June 25th, will mark a full month of working for myself. It has mostly been an upward climb full of excitement and lessons. But the best part is – I don’t expect my learning curve to ever peak in this business. If it does, it’s time to pack up and move to a secluded beach where I can drink real margaritas and work on a righteous tan for the remainder of my days.
But none of that fantasy talk. After almost a month of getting my plan in order, nabbing a few (AWESOME) clients, I found a solid product to combine my design and social media skills and decided last week it was time to hit the streets.
I’m not a phone person and quite frankly, I can’t expect anyone else to talk business over the phone with someone they’ve never met. I want face-to-face interaction and the only way to do it is the old-school way. In correlation with my background, I chose to start with restaurants (I grew up in them) and salons/spas (I was a hairstylist in my first life).
After a bit of pre-planning (everyone said it was too much), I hit the road today. I researched six salons and jumped in my car. The radio waves were sending out warnings of the impending heat wave to hit the northeast. Ohhh, man.
So, what did I learn? A multitude of things, but for your sake and mine (I am mentally exhausted) I am only sharing three with you. Check them out.
1. Not everyone will be able to afford me. What can I do about it?
This is really more of a continual thought for me than a something I learned. However, I had not contemplated the businesses who can’t afford me, but desperately need me.
This was the case with the second salon I visited, and considering the first one was overly full of funds – it came as a surprise. But when I saw her face drop, I knew with every ounce of me this is exactly what I am meant to do.
I don’t want to have my own social media business just to make money, I want to help. I want to help grow businesses and I am confident in the power of social media. I know I can help!
2. I want to work with small businesses. This may already be apparent to you, my dear reader, but it was not to me. At my last job I was designing hot projects like Eva Longoria’s perfume launch, National Geographic EbookShelf and Wolfgang Puck advertising… I was big time, babyy!
But the truth is that is not who I am. I come from a family of entrepreneurs and I know the struggle, the sacrifice and the time put into making any business successful. And I want to be apart of the process and relieve the stress.
I love small businesses because they’re the backbone to a community. They make it rich and unique.
My roommate and I went to see a movie this weekend at the tiny local theater and we lovedddd it. Sure the picture quality wasn’t the best, and with the theater being so small the seats weren’t super comfortable. But it felt good to support our local theater and much cheaper.
Support your local businesses! In my opinion, it’s one of the few things we can still count on.
3. I must plan to pitch twice as much as I think I can.
Any salesman will tell you it’s all about the numbers. How many people do you talk to? How many times do you get to spill your spiel?
I planned for 6 today and because I scheduled an evening meeting, it worked out well. But I could have done more, I could have pushed hard and visited more. And it may not always be that way, but I need to be ready for it.
It’s my first day and I am ready for tomorrow, but I forgot a fundamental lesson – numbers count.
Hope this little tidbit of my day has been enjoyable for you. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the freelance world and any advice you may have.
Still, I cannot explain the jubilation I feel towards knowing everyday I am working for my future. And everyday is a challenge and a lesson. It’s hands-down the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I couldn’t be happier 🙂