5 things I’ve learned from working at home the past 5 years

Photo credit: Craig Garner

Roughly 80 percent of the US workforce does what I do, at least part-time. I’m part of a growing trend that many define as the “Gig Economy”. I don’t have a set number of hours I work each week, and I don’t have to turn in a timecard to anyone. If I want to take the day off, I look at my calendar/ to-do list and decide how to structure my week around some instant relaxation.

Over the past five years, I’ve been able to turn a passion for digital marketing into a successful brand that allows me to work from the comfort of my home, earning way more money than I need to survive. Below I’ll share five of the most critical lessons I learned in order to become the successful, home-based entrepreneur of my dreams.

1. Be honest with yourself without beating yourself up

One of the most important aspects of working from home is understanding who you are. What fuels your passion? What are your strengths and weaknesses? It’s okay to fail and call yourself on it. Failures should be life lessons, not roadblocks to future success.

For example, realizing that you get distracted easily and finding ways to minimize distractions in your workspace is an excellent observation and solution. Telling yourself that you’re weak and you’re a loser for giving in to temptation and checking your Facebook feed isn’t healthy. Focus on the solution, instead of beating yourself up for the problem.

2. Learn to say “no” with respect and understanding

Clients and supervisors will always want more from you. Whether it’s “just one more thing real quick”, or a faster turnaround on your assignments, it’s your responsibility to consider the implications of saying “yes” to make a client happy.

It’s your responsibility to consider the implications of saying “yes” to make a client happy.

If you work for yourself from home, as I have for the past five years, part of your success has come from your ability to please your clients. One of the best ways to take care of your clients is by knowing when to say “No, I’m sorry I can’t do that.” The key is following up an honest “no” with an alternative “yes”.

Great Answer: “Sorry John, I can’t get that back to you this afternoon. However, I have a block of time free in the morning and I’ll do my best to wrap that up and get it back to you by tomorrow afternoon.”

Bad Answer: “Sure, I’ll have that to you in a few hours.” While in your head you’re thinking, “There’s no way I can do that, but at least I’ll tell the client what they want to hear.” Spoiler alert: You’ll fail to deliver on your promise and lose the trust of your client.

Horrible Answer: “What, are you crazy? There’s no way I could possibly do all of that today. What, do you think you’re my only client? I have a lot on my plate, and it would be great if you learned to respect that. I’ll get it to you as soon as I can.”

3. Value yourself and know your true worth

Starting Samurais.co took courage and an ability to execute my dreams. The more challenging part came when I set my initial launch pricing for my services. I felt a hunger to get clients quickly, so I submitted quotes on projects that majorly undercut the competition. While I had a constant flow of work, I was working myself to the bone just to keep up, and my checking account certainly didn’t reflect all the hard work I was putting in.

I realized that I needed to take a look at the market, honestly assess my skill level and expertise, and set my prices accordingly. It took me a year of working way too hard for way too little to finally build up the confidence to raise my rates. When I finally did take that leap, I found that the clients I attracted were of significantly higher quality. I followed through on my promises and did the absolute best I could for my clients.

Higher rates meant I was able to really breathe and focus on one or two projects at a time. The quality of my work improved and I realized that I had really become what I had set out to build.

4. Structure your days

5. Have a designated work space

Concluding thoughts