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February 1st, 2009, was a very memorable day for me. It was the day I arrived back at my family home in Newcastle, England, to start working for myself full-time. I had just left a job which for the previous two years saw me working with companies like Nissan, Hewlett Packard and Land Rover as their social media manager. My position in the rat race was actually an awesome one, but it was nothing compared to being my own boss.
As some people here don’t care about making their living from the internet, I understand that this post will not be for everybody. However, if you’ve just made the leap to working for yourself, currently run your own business, or you’re looking to make your money online in the future, this article may be just what you need.
13 Lessons from 18 Months of Self-Employment
Over the last 18 months of working for myself, I’ve learned a ton of things on my journey. Not every piece of advice I took on board has helped, with many ideas quickly being discarded. From reading dozens of books, speaking with hundreds of entrepreneurs, and living this life myself for a year and a half, there are a few lessons I would like to share.
Write a Mission Statement (But Keep It Private)
If you go to the website of any large company, you’ll usually find a detailed mission statement which cites the main aim of their business operations. They’re usually long, boring, and ignored. THe type of mission statement I’m talking about here is more of an elevator pitch: A sentence or two about why you’re doing what you’re doing, and what you hope to achieve.
This isn’t an elevator pitch you need to tell anyone, or a mission statement you need to share. Instead, the aim of these sentences is to help you stay on track. If someone offers you a partnership in a large project, you simply have to look towards your mission statement to decide whether it’s a good use of your time. If you’ve heard about a new way of doing things, you simply have to look at your mission statement to see if it might be right for you.
“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there” – Lewis Carroll
Decide what you want your core focus to be, and write it down somewhere. Internalise it. Anytime a situation arises where you’re not sure what to do, look to your statement to help you with the answer.
Focus On Your Glow
Jerry Sternin, who worked for Save the Children, was sent to Vietnam and asked to “make a difference” with the malnutrition issues the country faced. He was just given just six months to fulfil his task. With problems in the water supply, ignorance towards nutrition, and a countrywide dilemma, he had a big job ahead of him.
Instead of looking to fix one thing, like providing clean water to the country – something he didn’t have the time nor resources to do – he decided instead to look at what was working. Why are there healthy children in areas that are full of children who are starving, who have the same finances and living conditions available to them, and what are they doing differently?
Sternin found some common factors between the healthy children in these rural villages, one being that they spread their food intake throughout the day, rather than just having two large meals like the children who were struggling with health issues. Their bodies couldn’t absorb the nutrients from such a lot of food each meal.
The advice Sternin gave to struggling families from his findings was simple, but he certainly made a big difference.
Instead of just looking to your mistakes and hoping to learn from them or tackling a huge project you want to overcome. Why not look at what is working for you in other areas of life or on other projects, and see how you can apply those factors to other endeavours?
You’re far more likely to have great results.
Identify the Most Important Tasks That Will Grow Your Business
When you have all day to work on whatever you want, it’s very easy to get caught up in things which a) aren’t helping you grow and b) not as effective as other tasks. As early in your own business life as possible, define the most important things you can accomplish each day and give them utmost priority.
For me, my most important tasks vary, but generally include things like:
- Writing a blog post
- Researching niches
- Building out current websites
- Marketing current websites
If I spend most of my day doing something other than these things, then I’m not being as effective as I could be with my time. It will be hard to stick to this rigid schedule at first, but the more you put yourself back on track, the more natural it will become to work on the things which help your business the most.
Just Get Started
I was really not in the mood to write this article today, but I knew that I had to get what I want to say out to the world. I had the idea for the post in mind, and I was excited to see the feedback it was going to bring, but I couldn’t bring myself to put my hands to the keyboard. As I usually do when I’m in this situation, I tell myself I’ll just write around 300 words, and then do the rest another day.
What almost always happens is that I’ll get so into the flow of writing after those 300 words, that I keep going until I’ve written thousands. In fact, I’ve just passed the 2,000 word mark in this article (I have shuffled the order of the points, since writing this) on the same day I wasn’t in the mood to get going.
Whenever you have a big task ahead, just tell yourself that you’ll do a little bit and stop. There’s a good chance that the little bit of effort you exerted to get started, will turn into a strong push of energy which helps you get things done. Even if it doesn’t, at least you did something.
Give Yourself Office Hours
It may seem crazy that I’m suggesting you give yourself office working hours after finally being able to work whenever you want. After all, one of the main benefits of this lifestyle is to get to set your own hours. To take the edge of this idea, I’m not suggesting that you have to pick a 9-5 schedule, but you should pick something.
The reason I say this is simply because when you work from home, there is nothing harder than shutting off. While you’re eating, you may just want to check your email quickly. While you’re in the shower, you may have the idea for a blog post and quickly run to your computer to write it down. The times you start neglecting your normal life for your business surprisingly, yet quickly, add up.
If your aim is to just work for a few hours per day, whenever you want, then you can ignore this. If you find yourself working more than a few hours, or even a lot more than a few hours, then restrict the times you allow yourself to work. The time you allocate to a task is usually how long it takes, so working all day won’t necessarily help you get more done.
Only Spend Money on Essential Items
For all of the people who have no problems making money, many of them have problems keeping it. When you start working for yourself, it’s very easy to start thinking you need this and that, in order to really get going. The reality is that you rarely need as much money or material items as you think you do.
When I built PluginID, my blog which I later sold for a five-figure fee, I did so on a laptop that was five years old and had no hard drive. Every single time I booted it up, I would be presented with a completely fresh operating system. That meant I couldn’t install software or save any files. I saved myself $1,500 by finding workarounds for my problems, rather than just purchasing a new laptop straight away.
Before you go buying every item, eBook or software package you think you need, ask yourself whether you can work without them. The money you save early on helps you to grow bigger, and enables you to adopt an ideal mindset which will be invaluable later on in your business life.
Let Others Down, Before Yourself
One thing I love about being my own boss is that I can spend as much time with my friends and family as I wont (provided that they aren’t at work). If someone plans a long-weekend away or wants me to help them out with something during the day, I don’t have to ask anyone for time off to be able to do that.
Something your friends and family might quickly forget though is that you actually have work to do. Just because you work for yourself (or from home), it doesn’t mean that you can neglect the things you’re working on to spend time with people. Sometimes your business must be your priority.
I found it hard to get this point across to people but it’s important that you do. I quickly had to put an end to people arriving at my house just to chill out or expecting me to be able to make any event just because I set my own hours. Be social, but be serious about your aims as well.
Be Open About Your Position
Depending on how you market yourself and make money, this will apply to people in different ways. When I started freelancing at 17, I had a company website and would constantly refer to my “team” and our “enterprise” when I was just a one-man operation. This angle also entered my communications with potential clients, when I would try to write in a professional manner and be as “business like” as possible.
You don’t have to put up a front. You don’t have to pretend you’re behind a huge company. People do business with people. The sooner you realise that, and put yourself into both your work and engagement with customers or clients, the better.
View Anything Public, as Marketing
It used to be that the designers would come up with an idea, the engineers would turn that idea into something physical, and then marketers were set with the task of selling that item. This strategy simply doesn’t work anymore. In the age of not only information overload, but product overload, you need to see that everything you do, in one way or another, is marketing.
When I leave comments on other blogs, that’s marketing. When I write a blog post, I’m marketing. How I respond to emails, is marketing. When I buy ads on other websites and pay for product reviews, that’s also marketing, of course.
Old marketing is still marketing, but now you have to realise that everything else is too. If you don’t recognise this you may be left with a great product that nobody wants, or something that people want, that doesn’t function as it should.
Recognise Your Own Problems
One of the easiest ways to make money is to solve people’s problems. You can see this online in popular products that teaching people how to get rid of anxiety, make money, or even just jump higher so they can slam-dunk. Problems aren’t just a great area to find a market, but they also help you create one.
A software product I’m hoping to launch in the next few weeks, came about by deciding to solve a problem I’ve had for a few years. It has to do with internet marketing, of which there are millions of other people in this space, so I’m sure it’s a problem a lot of other people have as well. Or, simply a better solution to help them do what they’re already doing.
While you’re on your focused path, don’t forget to see if there are hurdles you faced where there wasn’t an ideal way to get over them. You may have just stumbled upon your next big project.
Become a Member of Your Own Market
The best way to learn what people want is to become a member of the market that is likely to want whatever you have to offer. Right now I’m working on software products for internet marketers, because after thousands of interactions and years in the business, these are the people that I understand the most.
Through your involvement in the market where you want to launch something, you’ll learn a lot from your audience. Things like:
- What things they would like in a product
- What they don’t like about other systems / solutions
- How they expect to be treated as a customer
- What makes them buy something
Of course, sometimes you just have to get something out there (ship) and learn these things as you go along. You’ll save yourself a lot of guesswork and marketing strategy alterations though if you get involved in your market, wherever they may be, and find out what makes them tick.
Ship Your Projects
When I worked on Cloud Living, I literally spent two months on the guide in order to get it how I wanted, and out there. With about three weeks worth of work left, I set a launch date for myself, a Monday, which I made sure I would stick to. The guide was finished on Sunday, the day before, after a frantic weekend.
There was one mistake in the guide, which I later fixed, but everything else was perfect. If I had spent a few more days on the eBook, I’m sure I would have spotted the small issue and had everything in order before getting the guide out there, but I was determined to stick to my launch date.
Cloud Living was actually created in response to the hundreds of questions I had received after releasing a 30-page eBook on the same topic, yet with much less detail. I used reader feedback to turn an average product into something I was proud of. If I had never put the freebie out there, even though it wasn’t a “Wow!” product, I would never have completed Cloud Living.
Making sure you ship your projects (just get them out there!) is not about putting in half the effort and releasing something you’re not happy with. It’s getting something to a stage where it’s great, and letting questions and feedback shape the product so it’s both perfect in your eyes, and in those of the end user. Getting a product that is 90% finished out there is better than never producing something with no flaws.
Do Whatever the Hell You Want
This post was with the aim of offering a guideline, rather than something you should follow word for word. The whole point of being your own boss is that you’re in control of how you spend your time, and what you wish to do with it. If you want to try things differently or completely ignore some things I’ve mentioned here, feel free.
Something I noticed recently is that the fun and passion we put into a task can quickly deplete when someone else tells us to do it. Even if we were going to do it anyway, just having someone say “do this” or “have it done by X date” takes away your drive to get things finished.
If you direct your own life, you’ll have a lot more fun on the way, and you’re far more likely to get things done. So, instead of taking this post as rules you must follow, view them as steps you can choose to follow or choose to ignore.
It’s the only way they’ll have any impact on you.
RSS Subscribers: 
sofa
I can’t tell if this is spam.
we call it a couch, but that is correct. glen sofa. chi bed. jojo is neutral territory.
Sofa king great?
Hah. You guys are confusing me
Sofa king awesome.
Sofa king – amazing sale on now! For just 3 easy payments of $97 I can send you something sofa king amazing you will send me a 4th payment!
Sofa-King sofa’s and stuff….
(yes, i have a newsletter.)
HAHA Dan! I wish there was a like button for blog comments. “Sofa king awesome.”
Hilarious!!!!
Haha, Glen, read between the lines… So f**king great 😉
I feel stoopid,
Thanks Jacob! 😉
Hey Glen, some really nice points here and actually quite inspiring to read. I thought about it for 3 years before making the jump to self employment. Looking back at it, I view that as 3 years wasted.
I think the most difficult thing for most people is just getting started…I know it was for me. Once you get over that initial hump and build some momentum, anything is achievable.
Hey Duane,
Great to know you’re living this kind of life. Congrats on taking the leap
Hmm… considering writing that personal mission statement, novel idea. You actually struck some fear into me that I my path might be wack…now thats some good marketing!
Hi Dan,
I didn’t expect that kind of reaction, but thanks for the comment. I’m curious to know what actually made you fearful?
Fear might be an overstatement. entrepreneurial neurosis might work better.
GLEN: “If you don’t know where you’re going, then any path will take you there”
DAN(Internal): “Oh crap, do I know where I’m going? I don’t have a mission statement! I think I know what I’m doing but I better write one just in case.”
Ah, now I get it.
I had forgot to give attribution for that quote, thanks for reminding me!
Hi Glen,
i have been thinking to quit my day job since last 2 years, but never had courage to do so..
The thoughts that haunt me are Will i get steady income ? Will i be able to pay my bills ? Will i get projects? Is it safe to quit day job which gives me steady decent income.
But, its better later than never..after reading the 13 lessons you published i some how feel i should give it a try atleast now.
Thanks
Rama
Hey Rama,
Those thoughts are common among people who want to take this route. Trust me. Always have a backup plan before you take the leap, just in case. I was earning a few thousand dollars per month online before I quit my job.
Thanks for the comment
Some good points – having worked for myself as a web developer for the past 6+ years there’s a lot here that is spot on – some points I might not agree with, but I really believe that this is the whole reason why we choose to work for ourselves. I choose not to have set hours to work, because that doesn’t suit my creative flow, but it took me a long time to realise that this was just how I work. I tried setting hours, I even tried having whole weekends off (!!) But it just doesn’t suit me and how I work. Most of the other stuff I totally agree with though.
Hey Mandi,
I’m glad you took my advice from the end of the post. To be honest I don’t work specifically between set hours, but I do tend to stop working after say 4pm, most days. I won’t let myself go all day on a project and neglect other aspects of life.
Some true magic to be found here, essential stuff. Especially your tips on scheduling/productivity really inspire me to better.
I have a devastating time management problem, and I often end up doing things that are not important. Shit !
Do you use some kind of productivity/time software/program ?
I would recommend GTD; I am using a cool application: ThinkingRock. But the method is useful in itself, you don’t even need any software to put it into practice.
I’d like to recommend two books, somewhat overlapping, but very useful, either for self-employment or traditional jobs, and for life in general:
* Getting things done, David Allen
* The now habit, Neil Fiore
Lots of stuff you probably already know, but set up as whole methods.
I’ve been going through my feed reader this week and getting rid of all the junk. I had been umming and arring over this blog and asking myself if the content was valuable to me…
This article was. Using strengths from other areas of my life is definitely something I can do to improve my business and the personal mission statement and let others down before your self are both things I knew I should be doing but for whatever reason, I haven’t been.
Best article you’ve written for a good while, Glen.
Hey Glen,
Really awe inspiring article as usual. I’m always looking forward for your happiness and success. And yes, dont forget your readers like us and keep on writing awesome content.
Yours,
Paras
P.S. I am really sad to get known that you’ve blocked me from viperchill page in facebook.
Hi Paras,
Glad you liked the post. You kept spamming the wall with links to other sites, which is why I had to block you.
Hi Glen,
I had my facebook account hack lately, but it has been recovered now which had spammed Viperchill’s Wall.
However, Cheers for your Success
I’m glad to hear that you are successfully working for yourself. I would definitely like to be able to do that at some point, but want to make sure I’m generating enough income from that to sustain myself before switching to it fully.
You have mentioned a lot of useful advice in this article. I like the idea of getting your product out there even if it is a little rough and sticking to your release date. It is better than not ever finishing it at all.
I’ve been running a video game website for about 10 years now and feel that you have to find your passion and go with that to be successful. There are a lot of people making sites that they have no interest in just because they think it will make money. This makes it much easier to burn out and not be happy with the work that you are doing.
Keep up the good work, Glen!
P.S. Congrats for being #1 on Retire @ 21’s to 30 Young Bloggers!
I´m new here. It´s all about organization, planning and execution, isn´t it? Simple and yet so good to be reminded of this survival rules.
Hey Glen,
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
I am learning a lot from your blog posts… I hope I am going to become successful as you 😉
Keep the great job up,
Fede
“Something I noticed recently is that the fun and passion we put into a task can quickly deplete when someone else tells us to do it. Even if we were going to do it anyway, just having someone say “do this” or “have it done by X date” takes away your drive to get things finished.”
This is very real, I’m living it at the moment
Hey Glen, I think you are one of the happiest guys in the world!
My dream is to become self-employed in my own project and where I like!
I have to discipline it, and I’m putting my plans into practice.
I’m just waiting for them to do the same amount of money I make with a fixed job. This should not take more than 2 or 3 months. There’ll be a really happy guy! =D
Hey Caion,
Hah, my girlfriend would semi-agree with that.
Don’t look to achievements to make you happy though. You can find happiness right now
This is the manual that everyone should read now that you’ve written it! Being real – shipping products – and following your passion are all essentials. Personally, I need to buckle down in terms of product shipping!
Hey Jean,
Good that you recognise your own “flaws”. Thanks for the comment
Good post Glen. I like the tips on getting started, personally what i do and what works like a charm is work for 60 seconds as hard as i can and be as productive as possible then set my timer for 1 hour. I always usually end up doing the full hour, the initial push and energy seems to be the hardest part but not when you have the right strategies 😉
What a great post, thanks for sharing it, definitely needed to read a refreshment like this.
I feel like I’ve just read something that I could have almost written myself…. I’ve been self employed since I was 16. I employ 12 or so staff and own several very successful businesses…
I should probably take a page out of your book and share the knowledge.
But in all honesty, if people don’t understand that all it takes to be a success is, hard work, smart work, passion, focus, humility, niches and a little bit of luck, then I’d be wasting my time anyway.
– Paul
Wow Glen, this has to be your best post, and dare I say it one of the best post I have ever read anywhere!!! Thanks for the inspiration, now I have to get to work!!!!
Mark
Hey Mark,
Wow! Thanks a lot
It’s actually one of the most visited ever on the site as well.
Paul, it really wouldn’t be a waste of time. Finding authentic advice these days is like striking oil.
Good point.
I’m fairly disjointed these days with the majority of the knowledge being shared on the internet.
More often or not it’s written by guys who have failed at business and have ventured into blogging, and some where along the lines they become ‘experts’.
If anyone I get another interest in my post here, I’ll give it a crack.
Hey Glen – all very, very valuable points. I especially think that setting office hours is HUGELY important, and something many people fail to do. We all talk about escaping the “9 to 5”, only to find out when we do work that we really need a set time frame to get stuff done or else 1) stuff will never get done, or 2) you will never stop working.
Good stuff dude. Thanks again!
Hey Pat,
Good to have you here!
I know you understand this life more than most so it’s good to see you agree with the points.
Keep well.
One of the best posts I have seen anywhere in a long time! Yours are always up there but I absolutely love this one. Definitely some great lessons for the self-employed. I particularly struggle with “let others down, before yourself” because I am always being asked to do this or that when I really should be working. I’m getting better about saying no but I still give in more often than not.
Thank you Trent,
Much appreciated. I can totally relate to you on that one, it’s probably the hardest point for me to stick to as well.
Hi Glen, Thanks for a great post. Your points really gave me a lot to think about. I’m especially impressed that you didn’t buy yourself a new laptop. Being your own boss sounds fantastic, and is definitely a goal I’m working toward, but I agree with your view that if and when I make the jump, it will be impossible to stop working. Thanks for the encouragement.
Hey Rebecca,
When I left the UK I finally picked up Macbook Pro which I’ve had for a year now and love
You’re welcome!
I like what you were saying about office hours. That has worked great for me. I work the same hours I did when I was at a professional SEO company, except now I’m at home.
Haha.
Good stuff
Awesome post Glen!
You rock!
I resonate with your first point the most! It is always important to have a mission statement, a list of things you want to achieve in a period of time because this will also serve as motivation or a driving force to you getting things done faster.
You are absolutely right when you say get started, many people are full of many great ideas but they never seem o get started, i do try my best to postpone any hot ideas in me and wiat till the next day so that I can implement it – getting started is very crucial, it is the key!
Thanks Oni!
Always appreciate your positive feedback. I hope all is well with you.
Hi Glen,
I’m a new follower, and I want to thank you for this post. I definitely relate to something you said in your lead-in paragraph:
“My position in the rat race was actually an awesome one, but it was nothing compared to being my own boss.”
I really enjoy my job, but certainly want the freedom that comes with self-employment, especially in internet business. It’s really hard to leave something you enjoy and are good at for uncertainty.
Please keep up the inspiring work.
-Matt
Hey Matt,
That’s a good point. As I said in a comment further up, I did work to get myself in a good position with the money I was making online before taking the leap. That being said, there is never really a perfect time, and sometimes you just have to do it.
I’ll try my best
Thanks for the comment.
Glen, what a timely post! I’m struggling with some of the things mentioned here, mainly not having official working hours, which means I’m not getting anything done.
In the process of changing all that… thanks for all the pointers in here.
Full of win, sir. Kudos. There’s far too much value in the post above for me to comment on all the items which spoke to me, individually, but I’ll throw a couple thoughts out there.
Any road will do when you don’t know where you’re going? Absolutely. I actually just posted on my personal site yesterday about how road maps only lead to those places already discovered. Having a vision (mission statement) is akin to discarding the map in favor of using a compass to ensure you’re always headed in the right direction.
This post is also very timely, as not two hours ago, I broke out my notebook to jot down some ideas for a product I might be able to offer the community (a community in which I’ve spent the last decade). Still very much in the ether, this post has helped me to further flesh it out for shipment.
Thank you.
Hey Brian,
Thanks a lot.
Hah, nice coincidence. You’re very welcome, good to see you here as usual.
it’s so great to read every of your post because I really love your writing style, fun and inspiring. The difference that I see in you compared with other bloggers that I know is you don’t hesitate to disclose every bit of system, your work to readers and I feel you’re great. I also want to follow your path. I want to tell readers exactly what’s going on out there, in the internet marketing niche so that they can ignore all of the hype and lies about internet marketing and making money online and just focus on some definitive guides about the process. My blog is http://eblogcamp.com and I intend to make full of straight forward resources to blogging and internet marketing. I hope to connect with you in the future, talk to you more about my projects as well as your project and making friend with each other. I am looking forward for your replies soon. Thank you very much, Glen!
Thanks Mike!
I’m glad you see something in my process that you would like to share with your readers as well.
Best of luck with the site.
Glen – This is a great post. The office hours part is really important. I worked from home for a couple years, and even with my kids I had to teach them that just because Daddy is home and in the other room, Dad is really at work and will be home (come out of my office) at 5pm. It did not take long and worked great. A lot of people have a very hard time with this.
Thanks for some great reminders. Now time to get working on some of these new projects.
Awesome, Tommy.
I’m glad to see you had some success with it – and more importantly that you can relate to it (it wasn’t just me! 😉 )
Good luck
Some excellent points in there. Another enjoyable read, particluarly the part about motivation. As much as I enjoy and really want to get on with my passive income/MMO pursuit there are times when I just can’t face another day of ploughing away at my laptop, especially if results have been somewhat uninspiring of late. I always tell myself to just make a start and then hopefully get stuck in!
Hey Jim,
Thanks for the kind words. I failed for about two years before things really started taking off for me. Remember that through all this waiting and “failure”, you’re learning a lot in the process – whether you feel it now or not.
Another great article. Can’t stress enough the need for structure when you work for yourself, it is usually the killer that ends most people.
I too like to try and keep a 9-6 day which is usually a real struggle for me to stop at 6, put the computer away and go have a social life, there are always too many projects to be working on. It is, however, essential to surviving without burning out and becoming a loner – both of which I have been guilty of doing in the past.
Haha,
Good to see you find this habit effective as well. It’s tough, but it needs to be done
I think the three biggest things to take away from all this are:
Frugality
Doing what you’re great at
Finding ways to always improve it
Frugality is vitally important because you no longer have the support net of a full-time job – your entire income is dependent on you.
Finding what you’re great at will help you avoid getting wrapped up in the technobabble and information overload from the net and everywhere else around you – it lets you focus in on what’s going to (lame term ahead) bring home the bacon.
Finally, you have to think like a hacker. Always find a better way to make your work more proficient so that it works for you and doesn’t just become another job.
That’s my 2 cents at least 😛
Hey Murlu,
Thanks for listing your main takeaways. It’s always good to see what people get out of a post.
Nice tip, thanks for sharing!
Hey Glenn-
Fantastic article man. I quit my job back in June to devote myself full-time to my website, and I’m really struggling with the “set office hours” thing. With no office to go to or leave from, I find myself working all day and all night, almost every day. Fortunately, I’m doing work that I love so it hasn’t started to wear on me yet, but I can see myself certainly getting burned out down the road if I don’t make some fundamental changes.
Lots of great advice in here; thanks for continuing to product quality content.
-Steve
Hey Steve,
I think you hit on an important point – you can get through the long hours when you’re doing what you love. Like you say though, just be careful that you know there is a cut-off point and you don’t neglect other areas of your life.
Thanks!
Really, really good article, Glen, I loved it. I agree with the “ship your products” part, it relates to the “just do it” thing; it’s always better than doing nothing because you want it to be just perfect (I struggle with this a lot).
As I was reading I was thinking about how even though this is great advice, everyone has to find their own way to do stuff and then you mentioned it in the end; “do whatever the hell you want”, you’re right, when someone tells you to do something, even if you WERE going to do it anyway, it takes away some excitement. But your article doesn’t feel like rules to follow word for word because you relate everything to a story about you and how it worked for your particular situation, and that works as good inspiration.
Hey Rosie,
It has been sooo long since you were over here. Glad you liked the ending
Thanks for the comment!
You got so much great info here all in one post. Thanks for that and for also stressing we need to keep the joy in the process too.
You’re welcome!
Thanks a lot for the comment.
Just get on and do it. Do something, anything and once you’ve built up some momentum to see what is and isn’t working then you can adjust. For too long I sat around wondering what direction I should move in and of course moved nowhere until I focussed less on the direction and more on the movement.
Great post!
Good tips Jon,
Thanks!
Recognize
Great article. I really couldn’t agree with you more on most of the topics, especially the point about getting across to family and friends that when you are at home during the day you are actually working. It took a while for everyone to grasp that.
I have tried to give myself scheduled hours but that just doesn’t work for me. As I write this it’s 3.40am and I have been up for 30 minutes; after warming some milk for the baby it’s time to do some work. These next few hours will be very quiet so I can get a lot done.
Better this than dealing with a commute or working for someone else.
Hey Glen,
Thanks for writing this article. I definitely agree with most of what you’ve written here, especially the idea of writing out a mission statement that you use for just yourself.
I’ve been independent since 2006, and reading your article was a great inspiration for re-examining areas that can use improvement–especially keeping regular office hours. Like you say, it’s way too easy to just go back to your desk ‘after hours’ to check e-mail or work on a new idea and let the work take over the whole day.
Will look out for more stuff from your blog, and thanks again for sharing this with us.
Tommy
Hey Tommy,
You’re very welcome; I’m glad you could relate to that point.
keep well.
Thanks for the great tips, Glen! I’ve been attempting to realize success with my own business and this really helped me.
Awesome,
Good to hear!
A superb post and inspiring to hear it from you. Reading posts like these really help me to reflect on my most important goals such as having a simple two sentence mission statement. Making a plan and following up on it with commitment and dedication. Setting a proper time schedule is very important as a sense of overwhelm can cause my energy and enthusiasm dissipate.
Nice one!
Hey Youpele,
Thanks for the kind feedback
Glenn
Setting hours is what so many of us have a problem with. The office is always there and it is so easy to just check that email, respond to that comment, send that tweet, fix this, check on the client’s that. While at the same time, people do expect that you will always be around to chill with when really you are working. There has been a bit of mindset shift for those that do work at home that it is a real job and not a joke.
Thank you for sharing your experience over the last 18 months. It is always refreshing and encouraging to hear that we are not alone on this journey and it is not just my friends who thought me being home as par-tay hang out time.
@SuzanneVara
You’re welcome Suzanne,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Haha, I wasn’t sure if it was just my friends either 😉
Thanks for sharing this post Glen. I enjoyed reading it. I hope that someday my blog would become as popular as yours. I just read about your site on retireat21
I don’t see why it can’t be Eddie
Awesome, thanks for letting me know!
Great post as usual. I had printed this one and will reread.
Thanks!
Awesome Azad!
My mission has changed slowly over the last few years of working online (I have been self employed much longer) but the end goal is always needed.
As always this is an excellent post…. I feel your pain on people not understanding that we need to actually do some work!!
I’m a silent follower of this blog for a long time but because of this excellent post, I decided to comment. I am also self-employed, and I really value the things that you said here. I totally agree with giving yourself office hours. I’m trying to do that now. When I first started, I thought that being self-employed meant I’d have more freedom to do anything I want. But then, I realized the real perk is not freedom, but flexibility. Telling yourself that you have more free time now because you’re your own boss could be dangerous. At least, it was for me because I used to think that I can always postpone my work for another day because I have no boss to answer to. Of course, my productivity suffered big time as a result. So now, I’m trying my best to keep to my ‘office hours’.
Thanks for this very inspiring post, Glen
Was led here by Hacker News. I have never read anyone tackle this blog-topic so well. Inspirational, grown-up, caring advice. Thank you.
Hey Glen,
Awesome long depth post as always. I think the most important thing is identifying most important task. Thanks for the awesome tips dude.
And Congrats on getting featured on Retierat21.com. You’re really doing kick-ass work.
Thanks for the providing the awesome value dude.
Your cool dude.
It’s my first time here and i can’t blame retireat21.com why they feature you there.
Your articles are indeed useful and way more for a teenager :p
I hate to admit it but your damn hot coz your bold in constructing an awesome piece.
“Whenever you have a big task ahead, just tell yourself that you’ll do a little bit and stop”
– really like this. ever since you mentioned the 300 words thing been applying it to stuff i’ve gotta study. one of my biggest procrastination blehs is “i’m not in the mood” but obv if you’re on the couch or woke up at 11 and don’t have any momentum then you’re not in the mood. get into the mood and you’ll be in the mood. sounds hurr durr but it’s kinda like skipping foreplay
“While you’re in the shower, you may have the idea for a blog post and quickly run to your computer to write it down.”
– like mid shower writing in your towell with soap on your face?! interesting image lol
“let others down before yourself”
– really like the way you put that.
also like the way you describe becoming a member of your own product. similar to, “passions fears problems”. makes a lotta sense.
supremo respect bro
a
Hi Glen, Lifehacker’s interested in republishing your article. Please email me at arvin at lifehacker dot com.
Thank you,
Arvin
http://www.lifehacker.com
Yes, definitely
Glen, Its so simple, but so necessary to give yourself office hours. That’s my favorite and have to admit one of the hardest to adhere to. I find keeping an online todo list helpful as well. I use Google Docs so I can check it from any computer or from my phone.
Hey Glen
First time reader and loved what you had to say. I do some IC work on the side of my full time social media job – sounds similar to what you did – I do not though, know how to code and develop software….yet (if ever). Would you hesitate to jump into something like what you did without that developer background?
Hey Glen,
Excellent post.. Those of us that have always worked for ourselves sometimes forget that not everyone has been through the change.. The biggest issue I still have, even after 20 years of working for me, is people still seem to equate working from home as not doing anything all day.. Yes, I have the ability to do pretty much anything I want any time I want, but I still need to work and the work can’t be handed off to someone else..
Do you enjoy what you do or enjoy the money that you make from it? and do you feel like you’re making a difference and doing something ‘good’ with your life or do does that not even bother you?
I’d be interested to hear you thoughts because as an onlooker into the world of affilate marketing everything seems to be focused on making money and completely disregarding morals.
This blog post is on the front page of Hacker News =D
Nice post, I enjoyed reading it.
Can’t believe your laptop with no harddrive situation – that must of drove you insane!
Keep up the good work!
It is really interesting point that you’ve highlighted in this entry. I do have a dream to achieve financial success and be my own boss. However, it must not be a ‘dream’ only. I must make it as a reality and learn from those who have succeed (I’m preferring you by the way)
This is what I really want to adapt based on your point:
#1 – Build a mission statement
#2 – Focus on doing things that will grow your business
#3 – Just get started
Thanks a lot! 😀
I have only really found out one thing since working for myself. And that is “if you don’t put in the effort, you don’t get paid”.
Nice summery of points to watch out for, well done. Thank you
Very-very good guide. Thanks Glen! It is reality I am going it through right now. I have been by my own…now about 6 months…setting things up. Making such change in Your life… You have to understand Your core focus at the beginning very clearly. It has to be “finding value for Your clients” first, and then comes “making money” focus. I think, it is quite common to put “making money” priority first…it is human…Your own skin is closer than Your clients skin. Money is not around You, money is around clients and You have to satisfy them first then they pay Your bills.
How weird….. thought I left a comment earlier?? Anyway….. this is an extremely timely post for me as I don’t hear anyone discussing how hard working yourself can be (well not in this kind of detail).
Keep kicking ass, Glen!
Hi Glen,
As you may remember from my comment under “2897 words..” post I’m in the middle of developing my own CMS system for my article marketing site. It’s my first project for “the web” and it’s pretty big and heavy on proper design of internals. And after almost a month of working I can see that without some kind of roadmap I’d probably never finish it and release to the public.
As I analyze my behaviour and habits and thought processes similar (to yours) list of “rules” starts to appear:
– I have to remember what I want to accomplish, what is my goal with that project
– I have to work constantly on it that means every day I have to do something: either think about a solution to some problem or code something that works
– if I get lazy and don’t feel like working I take step back, play some video game or read a fiction book and get to work later but it have to be on day to day basis
– don’t get distracted by ideas of new features: if I get an idea I write it on my to-do list and get back to issue at hand. core features, barebone of a system is a priority before any other things, without them system won’t work even is it will promise magic and cure for cancer.
– as I learn new language (I’m C++ developer and for my project I chose PHP) I dig a lot after concepts I can implement in my system. I don’t waste time on reinventing a wheel where I can just use already working solutions
– and once in a while I give myself a free day and I just don’t think about my project at all. it keeps my mind relaxed just enough to be efficient
Sorry for huge comment but I wanted to share my thoughts and let you know that even if you are more marketing guy and I am software developer way of doing things can be universal and some hints just are suitable to whateven we do to accomplish our goals and boost our happiness level
[…] up is Glen Allsopp from ViperChill who wrote a pretty in-depth article called Living Self-Employed Online: The Manual They Forgot To Give You. In this very extensive article, Glen provides 13 lessons from 18 months of self-employment. Glen […]
Glen:
Great article! I’m currently in that weird gray area of working my full-time day job, and then spending just as many hours a day building my brand, my website, my blog and my biz model – until I get to a point where I can jump ship. Lots of your points resonated with me, but especially the one about JUST DOING IT – getting something out there from which to work – and the section about letting others down before yourself. Most of us who choose self employment do so because we don’t want to (or can’t – LOL!) work for someone else, not because we don’t want to work at all. But that’s totally what friends and family think you’re doing…as if “working for yourself” isn’t really work, but rather a front for sitting on your ass and watching TV. And what a crock that is. Most self-employeds I know work just as hard or (more often) harder than non-self-employeds – they have to.
This is my first time reading your work, but it certainly won’t be my last. Congrats on a great post…and thanks for your insights.
Leah
I feel like a broken record every time I read your post, the usual remarks from me would be “awesome”, “great”, “useful post” and “thanks for sharing this.” Note, however, it’s all sincere and from the heart.
I’m still employed and working full-time, not really feeling self-employment to be honest, but definitely applying the priority lists for my side projects. “Great job” as usual, Glenn!
Awesome post, Glen with a special thanks to Pat Flynn for directing me to your site.
Tim
This article is the reason why I have just subscribed for news…good job!!!
Some really great rules to live by here Glen, thanks for sharing.
You’ve certainly managed to achieve a lot in these last 18 months, good luck to you.
Hey Glen,
Love your idea of letting others down before yourself. Too many people let others’ priorities rule them. Especially when they are viewed by others’ as “taking it easy at home, laid out on the couch, ‘working in their underwear'”.
It’s almost like people don’t believe you actually work. Old people are even more suspect than the young, tech savvy crowd. And being militant about staying productive in the face of people just walking in and interrupting you during your “Work Hours” with supposedly “important” questions is the only way you’ll actually make it possible to make a living from home.
One of my favorite Time Management methodologies comes from Dan Kennedy. His program “Renegade Time Management for Entrepreneurs” speaks directly to this issue. Here’s a small sampling from one of my latest blog posts of what he has to say about dealing with ‘Urgent’ requests…
“Nothing is ever as bad or incidentally as good as it first appears to be.
The corollary to this is that very few things are as urgent as they first appear or as other people think are. So, you start by being more critical about what is an emergency and what isn’t an emergency.
There was a guy trying to get to John Wayne, for those unfamiliar with this reference, John Wayne was a famous western movie actor starting with black and white films moving forward into the brand new era of color.
So, this guy keeps badgering the secretary and badgering her and she finally interrupts John and said, “So and so from the studio is calling back now every hour and he says it’s urgent.” John Wayne’s answer was, “Well, the next time he calls back ask him who it’s urgent for, him or me.”
That’s a terrific story because just because it’s urgent to them, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s urgent to you. It’s a real mistake to let yourself be stampeded into a decision or an action or into setting aside your day’s outcomes in favor of someone else’s inflated definition of an emergency or urgency without really determining there is no other option.
So whenever someone appears by phone, fax, text or photo to your cellphone, or any other electrical device that you communicate with and tries to stampede you into setting aside your script and all of your attentions of the day and jumping into theirs, and that’s really what it’s about, it comes down to show down; it’s gonna be yours or theirs.
You’re gonna defend your turf and get everyone to function the way you want or you’re gonna have no choice but to cave to them. There’s not much room in between.”
I love that program and can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone reading this blog because it’s catered directly to people who work for themselves.
So is this piece titled “Why working from home is both awesome and horrible” Fair warning though this cartoon has curse words in it, so for all the easily offended, please don’t go laugh at this… http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home
Thanks for the great ideas Glen!
Another great post. Self employment can be scary but it really is an awesome experience.
Glen
Excellent read, mate.
As someone that is also VERY close to basically working from home full-time, I hear you loud and clear on the point you make in telling people not to come knocking every five minutes (especially those with tiny feet that want to play with Daddy, even though its tough to say no to that!).
Its a great thing to be a) your own boss and b) location independent – but, its pointless if its going to turn you into someone that simply isnt productive.
All the best,
Chris
Great post!
Ones could choose to do it their own way but I really think that there’s some worthy advice here.
strongly agree, especially with only spend money on essential items and keeping the mission statement private
Inspiring post.
Glen –
Well done. I especially like your point about being honest about your position. It is tempting to hide behind the facade of a team or group…but in the end, these are all our words, and we have to individually own them.
Thanks again – I look forward to more,
Erin
Sofa king awesome! Ha ha great article.
God damn it, I love your post! It’s really hard to say “NO” to your close friends or family members when they need your help. I get distracted all the time!
I totally agree with this, Getting a product that is 90% finished out there is better than never producing something with no flaws.You can never judge your own product so get it out there and let others see and experience it. Accept criticisms regarding your product, whether good or bad because it’s all for the improvement of the product. In the end, it’s your customers who will bring your product to perfection.
Great and I have never thought about self-employment yet but surely giving it a try sooner. It must be very interesting too. Thanks
hi
at first, thank you for your very useful post
i am employee in a software development company and i was thinking to find some ways to make mony at home with internet. and i find this post in lifehacker.com
can you guide me , what can i do for start ( which kind of activities )
thanks again
Glen, I loved this article. And I completely agree about the need to give yourself office hours. I still struggle to completely separate my “working time” with the rest of my day and, as a result, tend to give less time to doing the things I love. It’s definitely the number one thing I’ve been working on lately, so I was glad to see that you mentioned it!
Hi Glen,
Been wandering around the blogosphere (instead fo working on my sites :-() and came across your site.
Nice work and I wish id have been self employeed at 20! took me until 30 to find out i loved it.
For those of you out there starting along this path, I worked 13 years 7 days weeks 10 hr days to buidla business and sold it when i reach 42yrs of age (!) 10 years later Im still wandering the planet and dont have to work but still love it enough to carry on.
Hi Glen. Great article. My favorite point is the one you make about office hours. This is mainly because I find myself doing exactly what you’re talking about not shutting off. I just started a blog as a part time project as I’m not ready to quite the rat race, and kinda like my job. But I find myself working on my blog or thinking about it all the time. So, Lately, I’ve been working on pacing myself. Which was exactly your point.
I also wanted to say, I like your long, well written articles. Most blog posts I read are really short, almost to being just a bullet point and a couple of sentences. Yours is really well written and makes for an enjoyable read.
The dream of self employment has been well marketed, and these tips were a very refreshing look at the reality of it.
Thanks for this and everything else you do in the ‘newsphere’ Glen
Surely you are not only 21?!?
) and all the points you mentioned are so valid and true. Especially poignant for me was making sure that everything you do leads toward growing your business.
How can there be so much clarity and vision at such an age.
I recently started working online fulltime, trying to build the part time income into a fulltime one (thankyou for everything you have taught me to date
Too often I catch myself doing things that are not technically grow it at all. (like commenting here – what am I doing! Sorry, have to go )
Thanks so much for the great words of encouragement. One of my biggest struggles is time management. I do feel like I am constantly reminding myself to “walk away from the computer”. That, coupled with the amount of learning I am still doing, can be daunting but I LOVE the feeling of success that I have when I have helped someone!
Glad to have found your site
Yes, thank you. This is what I needed =D Ship it baby ship it!!!
long article … but gives learning from your experiences. Clarity, knowledge, consistency, networking and smartness — five of them are needed. I appreciate you managed to write this “long one.”
I am taking home having a mission statement, a checklist of things that need to be done every day and the drive to get things started!
Loved it, Thanks
I’m a big fan of Seth Godin, but this was one of the best post on the topic I’ve read. Just a short comment to to my appreciation to the post. Keep it up and I’ve subscribed to your blog now.
Superb article. Especially the part just do it (Nike!). But that’s the most fundamental part. We keep waiting for the perfect moment, when its right now.
Great article, it helped me a lot. I’m in the middle of the transition from office to freelancing, but I was not fully decided to do it. perhaps keeping the freelancing as an extra income thing.
But after reading this article, I’m fully convinced I NEED to take this step, perhaps not tomorrow, nor the next month, my goal, it’s about june/july next year.
Again, Thank you for your help with this article.
Classic freudian typo here:
“One thing I love about being my own boss is that I can spend as much time with my friends and family as I wont (provided that they aren’t at work).”
Only realized this was by Viperchill after reading it. (found via SU)
Oh, and great article. I agree about being transparent about lack of a team if that’s the case!
A few other really good point here–good read :]
This is really a great article. I getting inspired to start my own….Now I have a mission statement…Cool
Some really good stuff here, i went freelance around a year ago and it is the best thing i have ever done. Used to be crap at the money management but now i am a lot more savvy. Working from home can be distracting at times, but it is a good way to live. DO it.
Another great post. Keep them coming, they give us lift everytime we need one! Real gems.
Hi! This has to be the best advice I’ve ever read about making it on your own! I’m a jewelry designer and am in the process of completely re-doing my site and re-vamping my business model… everything you listed is something that I’ve come to realize in time, on my own. Another thing that I have/am struggling with is sometimes/many times feeling isolated. Most of my peers are working professionals and I find myself having no one to really connect with regarding my experience as an emerging entrepreneur. But reading this post was awesome and that feeling of yes! yes! and oh yes!! was absolutely wonderful. Thanks so much for writing about and sharing your experience!
Awesome tips, Glen.
I’ve also found that if I just start writing, I get so into what I’m writing that I don’t want to stop. Surprisingly, this usually happens when I dread getting the first few sentences down. I haven’t tried setting a word limit, though. Usually, I would tell myself that I could stop writing as soon as I finished the first few sections of the document, and this has been working for me.
I also agree with you about setting office hours. Normally, if I don’t set office hours, I won’t get any work done and will just sit at my computer surfing the Web or playing RPGs all day. That’s why it helps to have a set time when I’ll start work – it stops procrastination in its tracks.
The other point that you make (which I can really relate to) is to just ship your products how they are, rather than putting it off to make it “perfect.” I tend to be a perfectionist whenever I write, and I’m currently in the process of creating my first eBook to sell. However, instead of creating the eBook and selling it right off the bat, I opted to start a contest and hand out 5 copies to the winners of the contest to get their feedback before the eBook goes live. I think just getting your products out there is the best way to go, so that way you know what your readers like about your product and what they don’t like so that you can make it better.
It’s been over a month since I first started writing the eBook, and I’m still trying to make it amazing. But I’ve found that I can’t stop editing each section and that each section will never be perfect (in my eyes at least). So, I made up my mind to only create 3 drafts of each section of the eBook, then move on to the next section after the 3rd draft is done. Once I send the product to the contest winners, I can then get their feedback and edit the eBook a bit more before it is officially launched. But getting it out there first is the key.
Great read!
Christina
ha ha ha awesome article man …ty for sharing
i like the idea of the privtate mission statement being the sales pitch. trying to keep that handy in my mind. thnks
Glen, your writing ability, your insight, and your thought processes are way beyond those of someone in his early twenties. You’re truly gifted. Cheers.
[How is it that some people can have a picture, and others (like me) not ?]
Great insights Glen, I personally liked “Let others down, Before yourself”. Its a major problem for some people to let others down.
TaTa
great work.
Very good article and nice explain
I want to post this article on my web site almekhlafi.com with write this site source if you no have any problem
Thankyou
One of the best blog posts I’ve ever read. Which also brought me to make my first comment on your site. This is so inspiring, I just registered a domain and setup hosting today for my business I’ve been meaning to start. Thanks man!
Hi Glen this is really great articles!! I really enjoy reading your blog post. I’ve learn a lot from you. Thanks Man!! Keep write a good post!
I love this article. I have been self-employed since 2004 and often wondered why I waited so long. I have to remember that I am a professional and needed to learn before I became independent. I worked for someone else for 17 years while I learned and studied my craft. The one thing that you did not mention in your article was the need for people to constantly learn about their chosen profession. I know there is not a huge learning curve required if someone only uses affiliate links. There is, however, a huge learning curve for anyone involved in internet marketing. They have to study practically every week just to keep up with their competition. The same is true for us insurance agents. Things are changing every day and we have to know where to go to get the answers our clients are asking or risk them going to someone else who can answer their questions. We not only have to sell policies, we also have to make certain that if we make any recommendations, they will meet the needs of our clients and not just our wallets. That takes time and study. I have to spend 5 – 8 hours a week in just study to try to stay ahead of the competition.
Hi,
This was nicely laid-out and easy to read. I agree with you an several points, like starting small will lead to big results, and giving weight to what woks around you rather than only focusing on problem solving.
When I was straight out of Uni and job-hunting in the Web Design field, I found many corporate websites online, with listed locations. I made a list and went to visit these locations only to find that most of them were fake and lead to dead ends. Those companies totally lost credibility in my eyes! Someone in the field told me they were probably freelancers posing as organizations. So I would also like to tell everyone out there to be themselves online, or else you easily lose your target market’s trust if ever the lies come to light.
Thank you for sharing your experience with the rest of us, and letting us have a say too.
when you are a self employed
one certain things to do is to have some saving in your bank account for a next several month
you don’t know what will happened with you job..
you i thnk it wise to save some money …
anyway, great article..
thanks
Great Article, thanks for all the advice. It is easy to get distracted when working from home but having a set schedule and writing your mission statement down helps me stay on track and focused.
Great article, my parents have both been self employment while I was growing up, the one lesson I learnt from them is; building relationships with customers is one of the most important things you can do. If a customer likes you they are much more likely to use you.
Thanks for sharing this article.
Yet another Masterpiece from Glenn! This is the 10th article I’ll be reading on your site today, But I can’t imagine myself not commenting on this. Very timely for me, Just what I need.
Thank you for sharing, very good one.
Very inspiring post. Worth bookmarking. If someone who’s self employed lose their focus, or forget their goals, they should refer to this post.
Great article. I have been on and off line over the last several years and these are all great observations. I think the one that works the best for me is to set office hours. I find that if I don’t set hours I don’t get to enjoy my time off, and then when I sit down to do something I don’t get anything done.
Thanks for the article, I will use it.
Love the article! I could relate to all of those things!
Hope you don’t mind but I shared it on my blog. Thanks!
Adel
The most important question is “How to find clients” all other questions are trivial. I have been working in the IT industry (web developer and desktop app developer) for over 7 years and have spent months looking for jobs on oDesk and Freelancer without getting one job. I have huge portfolio, proven work record and offered low prices.
It all comes down to pure blind luck! You can be the lest skilled man on earth and at the same time the luckiest bastard – and your problems are solved. You will get jobs and find some pure code ninja Indian to do your work for you, for 5% of the money you get. Than with your free time you can write a book and reflect on your success. Explaining how your diet or sleep hours have affected your success. I love articles line this.