
I also have to try to cram a lot of work into a small amount of time in order to take a little time off. I usually end up working extra long hours the next week to try and catch up or having to sacrifice some of my business growth goals for the month.
Like anything, it’s all about establishing some kind of balance. Figure out what your priorities are and cut out anything that isn’t really important or urgent.
Give yourself grace until you get it figured out. Realize that it’s not all going to go according to plan, even if you’ve spent a bunch of time planning it out ahead of time.
In Conclusion
Leaving work behind is still one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’m so much happier building my own web-based business than I was building someone else’s.
Having a strong ‘why’, taking action and persevering are all things that have helped me succeed long-term. The sky really is the limit when it comes to growth and your income potential is unlimited when working for yourself. But freelancing also comes with its own set of challenges. It’s easy to become a bit of a workaholic, and while having a flexible schedule is great, it can be hard to find a balance between and working and actually ‘living’.
I’d still do it all over again though!
Photo Credit: Julia Caesar via Unsplash
Adam Zetterlund says
Your enthusiasm and passion is infectious, Gina! Best of luck with your business endeavors in 2016.
Gina Horkey says
Thanks Adam – appreciate that!
Venkatesh Khajjidoni says
Hey Gina,
Inspirational post, Gina. Right mindset, positivity, and perseverance must have helped you achieve $10,000 mark in 2015. I hope you’ll definitely reach your new target this year. Now I share this post in my network.
Thank you for giving me inspiration.
Gina Horkey says
🙂 Thanks Venkatesh – mindset is SO HUGE!
Alba says
Those are really good things to keep in mind. I am starting now and I try to remember where are my boundaries, but sometimes it is complicated. It is also complicated to grow when you’re compiting in such a large market, but I am possitive about reaching my goals soon.
Gina Horkey says
Don’t give up – just learn how to better navigate the challenges that come your way Alba. You can do this!
AlbaLnz says
Thank you! I won’t I will try; I will do it.
Gina Horkey says
Get it girl!
Robert says
I think with the new year in full swing, goals are a huge part of every freelancer’s journey. One of the big things I tend to agree with very much is knowing your personal why and understanding it at well. When you understand that, you understand more about yourself and your business! Thank you for such a thoughtful and informative post.
Gina Horkey says
🙂 Glad you found it helpful Robert. If you don’t know “why,” it’s hard to know where or how in my experience!
Dane Hinson says
I think perseverance in the face of doubt is one of the biggest challenges. I’m a new finance blogger and so many times you’re faced with challenges or complexity that make you want to walk away. I think being able to overcome your own doubt is what separates the successful businesses and those that disappear.
Gina Horkey says
For sure! It’s more of a 1:1 game with yourself than anything else. Personal finance is a lucrative niche Dane – get it!
Mark Bologna says
Gina – thanks so much. As someone new to the online world I think I’ve experienced everything you mentioned! I just launched my podcast and realized it’s much more important to do than to keep planning for perfect!
Happy new year!
Mark
Gina Horkey says
Congrats on launching your podcast Mark! Doing beats perfect every time 😉
Laurie Tam says
Hi Gina,
I’ m one of your subscriber. I know about you for quite some time since last year as well as Elna Cain which I am connected to on LinkedIn. I’m definitely planning to do more writing work this year compare to last year. You’re an inspiration and keep on coming!!!
Gina Horkey says
Hey Laurie! Glad to hear that you’re planning on advancing your writing business this year – best of luck to you!
Saleem Rana says
So thrilling to hear about your $10k month, and I’m sure you’re going to hit $250k this year! Thanks for sharing your journey with us. This is awesome.
G says
Appreciate that Saleem! I hope you have an amazing 2016 as well 🙂
Debi says
$10K/month freelancing is no easy feat; kudos for your admirable work ethic, Gina! And good on you for putting that “$250K in 2016” goal out there in writing! Your “WHY” must’ve changed a bit, though, because that’s A LOT for food for a family of four… 🙂 I also suspect your business model has changed to allow you not to simply trade time for money day in and day out. Way to go! Keep going!
Gina Horkey says
Hey Debi – I’m not sure that my “why” has changed too much. If you read my recap of 2015 (http://horkeyhandbook.com/2016-business-goals/) you’ll see that I basically netted the same last year as in my previous career. Although I have an aggressive goal to double last year’s results, I’m assuming that my business expenses and self-employment taxes will also increase. Bringing home more net income will allow us to pay off debt, save for our future and hopefully add in some travel. But we won’t be balling or anything ;-). And yes, my business model has changed some – I still do service work (about half of my income is made up from that), but product and affiliate sales is equating to a larger part of my revenue than in the past. That is how I see myself continuing to scale since I can’t add more hours to the day!
Debi says
I read your 2015 recap, and you’ve been B-U-S-Y, girl! All your plans sound FAB, and I love your mantra. It’s definitely a keeper. You seem to be headed in the right direction, so just keep going! 🙂
Ivy says
Wow Gina, I need to print out #2 and hang it on my wall! I have the analysis paralysis for sure. The fact that you are making such a great living from freelancing while supporting a family is inspiring to me (I have a 1 and 4 year old). Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Gina Horkey says
Analysis paralysis plagues too many – we must fight back! 😉 We have a lot in common – good luck on your online business pursuits Ivy!
Tom says
Thanks for this post Gina. I’m just starting out (I’ve been starting out for over a year!) and was wondering if you had some sort of cash buffer when you started?
Having a safety net of a regular income from a job is a blessing and a curse as it’s nice and safe but finding time to start is also hard.
Good luck with the $250,000
Gina Horkey says
Thanks Tom!
I did kind of. I was able to sell my practice, which gave me a nest egg. In hindsight, it was mainly used to pay off our 2nd mortgage, but served as a safety blanket for most of last year.
Before I took the plunge to full-time though, I had built up my business almost to the point of replacing my salary – and that was while working FT. That’s what I’d recommend you try to do if possible. But don’t wait forever to take the plunge ;-).
Jacob says
I am so thrilled. I wish you earn more and above you 2016 set goals.
Gina Horkey says
Appreciate that Jacob – my hope is the same for you!
Bon Crowder @MathFour says
Thanks for sharing your battle scars. I’m still trying to make leaving work behind work. But I’ve learned so much from doing it a few times, now I’m all in.
You’re inspirational!
Gina Horkey says
Appreciate that Bon – those learnings will carry you far!
Sam says
Thanks Gina for your inspiration. I am almost out of campus and I have a personal commitment to never work to make someone else rich but me and freelancing is my ultimate focus in life because I love writing. I thank you very much for were it not for you, I would never have realised that I have an ” analysis paralysis “.
Gina Horkey says
Kudos to you Sam! While there’s nothing inherentlynwrong with being an employee, being self-employed is right for me!!
Brin says
Hi Gina, $10,000 sounds like quite a lot for a blogger… At $0.015/word (I’m entirely guessing) isn’t that about 3500 words a day (for a 20 day month)? Do you really work that much? Or do you do more than writing for clients (maybe you have a team of writers?), may I ask?
Gina Horkey says
Hey Brin – freelance writing is just one component of my business. I probably average 15-30% of my gross income from writing each month, because I don’t want to write all day, every day (although I do write a lot for my own site, which technically isn’t paid per word ;-).
Brin says
So then that begs the question: what do you do apart from writing? Care to share? 🙂
Brin says
Ooops, I meant to write $0.15/word (of course). Sorry.
Online term paper says
This is a wonderful post! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us! I hope to read more of your post which is very informative and useful to all the readers. I salute writers like you for doing a great job!
Mario Madrid says
I absolutely love this one:
2. Action and Perseverance are the Keys to Success
Sometimes it is difficult to finally get off our rear ends and do something. Once we get the juices flowing it seems to all fall into place.
Keep up the great articles!
~Mario
Tom Ewer says
Good insight, Mario, though I advocate getting cracking even when the juices aren’t flowing! Sometimes it can generate passion you didn’t existed. 🙂
Obodo Charles says
Hi Gina,
Your story is quite inspirational, it shows how far determination and perseverance can take you, I wish you success in your quest to gross $250,000 this year. Thanks sharing your experience.
Tom Ewer says
Thanks for your good thoughts 🙂
Chantal says
Congratulations on meeting your goal!! That’s amazing!
I’m looking into freelance writing myself for the same reasons you did: Family and the ability to work from anywhere.
Your post is a true inspiration. I wish you much success in your future endeavors. Please keep us posted on how your 250 000$ goal goes.