I think the short answer is yes. But, do I even have a business?
Not really. I would like to, but I don’t have one. You see, I don’t want to do freelance work for other people. I want to build things that help people and make their lives easier. So when I started this “freelancing” gig, I really hit some roadblocks.
I’m not great at selling myself without letting my work do the talking for me. It’s different than being humble, because even if you are humble you can still sell your personal skills to someone. No, it’s more of a communication breakdown. I don’t know why I’m good at this, but here is what I have done to show you I am good.
Web development for me is starting at square one. I don’t have a massive list of things that makes me qualified to work on different projects. I don’t have a core group of people that I know that are doing the same type of development. Over time all of this will come, but until then I need to begin building ( or joining) a community and getting projects out the door that can show my worth.
So when I want to push my own brand, I want to push it through something that I can be more objective about. Through a “business” I can be whoever I want to be. I can hide behind whatever branding I decide to take the business down. Me on the other hand, I will always be me. Will I change over time? Yes, but only slightly.
But I also need to get my name out there as a seasoned developer so that I can turn my skills in to cash. I need to put my name on tools that I build so I can get recognition for those things. That’s my version of selling myself. You like the tool that I built? You know where to find me.
Most of this will come over time, but clarity on where I am going to emphasize my efforts is important. The emphasis for me is on the tools, and documenting the process to get there.
Jordan @Thrown