Oh, I have excuses. One of my freelancing jobs turned into a regular, staff position, which ate away at my freelancing time. My little girl went from toddler to kid. (I still don’t want to admit that.) The non-profit organization I head eats up a lot of my free time; the other non-profit took up time. We keep having people come and visit. Gaming nights. Friends. Family.
Oh, I have excuses.
What I don’t have is a business plan. What I need to have is a schedule — a weekly production schedule, milestones and timelines for the freelancing business. Something more that just “I’ll do things as jobs come in” and “I’ll look for jobs when I’m not doing things”. Because there always are those things that get in the way of doing.
Last year, when I started the site, I had a bit of a plan. A list of trade shows and conventions that I would go to; business cards on hand, ready to give out. Tucson Festival of Books, GAMA Trade Show, GenCon. Possibly DragonCon, possibly PAX Prime, possibly NeonCon (Las Vegas). So I went, handed out cards, picked up plenty of cards. I called and emailed in the following weeks and landed a few freelancing jobs. However, I wasn’t constantly on the prowl for new opportunities, simply content with the few freelancing jobs I had that were supplemented by the day job. Life took over. Other things took priority. I was complacent.
Back in college, one of my design instructors had us bring a short paragraph about what our perfect day would be like, years in the future. My little story was nice, I thought. As other students read theirs aloud, mine was similar: friends, family, contentment. The professor read his story of his perfect day: “I get up, go to my studio, and work.”
I seem to have forgotten that along the way.
The goal is simple: have too much design work that I have to quit my job. To do that, there is a business plan for Denagh Design. This coming year will be great.