Making the leap from full time job to self employed

[linziloop]

Has anyone here ever made the leap from full time employed graphic designer to self employed (more specifically full time employed in-house to self employed but happy to hear all stories!)? It's something I'm wanting to eventually do and I'm just looking for some (hopefully) success stories, as it seems blinking scary to leave such a cushy job with benefits for something so unknown!

[Minuteman Press]

Ahhh, but the quality of life - no idiotic boss on your back asking you to perform idiotic tasks (that said - nobody to blame for errors when you start out on your own!).

[djb]

I’ve not done the whole thing in one, just gone from full-time in-house graohic & web designer to part-time and made up the difference in earnings with self employment. It’s a tricky transition as you need to build up enough clients in your spare time to pay the bills... but still have a bit of spare time. Of course the money I saved up when I was full-time could have carried me for a while if I hadn’t buggered off around the world for a year inbetween!

So if I were to do it again, I’d save up a ton of money - a years wages - and just go for it. Really what’s the worse that can happen?

[sttcmghtf]

I'm a design writer and design marketing consultant. I've written many features on this subject over the years that you may find useful. Quite a few of them can be found on the Computer Arts website -- it's a UK design magazine. Here's the link:
Computer Arts - Everything you need to know about going freelance

Good luck.

[leonforthewin]

linziloop, I have done this transition myself. - It was really rough for me and technically it's still not over.

I worked in a horrible, shitty retail job where I had the dregs of society barking at me everyday. I snapped had a great deal of (paid) time off due to mental health issues. Went back to work and nothing was the same, I just couldn't keep my cool with anyone who's irate/talking down/acting like a dick with me.

All this time I was trying to do web & graphic design around full-time work. I started to make money after a while which meant I reduced my hours at work and went part-time. However I did work about 7 days a week and 5 days a week it was easily 12-14 hour working hours.

After months of being headbutted, spat on, shouted at, called horrible names I decided to drop it. A very drastic move!!! However I did have a safety net, I recently became SIA qualified and now do concert, boxing, football match private security which pays quite well when the works not there and it's as flexible as work gets.

All's I'm going to say is that it requires a great deal of self determination and even more discipline, nothing is more tempting than leaving work for half a day whilst I mooch around the house in my boxers eating bacon butties.

[leonforthewin]

In regards to your situation I would build some really good relationships with a few of your clients, when you leave take the accounts with you!

[Tony Hardy]

I'm busy reading my way through this;
Everything you need to know about going freelance | Feature | Computer Arts magazine

[ARRIVALS]

I've also made this transition. It was harder for me in that the design agency I left, was one I founded with 2 partners.

I had to move across the country, leaving my 2 partners behind. We tried working as a 3-some from 2 different locations, but as expected things didn't work out.

I made the decision to leave the business, and go freelance, forming my own design studio.

It worked out fine, simply because the clients I worked with whilst at my old agency, wanted to continue working with me, rather than the other guys. - . Alls well that ends well.

[leonforthewin]

I've also made this transition. It was harder for me in that the design agency I left, was one I founded with 2 partners.

I had to move across the country, leaving my 2 partners behind. We tried working as a 3-some from 2 different locations, but as expected things didn't work out.

I made the decision to leave the business, and go freelance, forming my own design studio.

It worked out fine, simply because the clients I worked with whilst at my old agency, wanted to continue working with me, rather than the other guys. - . Alls well that ends well.

That worked out quite well! - Well I went for interviews, had job offers, even worked at agencies for free but I have never quite liked the idea someone making more money out of me than I actually earn. I think I will enjoy the benefits of being a sole trader for the foreseeable future!

[Corrosive]

In regards to your situation I would build some really good relationships with a few of your clients, when you leave take the accounts with you!

Wow, that makes me really want to think about employing someone in the not-too-distant future.