Happy one year birthday, Foundation Web Design & Development! That’s right. It’s officially been over one year since Foundation Web Design & Development was incorporated. Officially, Foundation was filed as an LLC in September of 2023, but I didn’t start full-time work until mid-November, and finally got around to making this post now. So… Happy belated birthday Foundation! And here’s what I learned over the last year:
Why didn’t I do this sooner?
Puttering around for close to a decade working as part of someone else’s company is all well and good but I never took it seriously when clients asked me “why don’t you do your own thing?” prior to last year. I hemmed and hawed on it a lot and thought maybe it wasn’t worth the effort to spin off on my own. But was it?
YES!!
While the first year of business can be considered arguably the worst year of business for anyone first starting out, my first year has been marvelous for so many reasons. I’ve had so much industry experience and expertise that people could tell right out of the gate that even though I had just started on my own thing, I knew what I was talking about. I then had the agency to take or pass on any piece of work that I didn’t think I could work through – or where the requests seemed past my realm of expertise. Working for myself means so much more freedom. I’m no longer sitting locked to my desk every minute of the day trying to make sure I come off as a “valuable employee” to my employer. I am my employer, and therefore I’m my most valuable asset.
Friends and connections, I can’t thank you enough
Though I didn’t start from a place of absolute zero, I give all credit to my friends and connections for helping me spread the word about my current offerings and the work I’ve done for them in the past. All of you have helped me by singing praises about the quality of work I aim to deliver for you. I’ll never get tired of “so-and-so recommended you” in my email inbox. You are all so fantastic and I am so grateful for helping me make this first year really amazing.
People work with me because they like me
I admit, I have a strong personality, and sometimes that personality can rub certain people the wrong way. It’s just a fact of me, and anyone who gets to know me knows exactly what I mean when I say this. However, there have been times in my life where I was led to think people didn’t want to work with me, or they hated me, or I was an absolutely awful person who could only create terrible results: the crux of all things bad in any environment. It turns out none of that is true. People who have worked with me in the past were so quick to lift me up by supplying glowing reviews of things I’ve helped them with, passed along my name and website, and even looked to me for future work. The amount of clients who came to me specifically because they wanted to work with me and not anyone else was staggering.
Make goals – then smash them
When I set out, I initiated all of this by figuring out what I can do with and what I can do without. As in, what was a luxury. What could I get after establishing myself a little. What did I need right now. Because of this, I set goals.
And then I immediately smashed them.
I went so quickly through all of the goal posts I set for myself that in retrospect I wonder why, in my moments of worry, I had ever worried at all.
Early on into my endeavor, I had a discussion with an individual who told me: “Oh, you won’t have any issues. You’re going to do so well for yourself.” I’m glad they were right.
A sense of relief
Last year, I had come to recognize that after almost a decade of doing all of the bells and whistles associated with marketing work, I was facing burnout. For someone who normally enjoys many of the aspects of the work I was doing, this was shocking, and I didn’t recognize it right away. Unsupported by my current workplace, I had to keep showing up and turning out. Instead of listening to what I was saying, trying to assist me in working through what was happening, or really doing anything at all besides talking down to me (amongst other things), my former employer and I parted ways.
And I could breathe again.
One of the stories I tell is that I started to feel this note of dread every day, and that when I sat down to eat something, no matter if it was dinner, lunch, or a small treat, nothing tasted good anymore. It was just eh. It was substance, and to force myself to eat became a chore. (Hello, yes, anhedonia is a symptom of depression, why do you ask?)
It was hard to believe this was because of my job. I worked from home. I got paid okay. I had some benefits. How could anyone complain about that? I very much felt like I could not complain because of the larger circumstances, there were many others out there without “cushy” jobs like mine, but inside of it, it was far more difficult, and anyone who actually got detailed information out of me about it was shocked to hear about it.
They say work-life balance is important – and it is – but even when your job only requires you to be there for a period of time, the looming dread of what is happening in that environment – especially if it’s toxic – can easily bleed over into everything else in your life. Suddenly, it’s hard to enjoy things outside of work because you’re thinking about the next thing you’re going to hear about in your job, what you’ve done “wrong”, or the next client you’re going to be abused by. It’s hard to sleep, difficult to eat, hard to engage in the things that normally let you turn your brain off for a while. Work-life balance is definitely important, but even if you do have it, in some instances the lines can blur.
This year I have been fruitful. I’ve worked on this lovely blossoming business. I’ve made more art than I can even remember making in years past. I’ve taken courses. I’ve donated my time and services in so many ways. I ran crowdfunders, created murals, published an entire book and queried many times for a second one, absorbed books and video games and TV shows and movies I never would have before. I’ve built long-lasting relationships both online and offline, and gotten to turn up for so many people. I’ve felt better than I have in a long time – about myself and my work – and I hope to continue this positive track into 2025 and beyond.
Thank you so much for coming with me on this journey. It’s been fun so far and I hope it gets even better!