“There’s this great job opportunity, and we can travel around the globe,” my husband came home one day in 2011 and told me. He was preparing to graduate from the College of William & Mary with his MBA that May, and he had started looking at careers where he could combine his engineering background with his newly-developed business skills. He found his chance with a management development training program for a global engineering firm based out of England. The program would move us four times in two years for six-month stints at different subsidiaries across the world.
I was in my fifth year working in military Public Affairs, and I had climbed the ladder to become a deputy PA officer after serving as the interim PAO, all before I was 30. I had learned so much, found a groove I was comfortable with, and I was afraid to give it up. I did, however, know that I was beginning to get too complacent. Though I had honed valuable skills in my position, I wanted to use those skills in a new area.
Fast forward to 2012. My husband had finished his first rotation in his new job in Texas while I continued to work in Virginia. We were now on our way for his second rotation in Brazil. After much thought, research and preparation, with trepidation I turned in my notice at the military base and stepped out on my own as a freelancer. This month marks the one-year anniversary of creating Aubia Communications. It’s been a wild, scary and rewarding year with plenty of trials and triumphs.
What I’ve learned
From the highs of receiving wonderful reviews from satisfied clients to the lows of losing a contract, freelancing has been an adventure that has stretched me beyond all comfort zones. I couldn’t possibly list out every lesson I’ve learned, but here are my top five.
1. Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. –Andre Gide
When my husband and I first discussed his new career path, I was terrified of what I was going to do. I knew it was coming time for me to push myself beyond my professional boundaries, and I have always wanted to try all facets of Public Relations. Freelancing, though, with its unstable flow of work and non-traditional work schedule, was scary. I was most afraid of failing.
I used to live and work by the motto “Failure is not an option.” Over time, though, I’ve come to learn that you will fail. There will be setbacks, but it’s not the failures that matter. It’s what you learn from them and how you carry on afterward that’s important. Taking the metaphor from a recent suicide prevention video project, our failures and hurts are blacksmiths that are hammering and molding us into a strong piece of steel able to withstand any pressure.
In the past year, I have been turned down for bids, ignored for interview requests and faced all matters of rejection. I won’t claim to be the overcoming champion; I’ve had many moments of self-doubt and countless times I thought about giving up. The one thing that brought me back, though, was this quote about losing sight of the shore. Any new venture has its risks, but you’ll never know what you can accomplish without the will to accept and act in the face of those risks.
2. Embracing the jack-of-all-trades persona
In PR, since we must learn the business of a variety of clients and do an array of work functions, we all claim to be jacks-of-all-trades. Nowhere is this truer, though, than in freelancing.
WordPress, QuickBooks, Google Analytics and BlueHost are just a few of the programs I’ve learned in the past year, and I am very thankful for my recent master’s classes in Accounting and Finance. My feedly reader is now full of blogs on blog writing and formatting and cultivating your tribe along with the previous pure PR blogs.
I’ve developed skills, like negotiating and contract creation, I never would have had without diving into freelancing. I don’t think I’ll be a freelancer forever, but it’s certainly giving me new capabilities I’ll be able to use throughout my PR career.
3. Listening to your clients, finding out what they really want.
Earlier this year, I had my biggest failure with Aubia Communications. I signed on a new client and subsequently lost that client through miscommunication. It sill stings, but I learned a valuable lesson.
I had my initial meeting with the client to find out what the organization wanted. I didn’t find out what it needed. I asked about the organization’s background, what the client expected, what the work entailed, and where and who I should be aiming my efforts toward. What I didn’t ask was what the client’s end game was. What was the organization’s overarching goal to be achieved through this work?
After I began the work, there was a disconnect between what I was doing and where the client wanted to go. It was a classic case of not following a strategy for the overall communications piece of the organization. I spoke to a staff member that was able to provide the insight needed to make corrections, but, unfortunately, the contract didn’t cover this and we mutually agreed the client needed to go in another direction.
I could have saved the client and myself a disappointing arrangement if I had asked more carefully where the organization wanted to go and how my work was going to help achieve that goal. When consulting, I’m now sure to dig deep into what the client needs, not just wants. I have a clearer understanding, and I can give better recommendations and plan a more appropriate course of action.
4. A good client relationship never ends
Even after the contract reaches its end date, if you’ve done your job well, if the client is satisfied with your work, and if both you and the client walk away with the results you were looking for, that relationship will keep paying both parties back time and again.
I still have clients who message me for advice or to share an interesting article after the project has been completed. I’m always more than happy to talk with them and find out how things are going. I’ve received referrals from these clients that have blossomed into great new opportunities, and I enjoy seeing how they are thriving. Never let a fruitful relationship die; always respond to your clients, past, current and potential.
5. You can’t do it alone
I may be a freelancer on my own, but Aubia Communications would not exist without the help and support of so many people. I would have never even created this firm without my husband pushing/forcing me out of my comfort zone. During those times of despair and wondering what I had gotten myself into, my family was always there to give me the swift kick in the rear pep talk I needed to get back on track. When I didn’t have faith in myself, I greatly appreciate the friends that continued to believe in me. To all my mentors and those who let me pick their brains, without your advice and knowledge, Aubia Communications would still just be on the drawing board.
Finally, to my clients and readers, to all the solopreneurs and small businesses, you have been an inspiration. Every time you leave a comment, send me an email or give me a call, it’s exciting to see where we’re going or where we’ve been. Thank you for making Aubia Communications what it is today and what I’m striving to make it for the future.
I have a lot to celebrate on this anniversary, and I look forward to learning even more as I continue on this crazy and wonderful path called freelancing. How many years have you been in business? What are some of your best lessons?
