Survived a year of self-employment
A little more than a year ago, I quit my job and decided to go self-employment path. It was a combination of circumstances, difficult situations, a series of events, and years of reflection that prompted me to take what some might see as an extreme decision.
It was 20-30 minutes commuting in the morning, then another (usually longer) one at the end of the day. It was paying a fortune for the cost of commuting (petrol, parking, bus, etc). It was being away from my (pregnant) wife 8-10 hours a day, 5 days a week. It was the frustration of not being in control of my own time (and future). Those, many more, and perhaps momentary inflated self-confident? Who knows?
So, after many considerations, a lot of thinking, and careful calculation … I decided to take the plunge!
It has not been easy to say the least. Going from very decent fortnightly paycheck as senior developer to being on my own with no one to give me those paycheck was not easy. Seeing my saving shrinking was not easy. But I have thought of it and I knew that if this was going to work, I will have to downsize my lifestyle. So, no more buying new gadget, no more eating out, eat at home as much as possible, drinking instant coffee, shop for bargain, and so on.
Those cut backs made huge difference! And I no longer spending money on commuting, which was few hundreds bucks a month.
Plus, I’m so lucky to have more than few valuable contacts (many from years ago). I shelled out some money for petrol and accommodation to visit each and everyone of them. I told them that I quit my job and now available as self-employed freelancer. To my surprise, half of them ended up giving me work! The other half was supportive of my decision and assured me they would contact me should any work becomes available.
Still, even after that successful visit, this road of self-employment hasn’t been that easy. But I now have more confident that this is going to work, and am more certain that this is what I want to be doing.
These days I work fully from home. I setup a work space (home office). I communicate with my clients via phone and Internet and only meeting them occasionally. I’m spending a lot of time together with my wife and 9 months old son. I look forward to new challenges and new opportunities in this second year of being self-employed.
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Good to know more about you Sid, and good to hear that things are beginning to “work into place!”
“Ba-Doom-Ching”
Hi Jonny,
I’m honored to have the King of Jonny visit my humble website
Things are looking good at the moment, but I need to keep the momentum going and keep improving things and finding opportunity to grow. At the same time trying to maintain balance in my life.