Update: My worst month turned around after I fired my biggest gig.

I know this sounds crazy, but dropping that steady weekly project saved my business. It was eating all my time for okay money, leaving me no room for better stuff. When I quit, I panicked for about two weeks, then landed two new projects that paid way more per hour. Everyone says never let go of a sure thing, but sometimes that thing is what's holding you back. Freeing up that time was the best risky move I ever made.

4 comments

4 Comments

morgan_stone331mo ago

Honestly, focus on how firing that client changed your approach to finding work. You stopped settling and started chasing what actually pays well. That shift in mindset is what turned things around so fast.

joseph95726d ago

That "forced push to stop playing it safe" that skyler217 talked about is the key part. How do you actually make yourself do that when the panic hits? Like, was there a specific moment or a rule you set to stop settling and only chase the better paying work, instead of just grabbing the first okay thing that came along?

lee.pat1mo ago

Hold up, you only panicked for two weeks? That's the part that blows my mind. Most people would be sweating for months after cutting their biggest income source. You went from crisis to better deals in like fourteen days. That's not just lucky, that's almost unheard of. I've seen folks stuck in that panic mode for a full quarter. Good for you for making the jump and having it pay off so fast.

skyler2171mo ago

The two week panic window you mentioned is so real. I had a similar scare when I lost my main contract last year. Freaked out for about ten days, then just started hitting up every contact I had. Landed two better clients within a month, and now I make more than before. It's all about that forced push to stop playing it safe.