Four / journal / hicksdesign

08/02/06

Four

No, not another meme. It took my wife to remind me that last weekend marked four years as a freelancer. Four years under the name Hicksdesign. I can’t believe its that long, it feels like only yesterday that I took that leap.

Its been wonderful, and I don’t think I could go back to work for someone else, but why didn’t anyone tell me:

You would be working A LOT. More than you thought.
That dealing with emails, quotes and enquiries would be more time-consuming than doing the accounts
That you have to keep a photocopy of each VAT return – not just a printout from your accounting software, but of the actual return. Whoops.
That strange distant mumbling is the sound of you talking to yourself.
That in the first couple of months I would be so nervous and lacking in confidence that I would be sick.

Never mind, I soon found out.

I have to say, that I would never have gone freelance, or have survived so long, if it wasn’t for an encouraging, understanding and completely supportive wife. I tried hard to make that last sentence not sound trite, or like some embarrassing acceptance speech, but its the truth.

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Denis Radenkovic said 925 days ago:

Congratulations! Here’s to another …40? :-)

Matt Robin said 925 days ago:

Well done Jon….you have every right to be proud of your achievements (and proud of your support). :)

Jesse Bennett-Chamberlain said 925 days ago:

Exchange VAT for GST and this describes me (and my wife) perfectly as well. Congrats Jon… the best is yet to come.

Jan BraÅ¡na said 925 days ago:

Wow, nice, indeed. It’s even better because you can sit down, relax, and tell yourself how much you rock :)

David Barrett said 925 days ago:

I really hope that us Irish folk aren’t required to keep a photocopy of our VAT returns…

Oh dear.

Adam Schilling said 925 days ago:

I’m in those “first couple of months” myself… thanks for the inspiration!

JasCon said 925 days ago:

I didn’t think that second to last sentence sounded trite, my wife is the same.

Here’s to continued sucess. D’oh, who’s trite now?!?

Mathew Patterson said 925 days ago:

You’ve achieved a lot in 4 years Jon, congratulations. I’ve linked to this page and a few others on my update of lessons learned from web professionals. I really appreciate all the people willing to give out the information they have come by through hard work.

Mathew Patterson said 925 days ago:

That link was meant to be lessons learned from web professionals ...

#10

Greg said 924 days ago:

Lets have a toast in Austin on your success, you are an inspiration to us all.

#11

Michele said 924 days ago:

Good for you Jon! I think being your own boss is the best…

And thanks for sharing your experience. :)

#12

Zach Inglis said 924 days ago:

Congratulations. Personally, I very sillily (is that an actual word?) decided that i’d start freelancing straight away, no background knowledge put me in a hard situation but it leveled out a a bit a go thankfully. Thanks to a few stints at various web agencies too (month or two here and there)

#13

Marcus Taylor said 924 days ago:

Yes you work hard, yes you spend more time account handling than designing, but nothing beats the feeling when a client writes a letter congratulating you on your work. Inside you know that work was 100% yours – not your boss’, not your art director’s, not your account handler’s – but yours!And what’s more exciting is, you never know what’s going to happen next.Happy fourth birthday and thanks for your inspiration.

#14

Andrew Green said 924 days ago:

I’m coming up to nine years, and your post was the first time I’ve heard about keeping a photocopy of a VAT return form. That’s 36 problems right there—each of which, knowing Customs and Excise, probably involves a jail term.

Oh, there’s The Fear. Hello, old friend.

#15

Nathan Pitman said 924 days ago:

You would be working A LOT. More than you thought.

Yea, no one told me about that one either. :)

#16

Jamie Knight said 924 days ago:

Congrats on 4 years as a freelancer, you are an insperation to us all Jon.

hope for another good few more to come!!

#17

Roger Herbert said 924 days ago:

As someone who’s still in year one, I’m still waking up screaming a lot. Even so, it’s still a better life than the one I had when I was under someone else’s thumb.

#18

James AkaXakA said 924 days ago:

Congrats :)

#19

J.D. said 924 days ago:

Congratz Jon. Glad it has all worked out for you so well.

#20

BigA said 924 days ago:

You’re a good man Hicksy Brown. GOing freelance ain’t an easy journey. Well done and continued success.

#21

brian warren said 924 days ago:

Bravissimo Jon!

Greg’s onto something. Let’s raise our glasses in Austin.

#22

Jonathan said 924 days ago:

Congratulations on the first 4 years, and thanks for sharing your work and insight here. Always been one of my favorite sites! (And great del.icio.us links, too!)

#23

Shawn Lauriat said 924 days ago:

Congrats! Definitely a difficult route…I just recently escaped from four years of freelancing.

On a random side-note: what the…? How many Austin readers do you have? I know Glenda and myself, but had no idea you had a large Texas following.

Man, that would creep me out.

#24

Gordon said 924 days ago:

A lot of people mistake triteness for honesty.

Congrats on four years, I’m less than a month into part-timing on my own and that’s nerve wracking enough!

#25

Fen said 924 days ago:

Congrats are in order. Wish you continued success, and a life without an arse of a boss.

#26

Jon Hicks said 924 days ago:

Shawn – I think its that a lot of people are heading to Austin for SXSW! I will be there again this year, and look forward to meeting new peeps!

#27

Doug Bowman said 924 days ago:

That in the first couple of months I would be so nervous and lacking in confidence that I would be sick.

I remember that feeling so vividly Jon. And the literal sickness it would bring on. About six months later than you, but it hit me with such a forceful vengeance that I won’t soon forget.

Congratulations on the four, brother.

#28

Erwin Heiser said 924 days ago:

My girlfriend’s currently on her 4th year as a free agent (though not in the webdesign world) and I recognize a lot of what you write here Jon.
But she wouldn’t go back to a “regular” job if she wanted and there’s enormous satisfaction in seeing something you started up grow and prosper, especially against the odds.