Looking back: The First Six Months Of Working Independently

31 March 2020 was the deadline I had given myself to quit working independently if everything went south and I was forever broke and client-less.

1 June 2020. Safe to say I didn't quit and my nightmares didn't come true.

December 2019 - June 2020, if I had to describe it in a picture, it would be this:

Muscle Car. Roof Off. Foot on the accelerator. Blaring Music. Empty Roads. Choices. Eyes ahead on the road.

Three things that I've (re)learned in the last six months:

1. A journey is only worthwhile when you have goals attached to it. 3 months into the journey i.e my 'quit date', is when I set goals for myself. Attainable yet a notch higher, intentionally.
2. Humans first, friendship second, business third. Everyone you interact with must feel welcomed, respected and trusted.
3. You're a one (wo)man army, and you're more powerful than you can imagine.

To celebrate six months, here are six pieces of advice to anyone looking to jump independently.

1. Working independently requires you to have a stronghold on work-life balance/integration. Without which, you will burn out.
2. Build your connections and community as much as you can, as rapidly as you can. You need a support system around you and a community who you can rely on.
3. Time is a wonderful thing. Figure out how to maximize your working 8 hours, and know how to use time as a negotiation tool when dealing with clients.
4. Always remember that you can set your own thresholds - whether it is payment terms or commitment deadlines. It's completely okay to say no and decline to work with a client.
5. Don't start out with a niche - you need to build your reputation and brand before you niche down. Now, 6 months in, I have become slightly selective on the projects I want to take up.
6. Believe in the power of testimonials. Always ask your clients for these when you finish a project - they will definitely propel you towards your next client.

What's happened in the last six months? - Here's an overview

I couldn't have done anything that I've written below, without friends, community and believers. Thank you all.

I've been told multiple times that I must share client work, experiences, testimonials, reviews, so on and so forth, on this platform - but, if you know anything about me - I don't partake.

Last week I got asked 'why'? - My response, "Linkedin for me is a place to build community, share knowledge and talk about things that spark conversation'

I'm not looking for the appreciation or applause.

Since this post is all about raising a glass to the successes and learning from the failures, here's a peek into what all I've achieved.

Curious to read more?

Here's the low down on each of the activities

Self-started adventures

Marketing Rapid Fire: 4 marketers. 12 questions. 1 minute to answer each. Bi-weekly episodes (March 22nd 2020)

Storeal: A newsletter which consists of storytelling, life, careers and experiences. (March 1, 2020)

First self-organised and paid webinar: Storytelling in the Digital World that Wins Hearts Session, 17 April 2020

Community involvement

Being a part of a community, and not giving back is selfish.

Since I started my Linkedin journey back in 2017, till today - I've aimed at being involved in the community as much as I can. Be it on phone calls, on podcasts, on DM, on webinars or articles.

Always up for a chat and/or to banter.

I don't know everything, but what I do know, I enjoy sharing.

To all those who've taken the time out of their day to chat with me - thank you.

Here are some of the wonderful places I've been featured.

Podcasts:

March 20 2020: Importance of Branding in the B2B industry - The Rahulogy Show

April 19 2020: Freelancing as a career and how to get it off the ground - Let's get some answers by Devashish Sharma

May 14 2020: 5 things every startup needs to know about storytelling - The Piyush Kukreja Show | Digital Marketing Podcast in Hindi

Webinars:

March 5 2020: A Take on Global and Indian PR and Communications with Talkwalker

March 26 2020: How to start a consultancy business, for Centre for Digital Marketing & Communications

March 28 2020: Content Writing Simplified, for HeadStart Volunteer Network

April 11 2020: Linkedin Local Kerala, Storytelling in the Digital World that Wins Hearts

May 9 2020: Gig Economy: The Future of Workplace with The Unicorn People

May 9 2020: Storytelling - the basics of communication with SpeakDaily

Articles:

April 9 2020: 3 Tips for Freelancers to Survive the Covid-19 Lockdown Unscathed, published on TapChief

April 21 2020: Expert roundup: advice for brands to follow during COVID-19 on Talkwalker

May 12 2020: What will the world look like #aftercorona? An expert's perspective, published on Talkwalker

May 28 2020: #LetsLiveContent interview with Hardik Lashkari

Cheers to the journey, cheers to celebrating wins, cheers to learning from failures, cheers to the next 6 months.