I had written a review about the first month as a full time freelancer, but apart from that a proper review was not blogged.
This was mainly because I could not think of anything significant and new to write about, without repeating my self or what has been written elsewhere on freelancing blogs.
My freelancing career was off to a good start as my first client turned out to be a keeper. We somehow clicked and he appreciated the effort I put in as well as the value proposition that I brought to the table. Therefore he got me involved in most of the projects that he had. And currently I am serving as his tech lead/project manager for all his projects. And he is quite confident to let me run the projects as I see fit and to take decisions about technology and architectures.
I think one of the best outcomes were him increasing my weekly limit from 20 hours to 30 hours and then up to 40 hours. Currently my limit with him stands at 60 hours which basically means that I can work all I want for him.
But one of the hardest things for me as a freelancer was settling down to a regular schedule, Initially I worked like a dog. then my schedule went haywire and again it has come back to a phase I am working for most part of the day. As a result I had a couple of very low income months which out a lot of pressure on my financials. But eventually, with a more disciplined schedule I am now on a pretty good financial footing, month on month. For the last couple of months, I have earned far more than I had earned during my time as an employee, ever!
What I have been trying to work out with my wife and my family was a schedule that would allow me to spend time with them when all of us were at home and also at times when they needed me to be around. I think I have managed to stay on that schedule on and off and it is quite a bit of an effort to balance.
What I like about the freelancing options are the fact that it gives me the freedom to attend to family matters as and when needed, without having to give excuses or requesting leave! I can take time off and spend time with my family and cover up later on. But I faced two health related issues where my schedules were put off completely. At those times I promptly informed the clients of the situations I was facing and also informed them about the impacts on the schedules. I also offered them alternative schedules and workarounds as much as possible. I think that effort was also appreciated and uplifts your credibility as a responsible freelancer.
During this period I went for just one job interview. That too was out of curiosity. It was a company I admired and would have liked to work for, if I was hunting for a job. And their HR was pretty influential in getting me to say yes to an interview. I went through their process and got selected. I got the job and a package I think was one of the best, a job at that level could get. But in the end I turned it down, as I had a pretty good feeling about my freelancing career. I was chased quite hard in an attempt to convince me to take up the job. But the freelancing freedom I had experienced along with the promise of a future built on my own terms was more appealing to me. I still have the option to go back to them if I change my mind. But that, I doubt!
Currently my freelancing operation is growing beyond me as a single person. I now have one person who works for me on part-time basis and very soon will be adding another to my team. I am essentially running a small development shop, completely virtually. This is probably the first fully virtual software company in Sri Lanka. I would love to explore the opportunity to expand the virtual operation, where everyone works out of their homes, enjoying the same freedom as I do. But at the same time I recognize, that being a freelancer, requires a certain amount of maturity and responsibility which all may not posses.
I had such an experience. I had enlisted two guys to do work for me. Both of them were personally known to me and I had a great respect for their coding abilities. But only one of them worked out. The other guy, though being the better option at coding, never really delivered. So I had to let go of him, before it came to a point where his unreliability was going to reflect a bad impression about my ability to deliver. So this will be something that I will have to look out for, and gauge, when I get people to join my operation. Eventually, one day, I do not mind opening up an physical location. But I am reluctant on it, as it would again take me back to the square one, to a nine to five job, though at a different capacity.
So in conclusion, if anyone out there is contemplating on going solo but is holding back due to uncertainty, I say take the plunge! The feeling is unexplainable!
