The lifestyle mis-conceptions of self-employed web-developers!

It has been over three years now since I started my journey of self-employment. From working full-time and receiving my monthly pay packet – on time, every month – I moved into a world of uncertainty but excitement, with no guarantees of success. Fortunately, I have managed to make my business work, and whilst it is in a relatively healthy position at this point in time, I can’t say it has been without it’s difficulties.

Along the way, I have encountered a number of hurdles, gained invaluable experience, and have learned some incredible life lessons. In this series of articles, I want to share some tips and general nuggets that I have picked up from this adventure – many of which a budding web developer or sole trader might find handy ahead of taking the leap!

1: It isn’t all biscotti and boozy brunches!

Firstly, if you’re contemplating going solo as a web developer, there are numerous fallacies when it comes to the lifestyle of self-employed IT professionals – but you’ll soon see beyond the smoke and mirrors!  For instance, you might often see social media posts from fellow sole-traders on Instagram and Facebook which suggest they have a “coffee shop lifestyle” – the early morning latte, the Barbour-clad lunchtime dog walk, the distraction-free home office, or a plethora of networking events where they can make money by simply turning up.  Newsflash…  this is nowhere near the truth.

From a personal point of view, whilst I might post a photo of my Flat White in a smart artisan coffee shop on Instagram every now and then, the reality of it is that I am actually doing a lot of boring data-entry or administration that the photo of my cappuccino cup nicely masks. This includes the logging of business expenses for my self-assessment, replying to emails from existing clients, or fishing out passwords for people that I already sent a couple of weeks ago…. the list goes on!

You will find yourself working harder, worrying more, and each and every waking thought will revolve around your business.

Indeed, the amount of “down-time” you get is minimal. Whether you’re having a morning coffee, you’re on a morning walk to the shop, or driving to a meeting – there will always be incoming messages to be dealing with. In fact, in any waking moment, you will find yourself working harder, worrying more, and each and every waking thought will revolve around your business – whether it is the projects you’re working on, the cash in the bank, or the meetings you need to attend.

Of course, “worry” is a key part of being self-employed, and there are a number of feelings and emotions that you’re likely to have when your business is in it’s infancy. Be prepared to occasionally experience anxiety over the unpredictability of working for yourself, as well as a greater consciousness of the responsibilities you have for making important decisions within the business.  Similarly, you will occasionally have overwhelming feelings of self-doubt, and have to deal with the psychological dilemma of a variable income and regular cashflow issues too.

2. Be disciplined and maintain routine

As soon as friends and family realised that I was self-employed and working from home, one of the things I noticed was that they would suddenly disregard the daytime communication blackout that employment previously provided. As a result, I’d get calls for chats and offers from friends such as “fancy meeting up for coffee”, “wanna do lunch”, “shall we do a boozy brunch?” – if only there was the time to do all this! I wish!

Chatting with friends or family regularly throughout the day can lull you into a casual state of mind and distract you from your focus on work. Similarly, if friends and family start to use up your allotted “work time” in ways that are not helping your business, then there is a chance that you will be finding that you get behind with your work, and you’ll then see your work spill out in to evenings and subsequently, the weekend.

If you set your hours – try to stick to them. If it helps, it might be worth creating mini-routines that can give your day some structure.

Obviously you might be reading this fully expecting that “out of hours” work is going to part of the self-employment trade-off, however you should at least *try* to enforce a working window. If you set your hours – try to stick to them. If it helps, it might be worth creating mini-routines that can give your day some structure. For example, for the first part of the day you could read your emails while eating breakfast and spend 15 minutes outlining a task list for the day. If this is repeated daily, it will become increasingly easier to fall into that habit and seamlessly transition into your work schedule.

Within the home, it is also important to dress for the job, and create a designated working area too – a distraction-free space that isn’t used for any other purpose. This will help you to realise that once you arrive at your designated “home office” – it is time for work, and it will set a tone of diligence that will enable you to focus on your tasks for the rest of the day.

Points 3 & 4: Money, Mortgages and Margins »