6 Lessons Learned From 6 Months Of Full-Time Entrepreneurship
March 2024 marks the first six months since I took the leap and quit my 9-5 job to pursue Dmarzdesigns full-time, and honestly, it feels like I’ve blinked and the time skipped!
I debated this decision for quite a long time before officially handing in my notice. But I knew when the time was right. I could physically and emotionally feel that I needed to make a change, as the corporate life had burned me out, and I wasn’t going to get any closer to the life I actually wanted for myself.
The push came when I became really damn honest with myself about what lifestyle I actually wanted and what it was going to take to have it. If I wanted better sleep, less Sunday Scaries, less corporate culture drama, more freedom, ease and joy, I had to take a leap of faith.
By the time I left my job, I had been running Dmarzdesigns as a side hustle for 5 years, so the shift from “full-time employee” to “full-time business owner” didn’t feel completely alien. But there have already been so many learning opportunities that I wanted to take time to reflect on them and share this milestone anniversary!
Find communities and memberships with people you truly vibe with
One thing I'm really glad I did was join small business groups BEFORE I became self-employed. This meant that despite working from home full-time now, I still had people I could chat with regularly and feel much less alone during the transition. In those moments when I want to celebrate my wins or share the challenges I’m facing, it’s always great to have people I can quickly message as they just “get it” after having had their own experiences with transitioning from employee to entrepreneur, too.
If you’re looking for a community of badass entrepreneurs to join, I recommend checking out:
The POD is the hub for exploring different ways of doing business! Here, you can challenge conventional business practices and be in a community with others who are experimenting with doing the same.
Wild Coworking is an inclusive community where you can connect with like-minded people virtually via coworking sessions or in-person events.
(Not an affiliate, but I am a proud member of both!)
Find a routine instead of winging it all the time
It took me a few weeks to get to grips with a new routine that wasn’t a carbon copy of my 9-5 one. I knew it would take a little trial and error to fully understand what I could and couldn’t accomplish weekly without constantly overcommitting or burning the candle at both ends, but nothing is ever perfect, right? Plus, you don’t know until you try! Knowing how my creative energy shifts during a typical workweek was very beneficial as a starting point. I also thought back to what I wish my routine could've been like during my 9-5, putting some fresh boundaries in place to ensure it worked well for me.
For now, my routine that’s working well looks like this:
No client work or client calls on weekends or Mondays (this is time for me and my biz!)
Doing something for me and/or my business before starting any client work in the mornings
Booking 2-3 calls max a day (being on calls all day does nothing but drain the hell out of me!)
Discovery calls only take place between Tuesdays and Thursdays
No calls after 5pm (unless it’s with a client in a different timezone)
Regular breaks away from my desk during the day, not just at the end of the workday!
Now, granted, there have been times when I’ve pushed my boundaries and been chained to my desk for hours on end, especially when the creative sparks are on a roll. But it’s always a work in progress to be more flexible and fully enjoy the ease and freedom available to me.
The systems that worked for you then may not work for you now
One thing I was really grateful for while my business was a side hustle was hiring help to streamline my Dubsado workflows and client processes. It meant that I could work more efficiently and not be scrambling all the time during client projects, which was especially important while juggling a full-time creative job that could get super busy at any moment.
But as these six months have passed, I’ve realised that what worked for me in the past is no longer working. It’s inevitable that over time if you don’t keep your systems and processes in check, they can begin to feel cluttered and all over the place. Throw in a slight shift in brand messaging, wanting a simplified approach and a new schedule opening up… the systems needed to catch up!
As with everything in life and business, we learn through experience and adjust as we go. Gaining a better understanding of how I wanted my projects to flow, where I could simplify things and give my clients a better experience, was pivotal in crafting a refreshed design process that feels better and is less clunky.
So take this as a quick PSA to shift things up if they no longer work for you!
Book time off in advance and make it a priority
Giving myself the space to decompress is imperative if I want to be able to create my best work, but sometimes, it's easy to slip straight back into the ‘working 24/7’ stress and not take the time off you initially planned.
When I first became a full-time entrepreneur, a huge wave of exhaustion hit me that I wasn't expecting (cue post-9-5 burnout creeping on up). It was a tough time as it affected everything within my business, but I just didn’t have the capacity to make things better. Thankfully, I had a trip to Japan booked, which served as the perfect opportunity to truly rest and restore before I came back ready to get back to business.
I want to ensure my business is sustainable long-term, which requires time to decompress between client projects so it’s not all hustle, hustle, hustle. Being a solopreneur has its own unique challenges and unknowns, so taking care of the human behind the brand and truly taking time off (not sneakily popping on the laptop to check emails while on holiday), means making sure time off is booked as a priority, and communicating that where necessary.
If you’re not going to take care of yourself, who will?
No is a full sentence
When your business success depends on you, you tend to feel pressure to say yes to everything that comes your way and hustle 24/7 to make things work.
Yes to the long workdays
Yes to the potential clients, despite the red flags waving in the background
Yes to adding things to project scope just to be ‘nice’, but undercharging for it (or not charging at all)
Squeezing in another project when you're already swamped with work or desperately need a break
Now that I want to be even more mindful and intentional with my time, before I say yes to anything, I sit with the decision before I respond so that I know it isn’t rushed or emotionally driven.
Sidenote: Learning about my Human Design profile has helped tremendously with this! As a Generator with Emotional Authority and a Strategy of responding to life, I need to “ride the emotional wave”, so to speak, and listen to my gut response for a simple yes or no.
Sometimes, when I’ve rushed to say yes in the past and ignored my gut response, I’ve come to regret it, as I was too quick to please people. Being aware of that pattern and knowing that not every single project or source of income is worth the stress, I’m not afraid to say no when I know it’s not aligned.
Think quarterly over monthly
The stability of a monthly payslip can trick us into thinking that's exactly what we need to keep up in our business, but I quickly learned during my side hustle days that's not the case at all. We're more likely to have high and low months depending on the number of inquiries, the season or the industry.
I've also realised how much my energy during the natural seasons affects what creative work I want to do and how I show up for my business. For example, Winter is a whole season where I can struggle to enjoy designing and prefer to have strategic conversations (like with my Website Clarity Sessions). Whereas in Spring and Summer, all the ideas can pop off because HELLO SUN, MY OLD FRIEND.
I've been experimenting with building my schedule and service promotions around this (e.g. aiming for more intense creative projects in Spring and Summer, and shorter, snappier projects in Autumn and Winter). I hope this helps me manage my creative energy and workload more easily going forward!
Bonus Lessons Learned
On Instagram stories, I ran a quick AMA about the lessons I’ve learned so far. Here’s a look at what came up:
What have you learned about yourself as a business owner and human?
As a business owner, I’ve learned (and constantly relearning/reminding myself) that you need to prioritise your own stuff just as much (if not more than) client work).
As a human, I’m truly learning how much blank space I actually need in my calendar to refill my creative cup and chill the hell out!
How are you managing your time, creating ‘off’ time?
One thing I tried to do from the beginning was to have a routine that could flex as needed.
Mondays are my CEO Days/non-client work days, so I can ease into the week and do things for myself and the business.
During busy periods, I’ve been trying to add buffer days to rest (shoutout to Celie Photo for that tip! This is a work in progress though, as I can definitely still overwork!
I’m also diligent about booking time off in my calendar in advance and STICKING TO IT!
What would you tell your younger self about the transition?
Make sure you’re properly taking care of the Human BEFORE taking the leap so you won’t have to spend the next month or so recovering from creative burnout.
Also, use the communities you’re in whenever you’re having a wobble—you’re not alone on your journey.
Is there anything you would have done differently if you could do it again?
I would try not to put marketing my business on the back burner, although I’d also hope I wasn’t dealing with burnout, so marketing didn’t feel so tough then.
What’s the hardest part of being self-employed?
As a self-employed creative introvert, marketing the business enough to make a consistent income is up there. Also, the people-pleasing during projects can get a bit out of hand, as design is SO subjective. Setting strong boundaries around feedback helps, though!
Final Thoughts
These first six months have flown by, but I definitely don’t regret trusting myself and going all-in on my business instead of finding another corporate role! While I miss some aspects of my job, the freedom and joy that come with being a full-time business owner are hard to beat and are so rewarding.
Looking forward to seeing what comes next on this journey!
