Freebird Apr 11 2009

I meant to write this article four weeks ago, as I had just finished in my full time position with Touch Local, and was about to start working freelance full-time. Since then, my freelance work has kept me plenty busy, and I never got chance to write this post. So today I figured I’d take some time out to write it, with the added bonus that I now have a month worth of working for myself to reflect upon.

The last month has been incredibly exciting. I’ve updated this site to make it more professional, and to give potential clients more information about me and what it is I do. I’ve had a lot of work on which has been great, but I’ve also had a lot of business admin to do, which has taken some getting used to. Working on business accounts, raising invoices, writing proposals and contracts has all taken some time, but I’ve now got everything setup in a way which makes admin tasks a lot quicker. I’m going to write in more detail soon about the tools that can help freelancers with a lot of day to day tasks.

Not having to commute has definitely had a positive impact, and I get that time back now to put back into working, or into relaxing. Being more flexible is also great - I work in the evenings and the weekends, but can take time out in the week, or have the occasional late rise. Sometimes it can be hard to switch off from the work that needs doing, but at least in that regard I really enjoy what I do, so it isn’t so bad.

And that’s really what makes working for myself as a freelancer and running my own business so enjoyable. I’m working on things that I enjoy doing, from home, working hours that suit me. I also have the time to work on some of my own ideas now too, which is very exciting indeed.

So if anyone reading this needs Ruby on Rails development doing, please get in touch. You can also browse the rest of this site to find out more about me, and what it is I offer. And if anyone else reading this is considering becoming a freelancer, then don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you’d like to hear more about my experiences so far!