Comments on: Turning a Freelance Gig into a Good Business http://www.ianlabs.com/2007/02/12/turning-a-freelance-gig-into-a-good-business/ The adventures of a freelance web designer Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:57:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Ade in Business » Blog Archive » Now hiring http://www.ianlabs.com/2007/02/12/turning-a-freelance-gig-into-a-good-business/#comment-135 Ade in Business » Blog Archive » Now hiring Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:27:43 +0000 http://www.ianlabs.com/2007/02/12/turning-a-freelance-gig-into-a-good-business/#comment-135 [...] My answer to this is not an immediate “yes”. There are a lot of things that I like about being a one-person business, and there are a lot of headaches that come with having even one employee. I’ve had a number of recent conversations about this with a web designer and consultant here in town, and it’s something that (at least for now) they’ve both answered “no” to. (You can read some of Ian’s answer here). [...] […] My answer to this is not an immediate “yes”. There are a lot of things that I like about being a one-person business, and there are a lot of headaches that come with having even one employee. I’ve had a number of recent conversations about this with a web designer and consultant here in town, and it’s something that (at least for now) they’ve both answered “no” to. (You can read some of Ian’s answer here). […]

]]> By: Ade http://www.ianlabs.com/2007/02/12/turning-a-freelance-gig-into-a-good-business/#comment-13 Ade Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:04:34 +0000 http://www.ianlabs.com/2007/02/12/turning-a-freelance-gig-into-a-good-business/#comment-13 It's definitely a subject that's been on my mind a lot. I could talk for hours about it, but a few thoughts: * I think at the heart of the decision on whether or not to hire is the answer to the question, "do I enjoy managing people?" The worst managers I've had didn't enjoy managing people. They got promoted, or the business grew and now they have to spend all/most of their day dealing with something that's not related to their core skills. * There is very little crossover from being an expert designer or programmer to being an expert manager. It's important to realize it, and be humble about it so that if you're serious about being a good manager you work toward learning/growing those skills. * The pressure to hire in order to be a "real business" is large, but there are millions of one-person businesses that flourish, and there have been millions of them that have flourished since the beginnings of our economy (the Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker). * There are plenty of great work environments (large and small) in the U.S. One of the best books I've read on management is http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684852861 -- there are a number of great examples in there of great work environments with little/no turnover and excellent employee satisfaction ratings. Even better, the book answers the question of what makes them that way. Very inspirational. It’s definitely a subject that’s been on my mind a lot. I could talk for hours about it, but a few thoughts:

* I think at the heart of the decision on whether or not to hire is the answer to the question, “do I enjoy managing people?” The worst managers I’ve had didn’t enjoy managing people. They got promoted, or the business grew and now they have to spend all/most of their day dealing with something that’s not related to their core skills.

* There is very little crossover from being an expert designer or programmer to being an expert manager. It’s important to realize it, and be humble about it so that if you’re serious about being a good manager you work toward learning/growing those skills.

* The pressure to hire in order to be a “real business” is large, but there are millions of one-person businesses that flourish, and there have been millions of them that have flourished since the beginnings of our economy (the Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker).

* There are plenty of great work environments (large and small) in the U.S. One of the best books I’ve read on management is http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684852861 — there are a number of great examples in there of great work environments with little/no turnover and excellent employee satisfaction ratings. Even better, the book answers the question of what makes them that way. Very inspirational.

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