I have not won the lottery. I work hard but I don’t live to work, I work a little so I can live a lot.
Here’s a bit of a backstory to understand my now career. -US Citizen, US Educated
-High school math teacher
-Earned Ph.D and became a university mathematics professor where I taught future teachers how to teach mathematics
-Worked in Curriculum Development for a start-up STEM company
-Managed professional development for a math and science educational technology company
-Freelanced in math education
-Became self employed and started a Mathematics Content and Media Development business
Notice any trends? Math, education, content development, publishing.
So, how did I start my business?
I reached out to my established network from being in math education for over 15 years. I let them know I was available for contract (freelance) work and I specifically asked if they had any projects I could complete and they passed my name along. BAM! My first contract with a client was offered and accepted. From there, I continued to be persistent with my network and they continued to pass along my name. I was now accepting projects that overlap with others which made time management an important aspect of success. Through experience, I found balancing five or more different projects on my own was becoming stressful and time consuming, although profitable.
Freelancing was fun, I found. A bit nerve wracking though as the work is variable, but setting my own terms, working when I wanted too, and being my own boss felt right. I finally figured out what I wanted to be when I grow up!
When I felt the first lull in quantity of work, I created a profile on UpWork, one of the many freelancer sites I had heard about in the digital nomad Facebook groups. It took around three months to get my first client, and since then I’ve gained a number of clients from the site. A handful have become return clients and one asked my availability for ongoing work over the next three years or so. I take great pride in my work and I know it shows with the positive relationships I have formed with my clients as the volume of work is now plentiful (although I always keep my eyes open for potential future opportunities).
After two years of successful freelancing on my own, I found myself taking on my work than I wanted to commit too. This is when I reached out to friends and colleagues I’ve known in my field for years, and I asked if they were available to complete some projects for me. And sub-contracting became the key to grow my business and in turn, increase my income. I have only hired people that I know personally, and that I have worked with in some capacity over the years. Again, this goes back to my network. If you haven’t noticed yet, my network has been instrumental in both goals of travel and FIRE.
So, what do I do? What is my business?
I am a content and media developer of mathematics. My business produces resources for publishers in the university and K-12 spaces. Are you still scratching your head? Keep in mind, I’m a former math teacher, and professor who taught teachers how to teach. Today, my business develops math explainer videos, worksheets, workbooks, exams, multiple choice assessment questions for clients who then uses the resources in their own products. We review curriculum and offer editorial services. Additionally, I tend to provide consulting services with my long term clients.
Once I started utilizing contractors, I was able to cut back on my hours. When I was a one-woman show, I worked around 40-60 hours per week, and today, I believe I average close to 20-25 hours per week, with an occasional week of 30-35 hours. Financially, I’m earning more than any of my past careers working “for the man.” I had set a financial goal for my business to earn low six-figures for 2019, and I’m proud to say I exceeded the goal by December 15, 2019. And since I’m the boss, I don’t limit myself to stipulations like 10 vacation days a year, or 5 personal days per year. Instead, I use time management skills to complete work before every deadline, and around my life schedule. For example, I make plans for the things I want to see and do, and then I plan work around my personal schedule. This is quite backwards from almost everyone else I know. Right now, as I write this content, I’m on a 16 day South American cruise. There’s 7 days we are at sea so I take advantage of those days to log a few hours of work on the sea days, and it doesn’t interrupt my vacation time with family.
An important note. I am a US Citizen with US Clients so my rates are based on those industry standards.
As I reflect on my careers, I see positive evolution. I absolutely love the diversity in my work, and I’m proud of my small but mighty business.
I put life first, and work second.
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