One thing a lot of freelancers struggle with, me included, is how to connect their blog and their professional life. Is it possible to have a personality online and come across as professional?

Why yes it is…and these ladies are proof.

Businesses like these are not trying to attract anybody and everybody to their client pool, they are trying to attract specific people who will communicate similarly, who they can connect with on things outside of business, and who they will genuinely enjoy working with.

They use their blogs to do two things – brand themselves as experts and build trusting relationships with readers who have the potential to become clients. This means a mix of business-related content and personal stories, both told in their own voice – not a professionally watered down version of themselves.

Think of who you’d love to hire to create a logo – off the top of your head it’s probably a fellow blogger – someone you’ve been following for a while & you might even consider a friend even though you’ve never met. Now think about why you’d hire this person outside of their design skills – you connected with a personal/professional struggle they wrote about, you admire their work ethic, you like their style, they wrote about something that made you laugh, and…their PERSONALITY.

You don’t need to dilute your web presence to impress everyone. If you showed up for a lunch meeting with me there’s no question of what I would be like. I would not show up in a suit and heels, acting all prim and proper. I’d be wearing black combat boots + leopard or stripes. I’d swear a little bit, get really excited when I notice the dessert menu and likely go on a nerdy tangent about whatever new design trick I learned that would benefit you and your business.

Working relationships are not only about finding people you connect with, but about trust. A potential client may like your style and personality, but if they’re going to shell out hundreds of dollars, especially to someone on the other side of the internet, they need something to tell them you’ll deliver on your promises.

Here are a few ways to build trust…

• Respond to emails/Tweets/comments in a timely manner
• Check your spelling and grammar (nothing worse than receiving an email with my name misspelled!)
• Include a bio with qualifications
• Include detailed descriptions of what you do, not just, “I’m a freelance writer, click here to email me”
• Add references to your portfolio – testimonials or “as seen in” links

Yes, your personality, your writing, or your style might turn off a few people, but if you show who you really are you’ll be more likely to attract clients you will love working with and automatically rid yourself of those you won’t.

Do you ever debate posting something because of how it might affect your business?

I know I haven’t written much about making the escape since I left my corporate job nine months ago to become a full-time freelancing circus freak. It was my  focus for a long, long time and now that I’m on the other side I think about it less and therefore it shows up on my blog less. But, I know there are still lots of you out there working hard on your side hustle and dreaming of the day you’ll be able to quit and I want to make sure I’m still providing information and inspiration to help you do that.

So! I’m going to do a little Q & A session answering your questions on how to get started, how to figure out what your side hustle should be, how to stay organized, how to ignore family and friends who think it’s not such a good idea, how to know when it’s really time to leap, etc.

Leave your questions in the comments, send them via Twitter, Facebook it or email me and then next Wednesday I’ll be back with answers – I might even do a video!

OK – ask away!

I’ve been officially freelancing for two months now and so far I haven’t sunk the ship! I actually surprised myself with the number of clients I was able to book and the number of templates I was able to sell this month. It’s a wonder what we can do when someone isn’t watching and critiquing our every move.

I am not and will never be a morning person, so I generally wake up around 11, work until 5, running errands/make dinner/hang out with the Piglet, and then either keep working until midnight or go out with friends. I know I do my best work in the middle of the afternoon and between 8 and midnight, so instead of trying to force myself into some sort of schedule I just work when I’m on a roll.

When I was chained to the cube (and teaching and performing) I was able to book one or two clients a week depending on my rehearsal schedule. Now I’m set at three and it seems to be just the right amount to pay the bills and have a little leftover for my savings account and the occasional shopping spree.

I now have this obsession with growing my business while also cutting my expenses. Mandy and I found a market in the local Middle Eastern neighborhood that has “Wild Wednesdays” and I bought a buttload of produce for eight bucks. My car has been spending a lot more time parked in my driveway too – I got gas two weeks ago and still have half a tank!

But of course it’s not all bunnies and unicorns. Some days I don’t leave the house or talk to any one but the dog, which can be a bummer on occasion. And since I’m now the boss, I get to chase down non-paying clients and be on call for tech support.

I’ve learned that freelancing is best for those who are uber-motivated and self starters. You have to be excited at the prospect of all the things you can do and not worry about how much there is to get done or how you’re going to keep yourself on track. I’m trilled to know that every day the projects I work on, what I design and how much money I make is all in my hands. It gives me this strange, giddy power trip feeling. I’ve set my self up with a big enough cushion and enough experience under my belt that my only concern currently is what time Nicole will get out of work so we can go get ice cream.

Mandy wrote a great post about working from home. I whole-heartedly agree on the no alarm, no bra rules :)

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one + two

One of the most difficult things about working at a TV station and one of the main reasons I quit was the thick fog of stress that constantly surrounded me. My coworkers were always rushing around, drowning in work, freaking out over tiny errors, yelling at each other about who was busier or more in the weeds. And I would just sit there, calmly kicking my to-do list right in the ass, and think “If you’re so stressed out…then change it.”

I was a great worker, but a terrible employee. I was always the last to arrive and the first to leave. I walked into the station well rested, I got through my work in a couple hours with enough time left over for my own projects. And then…when I was tired of working…I went home. CRAZY, right?

I just never bought into the idea that running around like a chicken with my head cut off was an effective way to get things done. I know if I’m stressed out, the designs I create or the circus routines I build will not be the best they can be. And so, I work when I’m full of energy and ideas and when I’m not, I give myself a break.

And this is not to say I don’t have a ton of work on my plate or looming deadlines or I never get stressed, I do, I’ve just honed my eagle-eye focus and my time management skills. Here are some things I’ve found helpful…

+ FOCUS Are you actually getting work done or are you doing 10 things at once? Multitasking is highly overrated – I recommend conquering one task at a time. Try the Pomodoro technique to help keep your focus. Spend 25 minutes on each item until they’re all complete.

+ TRACK YOUR TIME There are 24 usable hours in each day – how are you spending your time? Try an app like Toggl to see where time is being wasted and then use that time to do something productive instead.

+ LISTEN TO YOUR BODY When you’re tired of working and things are starting to come out like crap, your design isn’t meshing or you’re making a ton of errors…it’s time to stop.

+ LET IT SLIDE You do not have to do everything. You can ignore that email from your annoying coworker. You can say no to a client you don’t really want to work with. You can do it tomorrow. No one will die, the world will not end, someone may yell at you and then you can apologize and be happy that you are not stressed.

+ STOP PUSHING YOURSELF Do you know what I’m about to do? It’s 12:55 AM and I’m tired. I’m not done writing this post and I’m totally going to shut my computer, get in bed and read a book.Which leads me to my next point…

+ PLAN AHEAD I wrote this post a week in advance, so now there’s no spazzing out because I can’t think of anything good to blog about. I plan my days so I know when I’m rehearsing, when I have show and when I’ll stay home to design.

How do you keep your head above water when you’ve got a ton to do?

Since I did a post about my typical circus work day, I thought I’d share how I spend a day when I’m mostly working on design stuff. Definitely not as exciting, but I enjoy it equally as much because it’s nice and quiet and I can stay in my own little space all day.

I woke up around 11 to a rainstorm and headed downstairs to let the piglet out and pour myself a big glass of orange juice. I parked myself on the couch to go through email and sent out two templates that were purchased over night.

Generally I stay in my pjs until 5-ish when Slayer is bouncing off the walls in need of a walk, but yesterday I got ready around noon for an aerial meeting at the local artist market. We’re collaborating with them on a show for a big art & music festival in Sept, so I headed over there for an hour to figure out logistical stuff.

After the meeting I walked Slayer and made myself a giant salad for lunch. Then it was back to the couch, with Food Fight on TV (def recommend), to send out design contracts, respond to email and work on mock-ups for two clients.

The sun finally came out around 5 and I took my computer outside to work on the deck for a few hours until my butt fell asleep and I decided it was time for dinner.

More emails, filled out an interview questionnaire for another Blogger, watched an episode of True Blood, went through my Google Readers and wrote this blog post until I checked the clock and realized it was midnight.

I could feel myself getting worn out and because I’m the boss I get to listen to my body and decide when I stop working. (Yes, what crazy things these freelancers come up with…listen to your body…bah!) A piece of caramel chocolate pie and another episode of True Blood and then off to bed.

What’s your switch? That little thing that can pull you out of a motivation rut just as fast as flipping a light switch? That thing you need on days when all you want to do is park it on the couch, put your feet up on the coffee table, and watch Gossip Girl reruns for hours?

For me, it’s cleaning. If I start doing the dishes and then maybe Swiffer the floor, before I know it the bathroom is cleaned, couch vacuumed, plants watered, dog walked, bills paid, spreadsheets balanced, email answered, sites built. I usually come to my senses around 11pm and realize I’ve forgotten to eat, really have to pee and have kicked my to-do list right in the butt.

Accomplishing something little gets me moving and motivated to take care of even more. So, what’s your switch?

To take advice from one of my favorite bloggers who recently wrote a piece called “Let’s not pretend it’s always easy,” I wanted to talk a little (err…a lot) about how I was able to leave my corporate day job.

It can seem, on the internets, that lots of bloggers create a side business and then just up and quit their jobs. And maybe some of them do. Maybe some of them have a trust fund or immediate success or a husband paying all the bills, but my guess is that most of them put in a lot of hours before they left the cube for a creative job.

I don’t have a trust fund, immediate success or a husband, I only had a job I didn’t love in the least and a whole lot of motivation to leave.

I started planning to leave about a year ago. In September I put up a giant white board and wrote out eight months of goals for my design business, my shop, blog stats, aerial classes and shows under the heading ESCAPE PLAN. I picked May for my escape because in figuring out how much money I would need to make in order to leave, the increase in revenue month-to-month was a little crazy, but not insane.

I worked toward my goal every day. Whether it was going through song choices for a show, building a new templates, responding to potential clients, creating spreadsheets for class. I was 100 percent focused on where I was headed. I visualized putting in my two weeks and driving out of that parking lot for the last time (yelling with joy) over and over and over.

And a lot of times it was really, really difficult. I was taking on an enormous amount of work and I was afraid that if I stopped moving for a second my dream would be compromised. I spent quite a few nights in a ball on the couch crying my eyes out, completely overwhelmed, while Slayer climbed all over me trying to lick my face. And I had multiple conversations about how I was “falling apart, taking on too much, and everything is a mess” with a good friend who basically told me “shut up, your life is amazing, keep working.” As much as I didn’t want to hear it, it was good advice.

In March I had my yearly review with my boss and unfortunately/fortunately he was well aware of my lack of passion at work. His solution for this was, beginning in June, to have me write news stories for the site (what I did when I first started my job) and work weekends (after putting in 7 years there). This turned out to be the push I needed to leave.

In April and May we (The Weird Sisters Circus) booked nine shows, which meant more rehearsals and routines to build – I literally did not have time to be stuck in an office 40 hours a week anymore.

I tied up all the loose ends, bought a new computer, went to the dentist, worked out a budget. Then last week I told my boss I was leaving my job to run away with the circus. It was exciting and terrifying (hello mortgage!) and a leap I knew I had to take because I didn’t want to wake up in 10 years at the same job knowing I’d been so close to reaching my goal.

All of the long hours were so worth it when on Monday morning I woke up sans alarm and spent the morning eating breakfast on the deck while going through email. Then I was able to run all my errands to pick up stuff for an upcoming show and go to a fitting without having to cram everything in at the very end of my day. My new freedom hasn’t completely hit me yet, but the relief is slowing starting to seep in and so far it feels really good.

Now let’s all cross our fingers that I don’t have to write a post in a year titled “Dragging my ass back to the cube: How I completely and utterly failed at the freelance life.”

My advice to those of you currently reading this from your soul-sucking job and dreaming of a creative life…

SAVE YOUR MONEY All of it. Especially if you’re like me and are SINGLE with a MORTGAGE. Stop buying shoes, stop eating out. Do you want a new dress or do you want to leave your lame job? That’s the question I’ve asked myself on a weekly basis and, frankly, sometimes I bought the damn dress, but most of the time that little reminder was enough for me to hold onto the cash.

MAKE A BUDGET Know where your cash is flowing. Cut down all the bills you can. I canceled my cable to save $15 and changed my phone plan to save $20.

MAKE A PLAN The second I realized my job would be changing and I wasn’t going to stick around I went back to my desk, opened up a file called Escape Plan and wrote: new laptop, health insurance, Photoshop, clean office, dentist appt. What do you need to do in order to leave your job? Don’t leave it until the last minute.

If possible, CREATE MULTIPLE INCOME STREAMS I make money from freelance design, my template shop, teaching aerial and performing. If one of those comes up short one month I have three other places where I can try to make up for it. This not only helps my bank account, but saves me a bit of stress too.

If the WORST CASE SCENARIO is holding you back – mine is losing my house – then imagine it happening, what will you do? Make a plan. I would: get another job, get another roommate, build a million templates for my shop, start selling possessions. It won’t be the end of you world and you will not die from the worst case scenario. If you managed to escape the 9 to 5, then you surely have enough balls and strength to get through a lot of bad shit.

START NOW Like, immediately. There is no reason to spend another day dreaming about what you want to do and not lifting a finger to move yourself in that direction. Stop making excuses and complaining about things you CAN change and start believing in yourself and just take one step forward every day. Seriously…do it.

ALSO…I cannot say thank you enough to those of you who read my blog, bought one of my templates, hired me to design your site or just cheered me on. Each one of you has given me a little leg up on my journey and I’m truly, truly appreciative of your support. I would not have been able to do this without you <3 <3 <3

If you have any questions feel free to comment or email :)

If you’re to realize your intentions, what you stop doing is just as important as what you start and continue to do. Stopping = the white space. Stopping = room to run free and create from the deepest place of being without restraint or compromise. Stopping = more time for what matters most.

I ran into her post just as I was thinking about the two things I’ve stopped doing in an effort to take pressure off myself, so I thought I’d share.

First, I’ve decided to take sponsorships off my blog starting next month. While I loved getting to know and featuring other bloggers, it was more work than what it was worth to myself or them. I think it’s almost turned into something we’re supposed to do when we hit a certain number of followers to prove our blogs are good enough, but for me, right now, it’s not something worth putting effort into.

I’d rather spend the time toward creating posts to help with blogging and design and I’ve got a little idea brewing to feature some bloggers who I think are doing a fantastic job.

The second thing I’m stopped doing is checking my email every five minutes when my phone vibrates. When I was on vacation I set my email to only update manually and when I got home I decided to leave it that way. I’m so glad I did. I’m no longer distracted all day by phone going off and instead can check it a couple times a day when I have time to focus solely on email.

Both of these things are adding to my plan of simplifying and removing stress from my life.

Have you stopped doing anything lately?

To say my life is packed is an understatement. After class most nights and being away from my phone for about two hours I come back to multiple emails, multiple texts and multiple requests.

I’m so lucky to have this wave of clients and shows, but it’s a lot to work on all at once, so I’m been doing a few things every week to keep myself and my mind from getting overwhelmed.

1 // Take time to turn off, unplug and read every night. I just finished The Girl Who Played With Fire.

2 // No answering emails after 7pm or during the weekend unless it’s an emergency…still struggle to adhere to this one, but it’s a huge stress reliever. I’d even start to turn off my phone some nights ::gasp!::

3 // Plan one night off during the week to do nothing

4 // Prioritize my to-do list and don’t stress if a few small things don’t get done

5 // Get my ass in bed by midnight – this is a big help when juggling so many things!

All of these really point to not working after my 9to5 so my mind can disconnect and recharge for my to-do list for the next day.

Do you have any rules for yourself or things you do/don’t do to keep from getting overwhelmed and stressed?

Psst! Did you enter to win a gift certificate to Sugar + Bean Crochet? Hop to it >>>

Photo via WeHeartIt

Wow, the past couple days have just disappeared on me. The primary election was yesterday which meant I was at work until 12:30 in the morning keeping the site updated and functioning properly. (And taking covert, blurry pictures) My brain is still a little scrambled, but I need to stay awake for circus class after work and then I’m hoping I have just a bit of energy left to go out dancing after.

August is going to be super busy with vacation in a few weeks and trying to squeeze in a trip to Cedar Point before my brother and sister move to opposite coasts, but let’s not talk about that – gets me a little sad. I know I know, I’ll finally get to visit San Diego, but I like having them here so we can hang out.

I finished reading Plantation and have Lowcountry Summer on order to take with me as I bake in the sun on the beach in Lowcountry. My family has been vacation in Pawley’s Island, SC since I was thirteen and I’m so ready to go back.

So that’s what I’ve been up to, staying busy, busy busy, looking forward to vacation and trying to make time to hang out with everyone.