I Left Freelancing to be Lijit

Friday, November 13th, 2009

It’s been nearly a year and a half since I left IBM to take the Freelance plunge back on June 19th, 2008.  Since then I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really great people, complete my BA in Web Design and do some really fun projects.  A special thanks goes out to Todd at Design Divine & the team at TriCalyx for providing that launching pad for me freelancing career.

I’ve also had a chance to work more with my father at Another Color by improving our business and providing more web services to our current clients (stay tuned for a relaunch of our company site).

So why should I leave freelancing?

Since graduating I was looking for a new way to challenge myself creatively and was looking for new opportunities.  I saw a job listing for web designer/developer at Lijit, so I sent over my resumé & portfolio.  Since that point I went through several interviews and did some contract work until they could assess if I was right for them.  Luckily they choose to bring me on & give me the chance to really improve and enhance their brand and tools.

So what will change?

Well not a whole lot, I’ll just be working full-time at Lijit to help design the future of social search.  The main thing is I will no longer be taking on much freelance work.  It’s a happy day for me today, marking November 13th 2010 the end of a major freelancing endeavor (for now).  If you are looking for a WordPress expert I recommend you check out WP Co-OP.

What have I learned?

Plan, Plan, Plan & then follow through.  The best thing I’ve learned though freelancing is learning to manage myself and the people I choose to work with.  Planing ahead and managing spending and relationships is probably the hardest thing for most of us to learn.  Also plan for Christmas, it tends to take a big bite out of your wallet and fewer people need freelance work around the holiday, so save that money.

Diversify your creativity & clients.  Life is too important to do boring work.  If you have the opportunity, choose the clients and people you want to work with.  Most freelancers I’ve talked to have complained about the clients they’ve worked with in some way.  I can honestly say I’ve been lucky to choose the people I’ve worked with and have no client horror stories to share at the camp fire.  You will also gain a better understanding of different markets, which makes you a more valuable employee.

TRY Separate work & personal life.  Really its hard to accomplish this and was probably my biggest pitfall.  I tend to be a workaholic and that can lead to working all day & night.  I’ve learned in order to have a healthy freelance lifestyle there must be a distinct work-time and play-time.  Some people may be able to get away without doing this, but they are just gifted.

What’s Next?

I’m looking to start another blog soon called “I Speak Robot”, where I’ll be speaking more about design, computers and robots.  This site will continue to be a place to see my personal work and any personal news on me.  I’m also looking forward to spending more time with my girlfriend, getting out more to snowboard and bike, and get back to learning Portuguese.

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