When I first began my freelance career, in the spring of 2016, my goal was to get enough clients and bring in enough income to break even and pay my bills. It seemed a reasonable goal for someone starting out and building a client base from scratch, and by meeting it, I gave myself the permission to continue on this career track.
But for 2017, which was my first full year of working for myself, I wanted to do better – breaking even might have been a success story initially, but it wouldn’t be moving forward. I wanted to have a realistic goal to work toward and I wasn’t entirely sure how to gauge that – so I went generic with ‘I will obtain new clients and bring in more money than I did in 2016.’
I’m proud to say that I also reached that goal. I brought in three new clients this year, as well as continuing to provide services for and serve as a resource for several of my previous clients. My 2017 billings increased by approximately 75% when compared to 2016.
Granted, it’s not an equal comparison since 2016 was a partial year but I’m satisfied with the growth trajectory. I’m not yet matching the income I was bringing in when I was receiving a full-time salary, but there are clear non-financial benefits that being self-employed has brought to my life. With the income growth I achieved in 2017, I’ve again given myself permission to keep moving forward.
I officially incorporated in late 2017. One of my clients requested it, as it allowed them to more easily meet IRS requirements and in turn offer me a longer contract, but it also made sense for me in other ways. It allows me to more clearly separate my business income and expenses, provides me with liability protection, and adds an additional veneer of professionalism when I’m reaching out to potential clients.
It’s the next step toward my 2018 goals, which are more specific – bring in at least 2 new clients and increase billing by 20%. Why these numbers? I want something obtainable and sustainable that I can build on over time while still providing the quality communication services that my clients have come to expect. And when (not if – positive thinking matters!) I reach these goals, there’s always the stretch goal hovering on the horizon. I’m looking forward to seeing where 2018 will take me and what I can accomplish this year.
Below are a few quick snapshots of 2017:
New Clients:
CPWR: The Center for Construction Research and Training
MAXIMUS
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
Countries Visited:
Guatemala
Japan
United Kingdom
Ireland
Snapshot of Communication Activities:
Blog posts
Case studies
Communication assistance during transition periods
Event promotion
Newsletters & mass emails
Press releases
Proofreading/copyediting
Social media management