Long time no update. I wrote nothing last month. I just counted and somehow the blog has passed 100 posts — this is around number 108.
Last month was busy in all kinds of ways. Busy — and, in a good sense, a month of big changes inside me.
It's almost a year since I went independent.
The post from around when I went independent is this one.
As a sole proprietor, I've somehow managed to make it work. That's nothing but luck.
Lately existing projects have settled down and I've had free capacity, so I've been moving to expand the work I take on.
Right after going independent I got projects from people I knew, so I never really did full sales activity.
Once I started moving around, I met people I'd wanted to meet, had valuable conversations, and it was all fresh experience.
Still — things I'd been groping in the dark toward, bit by bit, so that someday I could go independent (and properly win projects) have started to bear fruit.
When capable people decide to commission me, of course I'm genuinely happy.
And as a sole proprietor taking on work so far, there have been a few points that aren't quite principles, but matter a lot.
This time, since someone reading this blog might have decided to go independent someday, I'll write a few cautions.
① Don't undervalue yourself too much
Both on rates and in the mental sense.
Winning work is definitely pleasant.
You feel recognized and want to accept immediately.
But if you shrug and take it on the spot, you often lose more later.
Calmly weigh risk and return, and prioritize protecting your own safety.
You come first. Don't get fooled by empty positioning talk.
Some people can blindly endure and keep going for now.
In some circles that's seen as noble, a trait of people who succeed — people who can grind for a few years without thinking.
My body isn't that strong, so I physically can't overdo it, and I try not to burn out.
Don't envy others — decide the way you think is right, and stick to it.
② Never take projects that feel off
Parts of the freelance scene are weird — there are quite a few people who seem to be playing a game of securing the cheapest, longest-working labor.
I despise that from the bottom of my heart, but there are plenty of them.
They can't communicate properly. Talk doesn't land. It doesn't help you grow technically, so there's no value.
Basically, from the stage of hearing project details, you start thinking "hmm."
That intuition is absolutely right.
Refuse firmly.
Surprisingly many people get pulled into projects like this, accept them, and burn out.
Flip it: not panicking is essential.
If you're putting out good output in your work, good opportunities will come.
③ Do what people don't want to do
After going independent, competing doesn't get you promoted.
Everyone wants fun, cool work.
For example, everyone wants to invent initiatives or do creative things.
Nobody wants dull work like building plain operations.
Because they don't want it, there's no one to commission.
I don't want it either, but sometimes I win projects because it's what I'm good at.
Saying so myself: in a narrow domain, there are things where probably nobody knows it better than I do.
Extremely boring — but there's zero competition, so it feels good.
Add: skill itself matters, but choosing the field or domain decides your advantage.
④ Associate with good people
In the end, with or without going independent, this might be the most important thing. Meaning: trust.
For example, it's insanely common that well-known, shiny people are dabbling in gray business.
Frankly, it's unhinged.
If you deliver results at work, good projects circulate in closed communities built on trust.
Don't wander into domains you don't understand.
————
Roughly that, I guess. I wrote it all high-handed, but embarrassingly I fail often too and improve day by day.
I've gotten burned many times and somehow gotten on track.
Plenty of times things don't work and I despair. Each time I consult good people around me, get advice, and get helped.
What I wrote here is only my sense of things. I'd be glad if it helps someone avoid the same failures.
At each moment, keep clarifying what you want and what state you want to be in — and keep making the best moves you can.
Lastly: the career series by nagabot, which I also introduce among my favorite blogs, has started up again recently.
As of 2022/07/05 it's updated every Sunday. I'd been waiting for this restart for a long time. I don't think I've ever waited for someone's diary like this in my life.
For people who are independent — especially sole proprietors — it's full of suggestive lines. You should read it repeatedly, including past posts. I basically treat it as a bible.
At the start of nagabot's independence and now I'm the same age, but he's incomparably more capable, so it's presumptuous — still, it's been a huge help.
You should all read it too. That's all for today.
© 2022 ZUUHE