Highlights of the Last Year and Ten Years of Freelancing
Wow, I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that 2019 is over and this marks a full decade that I’ve been a PR freelancer.
(There’s a debate on whether 2020 or 2021 is the beginning of a new decade, but in either case, it’s the decade anniversary for my career!)
I started being a freelance publicist in 2010. I had just graduated from college and was looking for a full-time job. It was taking forever, so I started taking freelance jobs to at least get some experience while I kept looking for something more permanent.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would turn into a full-time career!
Since the new year is always a good time to reflect on the past, I thought it would be nice to look back on some highlights from the last year and my last decade of freelancing.
I achieved both my New Year’s resolutions!
I began 2019 with two goals:
Get my real estate license
Create an online course
I’m happy to say that I achieved both.
I am a real estate agent with Keller Williams and after the first of the year, I am excited to dive in further and see where that takes me.
And now that I have one online course under my belt, I can honestly say I learned a lot and am looking forward to seeing where it takes my business in 2020.
3 things that made my year
Aside from reaching my two New Year’s resolutions, a few other new things stand out as achievements.
1. Switching my clients to retainer-based billing
Instead of billing hourly, I switched most of my clients to retainers. It has been a game-changer.
I am now able to plan and budget so much more effectively, not to mention I have significantly increased my revenue.
Alt Summit
I went to Alt Summit in March and it was amazing. I wanted to go for years, and it was so satisfying to finally go. I got speak at a round table and debut my DIY PR handbook which got tremendous feedback. You can grab your copy here.
Friendships
When I first moved to Austin seven years ago, it was challenging for me to make friends.
You probably already know that as an adult, making friends is hard. And since I work for myself and from home, it’s even more challenging to meet people. But this year, I developed some really great and meaningful friendships I am so grateful for.
A few things that made my decade
Freelancing has been the one defining and constant thing in my life for the last ten years. I’d say that’s a highlight on its own, but there have been a few others too!
Meeting hundreds of small business owners
Getting to meet hundreds of small business owners from around the world has been the best part of my job. This is my “why.” It’s the reason I keep doing what I’m doing, even on the hardest days. It is so rewarding to help small business owners get the word out there about their business.
Getting married
Love is great.
Getting my two dogs
My dogs are the best.
Learning how to stand up for myself
I can see a huge difference in how I stood up for myself a ten years ago (not well) and how I confidently stand up for myself now.
I remember when I just started freelancing and I had a really bad experience with a client. She made me feel like the smallest, most insignificant person ever. In that moment, I promised that I would never let someone make me feel that way again.
I’ve made a lot of progress since then and am much better at setting boundaries and standing up for myself. Of course, there’s always room for improvement and I’m going to take every opportunity to grow in this a little more.
It’s been a challenging and totally-worth-it decade of freelancing. Here’s to another 10!