Why I started freelancing as an apparel designer

And why I like it so much

This is more of a personal post than usual. 

Instead of industry facts I thought this week I’d share a little bit about why I started freelancing, and why I like it so much.

So here goes.

When deciding to have a kid my two biggest fears were as follows:

1.     I was never going to sleep again

2.     I was going to lose my mind and quit my (full time, in house) job

I love sleep, and I loved my job, so this definitely sounded like the worst case scenario. 

Telling a friend my fears at the time she responded with “Well, maybe you’ll get lucky, and your kid will be a sleeper.  And you’re still the same PERSON after you have a kid.  If you don’t want to quit your job, you won’t.”

I can tell you that our kid has been a good sleeper for most of his life. 

But that second fear?  Well, here we are. 

My friend is right, I’m still the same person.  But that fear must have been there for a reason because soon after returning to work I decided the job wasn’t right for me anymore and put in my notice.

My plan, which almost no one that I knew thought was possible, was to freelance.  I still wanted to work; I just wanted more flexibility.

Long story short, and in case you couldn’t tell, it’s worked out. 

Despite one of my biggest fears coming true, I found clients right away and am very happy with my choice and the balance of my life. 

I like helping smaller brands and growing startups who are new to the industry and running my own business has turned out to be very fun. 

Here are my five favorite things about my job as an apparel design freelancer:

Helping growing startups get to the next level and helping brand new startups get from their idea to their first production run. 

Guiding the process, and making sure things come out how they want.

Watching my clients succeed and their businesses grow is one of the best parts of my job.

Sharing what I know from my years of experience in the industry so my clients can learn and grow. 

Helping people who are new and excited about the industry is very gratifying.

When a client grows out of my help.  

If they want to grow into a bigger company, I love to watch them get to the place where they don’t need me anymore because they’re ready to hire their own in-house team.

Meeting new people and making connections. 

Freelancing has allowed me to meet so many new people I never would have met otherwise.  It’s taken away the borders and allowed me to make new friends and connections across the country and world. 

I love running my own business. 

This one came as a surprise for me.  Running a business has turned out to be so fun and creative in a new and endless way.  There’s always something new to try and something new learn.

I could go on, but these are my top five favorite things about my work. 

Are you a growing brand who needs help getting organized as you grow, or do you have an idea for a new product and want to make sure you’re getting started in a way that will allow your brand to grow and scale? 

I’d love to chat about how I can help.  Schedule a call by clicking the button below!