Working for Myself, The First 30 Days

In this talk I discuss the things I believe did wrong and right during my first 30 days of working for myself, as well as some of the lessons I have learned thus far.

Transcript

1. EVERLAND Theme Working for Myself The first 30 days Demian Seiler Co-Founder and Lead Developer Presstronic Studios LLC presstronic.com #WCJax @demianseiler
2. EVERLAND Theme Demian Seiler Who is this guy, anyway? I have been working professionally as a Java web developer for over ten years, and have been working with WordPress, Node, and Mobile development over the last couple of years. I have never liked working for someone else. Period. The question is, will I like working for myself? presstronic.com #WCJax @demianseiler
3. EVERLAND Theme Road Map Today we will walk through what led me to start my own business, and my experiences, both good and bad, over the first 30 days of working for myself. The Backstory The Wrong The Right The Lessons The Q&A presstronic.com #WCJax 1 5 4 3 2 @demianseiler Nobody gets anywhere by accident.
4. EVERLAND Theme The Backstory Nobody gets anywhere by accident. Entrepreneur-like tendencies starting from a very young age Working for someone else never sat right with me. Jumped into the deep end and started working for myself presstronic.com #WCJax @demianseiler
5. EVERLAND Theme I was a dealer of gas station candy delights in middle school. Until the authorities put a stop to my whole operation, you could often find me selling blow pops to the kids in the dark corners of the classroom. Once my candy operation had been put on ice by the school administrators, I turned to arms dealing. That’s right, making and selling paper throwing stars. In high school, I continued to dream of doing my own thing. But I can’t do anything normal, so instead of mowing lawns, I started painting reflective numbers at the end of driveways. Just out of highschool I got my first taste of what I wanted out of my work life when a couple friends and I attempted to start our own Web Design company. Not to date myself, but Windows 95 was pretty rad... A Serial Entrepreneur? presstronic.com #WCJax @demianseiler
6. EVERLAND Theme Started my professional career. I quit my job of 15 years. First full time development gig. Contract to hire with another local Java shop. presstronic.com #WCJax After 17 years of software development, 15 of which were with the same company, I decided to make my move. So, I went to work for someone else... 1998 2005 2015 2016 My Career Path @demianseiler
7. EVERLAND Theme This new position was right to hire, and the company was a great place to work. But I had to finally admit that it was time to live dangerously and jump in with the sharks. presstronic.com #WCJax On February 12th I worked my last day for someone else. The Pieces Finally Came Together @demianseiler 2016
8. EVERLAND Theme On February 15th I worked my first day as my own boss. World Domination Plans The same thing we try to do every night… Try to take over the world. presstronic.com #WCJax @demianseiler
9. EVERLAND Theme The Wrong Sometimes the best way to see if you can swim is to just jump right in. Lessons stick best with me when I just jump right in and get my hands dirty. Sometimes, this also means I get things wrong. The Backstory The Wrong The Right The Lessons The Q&A presstronic.com #WCJax 1 5 4 3 2 @demianseiler
10. EVERLAND Theme We “Just Did It!” Seriously, we did very little planning. presstronic.com #WCJax The Wrong You haven’t failed until you quit. 2 @demianseiler
11. EVERLAND Theme We did not start off using CRM. I have met several potential clients, but have not been efficient in pursuing them because I was not using a CRM system. presstronic.com #WCJax The Wrong You haven’t failed until you quit. 2 @demianseiler
12. EVERLAND Theme We did not have enough money saved up. It is recommended to have 6-12 months of savings ready to go to help get started. We were a little shy of that. presstronic.com #WCJax The Wrong You haven’t failed until you quit. 2 @demianseiler
13. EVERLAND Theme We did not have a formal business plan. Though we had discussed what our business plan would be. presstronic.com #WCJax The Wrong You haven’t failed until you quit. 2 @demianseiler
14. EVERLAND Theme We did not have branding. We had an idea as to what we wanted our logo and colors to be, but to this day we are still working on finalizing this. presstronic.com #WCJax The Wrong You haven’t failed until you quit. 2 @demianseiler
15. EVERLAND Theme We did not talk to an accountant before forming our business or after getting our first clients. presstronic.com #WCJax The Wrong You haven’t failed until you quit. 2 @demianseiler
16. EVERLAND Theme We did not have a plan “B” prepared if we were unable to start the company. presstronic.com #WCJax The Wrong You haven’t failed until you quit. 2 @demianseiler
17. EVERLAND Theme I did not ever leave my cave...er… office. Seriously, I have gone days where I did not breathe outside air. presstronic.com #WCJax The Wrong You haven’t failed until you quit. 2 @demianseiler
18. EVERLAND Theme We did not use better discretion with how transparent we were with our clients. presstronic.com #WCJax The Wrong You haven’t failed until you quit. 2 @demianseiler
19. EVERLAND Theme We did not start to figure out a daily and weekly work schedule. presstronic.com #WCJax The Wrong You haven’t failed until you quit. 2 @demianseiler
20. EVERLAND Theme The Right We didn’t do everything with blind faith however. By doing research and having discussions with other business owners, we managed to get a few things right. The Backstory The Wrong The Right The Lessons The Q&A presstronic.com #WCJax 1 5 4 3 2 Celebrate your wins. No matter how small. @demianseiler
21. EVERLAND Theme We “Just Did It!” Yes, this was listed under “The Wrong” but at some point you really do have to pull the trigger and make it happen. presstronic.com #WCJax 3 The Right Celebrate your wins. No matter how small. @demianseiler
22. EVERLAND Theme We did create a separate business account. I wanted to make sure our business and personal finances were miles apart to save complications later. presstronic.com #WCJax 3 The Right Celebrate your wins. No matter how small. @demianseiler
23. EVERLAND Theme We did finally talk to an accountant. Most of what we have done was approved of by our accountant. presstronic.com #WCJax 3 The Right Celebrate your wins. No matter how small. @demianseiler
24. EVERLAND Theme We did pay to have people and services take care of things that are not in our core competency. presstronic.com #WCJax 3 The Right Celebrate your wins. No matter how small. @demianseiler
25. EVERLAND Theme We did start tracking our time. I am still not 100% on this, but I can see the benefits. presstronic.com #WCJax 3 The Right Celebrate your wins. No matter how small. @demianseiler
26. EVERLAND Theme We did start working on a schedule that fits our lives. We are still figuring it out, but so far so good. presstronic.com #WCJax 3 The Right Celebrate your wins. No matter how small. @demianseiler
27. EVERLAND Theme We did get another technology focused small business owner to be a mentor. presstronic.com #WCJax 3 The Right Celebrate your wins. No matter how small. @demianseiler
28. EVERLAND Theme We did start expanding our network by getting involved in the communities that focus on our core competencies. presstronic.com #WCJax 3 The Right Celebrate your wins. No matter how small. @demianseiler
29. EVERLAND Theme We did start using CRM to help us build stronger relationships with existing and prospective clients. presstronic.com #WCJax 3 The Right Celebrate your wins. No matter how small. @demianseiler
30. EVERLAND Theme We did ensure we maintained open lines of communication with our current and prospective clients. presstronic.com #WCJax 3 The Right Celebrate your wins. No matter how small. @demianseiler
31. EVERLAND Theme The Lessons For those that wander, a good road map helps. A GPS is better though. As a very new business owner, I have learned that the only thing I can be really good at right now is listening, taking notes, and pondering what those who have gone before me say and do. The Backstory The Wrong The Right The Lessons The Q&A presstronic.com #WCJax 1 5 4 3 2 @demianseiler
32. EVERLAND Theme Project Management is hard, but critical. If you don’t have any of these skills, hire someone or learn how to do it. presstronic.com #WCJax The Lessons For those that wander, a good road map helps. A GPS is better though. 4 @demianseiler
33. EVERLAND Theme Making getting out of my home office a priority is critical for the success of my business. presstronic.com #WCJax The Lessons For those that wander, a good road map helps. A GPS is better though. 4 @demianseiler
34. EVERLAND Theme Imposter Syndrome is real, yo! I have learned to counter this feeling by plunging even deeper into building my business. presstronic.com #WCJax The Lessons For those that wander, a good road map helps. A GPS is better though. 4 @demianseiler
35. EVERLAND Theme Working for yourself is just as hard, if not harder, than working for someone else. But it is much more rewarding. presstronic.com #WCJax The Lessons For those that wander, a good road map helps. A GPS is better though. 4 @demianseiler
36. EVERLAND Theme Getting sick when you own your own business is not easy. Especially, in the beginning, so take care of yourself. presstronic.com #WCJax The Lessons For those that wander, a good road map helps. A GPS is better though. 4 @demianseiler
37. EVERLAND Theme You will work a lot of hours, but by setting and sticking to priorities, you can actually see your family a bit more often. Make a point of doing this. presstronic.com #WCJax The Lessons For those that wander, a good road map helps. A GPS is better though. 4 @demianseiler
38. EVERLAND Theme You should be prepared for peaks and valleys when it comes to how often your client payments arrive. presstronic.com #WCJax The Lessons For those that wander, a good road map helps. A GPS is better though. 4 @demianseiler
39. EVERLAND Theme Qualifying potential clients, can actually save you time, hassle, and in turn make you more money. presstronic.com #WCJax The Lessons For those that wander, a good road map helps. A GPS is better though. 4 @demianseiler
40. EVERLAND Theme Be humble. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from those that have gone before you. presstronic.com #WCJax The Lessons For those that wander, a good road map helps. A GPS is better though. 4 @demianseiler
41. EVERLAND Theme Know what drives you. While I realize I need to make money, the freedom to work from anywhere and be around my family, is my main motivation. presstronic.com #WCJax The Lessons For those that wander, a good road map helps. A GPS is better though. 4 @demianseiler
42. EVERLAND Theme The Q & A There are no stupid questions left. I have saved them all for myself. The Backstory The Wrong The Right The Lessons The Q&A presstronic.com #WCJax 1 5 4 3 2 @demianseiler
43. EVERLAND Theme Thank You demian@presstronic.com www.presstronic.com twitter.com/presstronic presstronic.com #WCJax @demianseiler