It was August 1999 when I bolted my corporate job and launched Boomvang Creative Group as a full-time freelance writer and editor. If I could step back to day 1 of 19 years of self-employment, here are some notes I would have provided to my future freelance self: [Read more…]
18 years of freelancing, 18 business lessons
I used to know the exact date I walked out of the corporate world with The Box and started my freelance business. Today, I only remember that it was in August 1999. Yep, as of this birthday my business is old enough to vote, buy a lottery ticket, join the army, or drink in Canada and much of Europe. Here, in no particular order, are 18 business lessons from 18 years in business: [Read more…]
Friday freelance link roundup
Deadlines and a pile of long-term projects absorbed my energies this week, but there’s always time for a Friday freelance link roundup, eh? Truth be told, not all of these are about freelancing directly—as I always recommend, you should have an eye out for related concepts that can be applied to your business. If you’re a freelance writer and only read freelance writing blogs, or a freelance graphic designer who only reads (you know where I’m going here) blogs about design, you’re missing out! [Read more…]
14 years of freelancing
In August 1999, I walked in the front door of my house with The Box: all of my personal belongings from the last corporate job I ever plan to hold. Looking back on 14 years of freelancing, I can only marvel at how quickly it’s gone—particularly compared with the preceding two-year stints in various magazine, marketing and public relations staff positions that seemed much longer than the time elapsed on a clock.
I didn’t make the decision lightly or capriciously, and I made sure not to make what my dad used to call an acrimonious departure. (I won’t get into the details here, but let’s just describe the bridge as smoldering rather than burning; a few years later, I counted my former employer as one of my best freelance clients.) [Read more…]