Acknowledging Success

When we started writing this blog, our purpose was clear. We were chronicling the process of starting a freelance business from home. From the very beginning, we’ve tried to be exceptionally transparent so that anyone wanting to do the same could learn from both our successes and our failures. Today I want to share how those two things (success and failure) are so intrinsically connected.

Writing Freelance Parent has had some major bonuses for us, too. For one thing, we had to research stuff to write about, which meant that we could use that knowledge to grow our own company. Secondly, we have been able to get so much inspiration and support from other freelancers out there in the blogging community. It’s truly been a win-win situation.

But, you may have noticed that our previously frenetic posting pace has slowed markedly in the last couple of months. Sure, I had a baby during that time and left poor Tamara to do all of the heavy lifting (and many of you contributed awesome guest posts in my absence), but it’s been three and a half months, and the blog feels a little like swimming in molasses.

What gives?

A couple of things have happened. I’m just going to gloss over the first one, or this post will get far too long. Basically, it’s that we’ve already sort of covered a lot of the stuff that we urgently needed to learn in order to not have to fold up shop before we’d even really gotten going. That’s not to say that we’ve shared (or even know) a fraction of what goes into building this kind of business, rather, it means that we have been fortunate enough to have gotten the basics.

In reality, I think the biggest “problem” is success. No, we’re not making $10,000 a month just yet, but we’re definitely busier than we’ve ever been before. We’re getting more clients, higher-paying clients, and a really interesting variety of clients. I’ve been up until two or four a.m. repeatedly in the last week so that I could find time to do the work that’s been coming in. I think Tamara is poised to make double the amount she’s yet made in a single month of freelancing.

It feels great. It is satisfying and vindicating and more than a little terrifying all at once. This whole freelancing thing has been a bit uncertain from the beginning, but I’m really at a point now where I know we are going to succeed. We are succeeding. It’s a lot of work, and it comes at a cost, but it is really, really cool.

Freelance Parent is so dear to us, and we really miss the days when we could post six times a week. Remember when I would do a weekly post on inspirational quotes? I loved that. It seems possible that those days are gone; and while there’s a twinge of regret (especially about not having enough time to read all the other blogs I enjoy), I’m not feeling too darn sorry for myself.

Don’t worry. Freelance Parent isn’t going anywhere. This blog has been such a big part of the founding and growth of the Berry-Brewer Freelance Agency, and we think it will continue to be. I just wanted to take the time to tell you all that you really can be successful in this business. We’re doing it day by day right here in our living rooms with our children at our sides.

Since the original goal of this whole blogging thing was to chronicle the creation of a freelance business, I wanted to be sure to share this part of it because I’m grateful, I’m inspired, and I’m hopeful that you are (or will be) feeling this way, too.