Tips from an Unexpected Entrepreneur

Late last year a friend proposed a question to me as I was ending my relationship with a former employer. She asked, "Why don't you try working for yourself?" She asked.

Always a company man, I was taken back by the suggestion. Working for myself seemed like a distant dream, not something I could realistically achieve in my mid-twenties.  After all, what tools and resources did I have to be successful?

Following the meeting I reflected on the question further and came to the conclusion that thanks to a perfect mixture of life circumstances and professional experience, persuing a solo endeavor was actually quite possible for me.

The initial conversation I had at the start of the year led to a shift in the New Year which made me realign my focus and priorities. Now in my seventh month, I've had the opportunity to work with a few clients including Citizen University, Marx Foods, and most recently Seattle Goodwill and Tripcierge. 

The transition from a component of a PR agency to a solo life hasn't been seamless; I've had my fair share of learning moments and reconfigured take offs.

Here are a few lessons I've learned so far on this unexpected journey.

Clients are people

Common sense but easy to forget when conducting business. Connecting with people on a 1:1 level and sharing personal information helps you connect with clients and enhances your relationship with them. As I was once told, no one wants to do business with jerks or robots.

Update your network

New business can sprout from just about anywhere. Your friend or former client could help you discover your next lead. Thanks to social media it's easy to quickly update your network. LinkedIn is often the best tool for this task.

Keep in touch 

Contracts by nature are designed with an end date in mind but it's important to keep communication open with former clients. A friendly email or call usually will suffice.

Weekends are Imaginary

Weekends are a product of the industrial 9-5 work culture. While they won't completely disappear, prepare for the lines to blur; work isn't confined strictly to Monday - Friday. 

Meet new people

Entrepreneurship requires creating new connections frequently. Networking is a vital comment to success.

Recharge

Batteries run down much quicker when you're on your own; Ways to prevent it include spending time with family and friends, consuming inspirational media, and indulging in guilty pleasures or hobbies.

Photos Courtesy of smig44_uk

Status Update - 6.15.13

Quick and simple post.

I'm...

Reading:
Getting Real
American Savage
On Writing Well

Watching:
North America
Felt
Does Someone Have to Go
Dragon Ball Z Youtube Clips

Playing:
Pokémon Black 2
Sim City

Learning:
More effective ways to workout
Direct communication techniques 

Dreaming of:
A vacation to Barcelona
Financial stability

Working on:
Marx Foods social media support
Goodwill digital communication projects
Snapping more pictures
A longer blog post

[Photo courtesy of Flickr user stuartajc]

Growing Up in Coffee Shops

As a Northwesterner raised by a Midwesterner and Southerner, coffee was a foreign substance in my household.  In its place was pop – a drink often rationed by my siblings and I. Coffee didn’t enter my life in a meaningful way until I returned to Seattle in 2007 for college at the University of Washington.

After years of drinking pop out of a fridge or vending machine, the notion of brewing coffee or going to get it from a shop seemed downright foreign, if not absurd. Venturing to shops with friends proved to be an interesting challenge. I’d often get to the menu board and be overwhelmed by the choices. It was a stark change from my standard options at home – Coke or Pop. Dazed and often very confused, I’d frequently leave shops with a mocha, my default/security blanket.

It wasn’t until I graduated from college when I truly started to appreciate coffee. Oddly however it wasn’t the taste which drew me in. No, instead it was the culture around the shops and its powerful distinction as an independent space for interaction, business, and relaxing. I hadn’t experienced anything like it before and was hooked by the notion.

Much of my experience with coffee came as a direct connection to the close of the Great Recession in 2009 – as documented by economists. During this time I found myself constantly hitting the pavement, making cold calls to potential employers, and emailing leads I’d discover through contacts. Responses were mixed. Many people were unresponsive, a few were downright rude, but remarkably I found a majority were actually very warm, friendly, and open to a conversation.

The receptive majority which I began to befriend always had a particular place they’d like to meet - coffee shops. Timid at first, I found myself bouncing from coffee shop to coffee shop meeting a variety of different professionals. During the meetings they’d provide in-depth insight into their lives, careers, and passions. The warmness I felt from those experiences still lingers with me today and is a major factor why I find myself frequenting coffee shops today.

Now at a new stage in my life as a budding freelance communications consultant/unemployed young professional I often find myself calling coffee shops home. It serves as a place to connect and work. In just a few years, this once foreign drink has become part of my natural routine. Happy to say I drink it mostly black with just a bit of sugar these days.

[Photo courtesy of Flickr user Nicola since 1972]

Status Update – 5.26.13

As a professional teetering in-between unemployment and part-time communications consulting, it’s easy to lose track of the big picture and forget to count accomplishments. This week I reached two important personal goals. I won my first independent new business pitch and launched joshuaholland.co. In honor of these milestones, this post is dedicated to a few of my key accomplishments since leaving Waggener Edstrom at the end of 2012.

Books Read
The Elements of Content Strategy
The Last Lecture
Time Traps
The Great Gatsby
The Four Hour Work Week
Storyteller Uprising

New Places Visited
San Juan Island
Los Cabos
Columbia Tower
North Ballard

Events Participated In 
SMC Social Media Club Seattle – What’s Hot in 2013
Ignite Seattle 19
Citizen University
Jumpstart 2013
Think & Drink: How Technology is Reshaping Community

Personal Goals Completed
Launched joshuaholland.co 
Secured my first piece of new business

Classes Taken
HTML and CSS Level 1
HTML and CSS Level 2
Project Management for the Web

[Photo courtesy of Flickr user katiedee]