Fractional Vol. 5: Things Got Better
January was a slog: not a ton of work to keep me occupied and even less creative energy on my side. That gave way to a very robust February, filled with new clients, new projects, and generally a better outlook on work life from me. I traveled to my favorite city–Mexico City–for some R&R, which also gave a little jolt of inspiration, and I think the distance from being full-time in scrappy start-ups has finally released much of the resentment and annoyances I was holding (can I also say that “scrappy” has become my least favorite word? IYKYK). In short, things just feel better, so let’s talk about it, right?
What Went Well
A lot! Let’s start with new business:
I signed a new client, who I’ve worked with previously and so I know the dynamics, I like the team, and the work is exciting to me.
John and I have kicked into work together on a project for a local business, so we’re having fun collaborating and problem-solving, and helping folks in our community. It’s a win-win.
I have a few new leads with trusted ex-colleagues, which I’m eager to see play out this month and next.
By the numbers, this month was a win based on my recalibrated goals. Last month, I talked about resetting my financial goals to $12,500/month in line with a $150,000/year salary (which is under my market value, but I’m chalking up a lesser amount to a year of learning). This month, I billed $15,350, exceeding my goals. I’m happy about that! It was also an expensive month on the personal side of things (you’ll hear about construction later), so the overage was helpful. That said, I bill on the net 30, so from a "dollars in" standpoint, February hasn't been the best because I'm receiving what I invoiced in January, but it's good to know that there are brighter times ahead.
Most importantly with all of this, I feel content. I don’t often take a moment to pause and appreciate that in just five months, I’ve built this business, I’m in it on my own terms, and I have by-and-large great clients who respect my work and my time. Of course, I still have ambitions beyond where I’m at now (namely from a creative writing lens), but I’m also just really pleased with how this is panning out, and I can’t imagine ever feeling this level of, well, level, at a full-time job.
What Didn’t Go So Well
Boundaries with clients this month have been a bit of a challenge. On my side of the fence, when I have a new client, I often get really excited and overwork beyond my allocation, and that isn’t billable to the client (and can get in the way of adding more dollars to the bank account). That said, I’m human–I want to follow where my passion is and not always where the dollar is, but it’s important for expectation-setting with the client to not over-deliver to a massive degree, because it’s not sustainable long-term.
I’ve also had to be clearer about communication boundaries. In my ideal world, I would communicate with clients via video calls and email, and stay off team Slacks, because I’m not full-time. That said, work doesn’t work that way anymore. But I am trying to keep communications limited to Slack during work hours, email, and an occasional video call, and to really call out when communication shifts to text or calls, because I am adamant about that distinction between work and personal life. These are slippery slopes, and I’ve been on the bad side of it.
John and I navigated work this month with a lot of tumult in our home–literally. We had construction for all of February in our primary bathroom and kitchen, which left us without a shower (ask me if you want to know more about the outdoor shower we set up, haha). Practically, this meant navigating phone calls between needing to talk to contractors and welcome vendors in our home. It also kicked me out of my home office, so I moved down to one screen and sat on our sunroom sofa all day. All of this is to say, productivity took a little decline, because how could it not. But the construction is over, I’m writing this from my office, and I’m back to showering (inside) daily. Cue the sigh of relief.
On the Planning Side…
Like I mentioned last month, I’ve put a pause on “new business” efforts. I’m not doing cold outreach, I’m giving myself permission just to sustain.
And yet, as soon as I did that, new business started to roll in–always from referral. I had an opportunity I bid on that didn’t end up panning out (they found a more qualified person for the gig and that was the right call). I still have a few irons in the fire, which I’m excited about. But at the end of the day, I have three steady clients who I feel good about, and I’m starting to realize that is just the right balance for me–with an occasional shorter-term project here or there.
For this next month, I need to get my payroll in order, because as mentioned in previous newsletters, my salary is now $15,000, paid quarterly, so I’ll report on that next month. In the meantime, my business is officially official, and this was the first month when checks started to roll into Supporting Cast. Hooray! To be clear, all of my personal freelance is now being funneled through my corporate entity. And on that bend, I’ve spent a good hour this morning researching business insurance for my S-Corp, so more to come on that decision next edition.
What’s Keeping Me Up At Night
An amazing thing happened last weekend. I realized for the first time in my working life: I don’t have Sunday Scaries anymore. Certainly I have weeks where client work feels more or less difficult, but even then, I’m just not filled with dread anymore. I feel so much more in control and less bogged down by work politics, subpar management, countless decisions that are outside of my control.
This isn’t to suggest that nothing keeps me up at night. The main thing I am concerned about at the moment is trying to recalibrate my bandwidth. I’ve been doing a better job at closing work for the day and ending around 5PM, but when I started this fractional shebang, I had dreams of going on hikes in the middle of the day, or just having a little more non-work time. That’s certainly possible still, but the trade-off is less money coming through the door. I’m trying to figure out what the balance is, which I have a feeling may be a career-long process.
On the Personal Side
Part of calibrating that balance is carving out time for what fills my cup. I’m thinking about this in a few ways:
Writing: I screenwrite on the side–mostly teleplays but I’m currently working on a feature. I’ve been taking a class on Sundays for three hours for the last few months, and I’ve just re-upped that commitment with a new class on Mondays that will require me to write a pilot in 10 weeks. That’s a massive amount of work and will require not just the three hours of class every week, but hours to write, read material, etc. To me, that’s me making a commitment to further this side of my professional pursuits.
Wellbeing: Friends might know that I started a running journey a while back. As someone who has never been a runner and questioned my own endurance, I was elated to run a 5K in January. I’m busy training for a 10K now and have gotten my average mile time to around 10 minutes (from a 12+ minute mile when I started). I cannot overstate what this has done for my mood and sense of accomplishment, and it affirmed for me how important it is to feel progress in things that are not work.
Beyond these two areas, there is of course time spent with my partner and with friends, which are precious. That means being sure to clock off at a reasonable time, and keeping the “I can’t because I have to work” excuses to a minimum (I think I might set a quota tbqh!).
And Lastly…
I’ve had several friends reach out to me in the last few months looking for advice on how to go fractional. I don’t have much more to say than what’s in this newsletter, and I’m not a financial expert, employment fortune teller, or anything close to professional at this. At the most, I think you could probably say I’m a storyteller, and I’m just writing this silly little newsletter every month to tell you my story as a freelancer. So with that said, these newsletters are a reference for you and your network to use as you see fit! I don’t have a ton else to say beyond what’s here, unless you want to talk about any number of the other things in life that fascinate me that include, but are not limited to:
Movies of the 1970s
Cults in all forms
Dog school in Mexico City and why it’s so compelling to watch
The merits of LA food vs. New York food (my opinion: for $20 you can get better food in LA, for $200 it’s New York. But how much are you spending on food anyway, ya know?)
(Shameful admission here) The Traitors
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