It’s already almost three weeks ago that Wade and I boarded a flight to Norfolk, Virginia to take in the inaugural Double Your Freelancing Conference.
And boy did we have fun.
My friend Kim and my mom were generous enough to take our kids and let us escape for almost five days to the east coast kid-free. Of course, we love our two toddlers more than anything, but it sure was nice to have some couple time and not really worry about taking care of anybody but ourselves.
I also learned some stuff.
This is actually the first “non-Corporate” conference I’ve ever been to. And you could tell! Here are five tangible takeaways I boarded the plane with the following Saturday.
1. Write Everyday
As a writer, guess what? You should be writing. Like everyday.
And as an online business owner, you should be treating your own business like a client. And that means writing for yourself too.
This is where most of us tend to fail. Even though our writing probably makes us money (by sealing the deal with prospects, generating course or affiliate sales or something else), we still tend to put client work ahead of our own, almost every time.
We don’t treat our own businesses like our most important client (which they are) and have a hard time putting them in front of everyone else that has deadlines and paychecks waiting for us on a regular interval.
I get it.
It happens to me too. But we have to do it anyway. L
ike right now, I’m working on my second course, 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success: a course for wannabe VAs. (PS: If you’re interested in becoming a VA and want to know when the course is available, get on the waiting list here!)
2. Give it Two Years
This is a tough one for so many. We’d all rather have an overnight success, than a slow-burning one.
But that’s not usually how it works. And when it works out that way, it’s rarely sustainable. Committing to a long-term business and long-term growth is where the magic is.
It allows you to spread out your hustle, rather than get burnt out by trying to do too much too soon. It gives you perspective when one thing you try doesn’t go your way. It makes you plan for the future, rather than just today.
If you’re currently on the journey to building your own business, give it at least two years. Show up. Every day. For at least two years.
Don’t quit. I dare you!
3. Pitch Once per Day
You want to build a stellar and predictable client list? Guess what, you’ve got to pitch. And you’ve got to pitch consistently.
Consistency is key in building a successful business. But going back to the above point, people would rather put in a lot of effort into a small amount of time. You know sprint, rather than run the marathon.
They don’t want to show up everyday and put into effort day in, day out. That sounds like work, they cry!
Weird, work is work. Even if you’re doing something you’re passionate about, it’s still work.
One thing that is in your control though, is how consistent you are. Show up and pitch just one time per day.
Somedays you’ll do more and some days you won’t send more than one. That’s okay. Start with one. Be consistent. See where it gets you.
4. There Will Always Be More to Do
This is probably the hardest one for me to personally come to terms with. I have this fallacy that if I work hard enough or long enough that one day I’ll be all caught up. My to do list will be empty.
What a fool I am!
There will always be more work to do. And that’s not a bad thing. It means that I’m always thinking up new ideas, encountering different ways to do things and GROWING!
So it’s on my to do list (funny, aren’t I?) to squash this way of thinking. To show up everyday from 8-5 (with an hour break for lunch) and do my best. Be as organized and productive as I can, but leave work at the door when it’s time to go. My kids and husband will thank me!
5. Freelancers ROCK!
The conference I went to was really small. Like 120 people small. And it was awesome that way!
It was a great group of people, who were laid back and non-salesy. Exactly my type of peeps.
I put faces to many names I’ve seen online and even left with a new mastermind in the works. People that are like-minded with similar goals, but vastly different business.
The conference just proved to me that freelancers rock. We’re cut from the same cloth. Not scared to start or to learn new ways of doing things. That’s pretty awesome I think!
In Conclusion
Wade and I had a great time in Virginia last month at the Double Your Freelancing Conference. We got some very needed couple time, ate some great food, took in the sites and learned how to make business better for Fully Booked VA.
I took away that I need to write every day (especially for my own business), have a long-term mentality when it comes to growing HH, pitch at least once per day, come to terms that there will always be more to do and that freelancers absolutely effin rock!
I’ll so be there in 2016!
Have you been to a conference this year? If so, which was it and would you go again?
Photo credit: Elijah Hail via Unsplash