In keeping with last years theme, I’m posting a review of my freelance performance for historical record but also so that others might benefit.
Straight to the point, this year was busy, so I intentionally did less work.
Just a few of the things we did this year:
- Devon and I moved out of the city to Oakland
- We got married
- We backpacked through Eastern Europe for 30 days
Contributing to less free time was a promotion, thus demanding more of my time and a 2 hour total commute as a result of moving to Oakland. This meant less time to devote to freelance.
The Gigs
My only client this year was one of the same clients from last year. However, a short-sighted payment agreement delayed payment for most of the year.
The agreement we decided upon was that they would pay me in three installments, one for each new customer. The first one came quickly. The second took 6 more months. The last finally paid up last month. The client is a friend and I know he’s good for it, but it pushed my patience to the limit.
Performance
2011: $0
2012: $15,250
2013: $28,000
2014: $13,187
Lessons
Last year I highlighted several key lessons; this year I have only one.
No contracts that are contingent upon sale of other goods/services.
Seems like a no-brainer, cuz it is.
Happy 2015 everyone!