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Out of context: Reply #44
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- gramme0
As many here know, I lost a job one year and 18 days ago. With a wife, child, and mortgage to pay for, I was forced to start on my own since no one I cared to work for around here was looking to hire a senior designer. I went on one interview, and when they decided against hiring anyone at all, I said the hell with having a boss and focused all my energy on starting a design business.
The first several months were brutal, as I only had one client to speak of. I wasn't sleeping well due to how things fell apart with my former boss. April and July were particularly slow months. But then things picked up a bit, and since August I've been steadily busy—more consistently busy than I was at my last job. It certainly doesn't hurt that I'm making apx. 50% more money.
Word to the wise: don't spend a large chunk of your promotional fund on a printed portfolio. I learned this the hard way, and now have about 80 $30 books that I can't shift. Invest in a good website, a studio blog, and an email newsletter before trying the much more expensive and usually less effective tactic of direct mail.